New to DB, need guidance

[Heimlich]

Parenting is a lot of instinct and differences of parenting/degrees of punishment do vary, but can cause lots of tension. Did he ever talk calmly with you about these differences or try to work them out or was it always a heated argument. I'm from the south as well, so I'm going to make the guess that he's a 'spare the rod, spoil the child' sort of guy and you're not? I hate that type of thinking. My kids get the occassional swat on the backside but it's rare.

Has he been an OK father to them?

So many intertwined issues here, hard to tease them out. I'm totally blanking, but you have kids with him, does he treat them differently than the step kids?

I guess, despite different styles of how to raise kids, especially girls, do you still want to be with him? Your Ds will only be in the house a while longer.

And for him to say he never felt like a parent because he didn't get to discipline them the way he wanted is a pseudo-copout to me.