first let me disclaim that im not here to demean doc. i dont think he's a bad guy- in fact, he seems to be a good guy (insofar as i find him generally well intentioned). he just is overly-emotional and makes bad decisions.

a few quick observations:

1- posting family drama (particularly when said drama involves a minor child) on a public message board is not the most dignified move.

2- who is the adult here? his response is overly emotional (which seems to be his brand) and positions him almost as a peer to the kids rather than an authority.

3- hanging a pic of you kissing someone is kind of a weird move. i'll concede i could just be old fashioned in this regard, but it struck me as tacky.

4- what's the ultimate motivation behind the removal of the pic? imo, its homage to doc. i suspect the kid misses the family unit that he grew up having and seeing the image of doc with a new woman is a painful reminder of what was lost.

it's an immature move by a kid to remove a picture from the wall space... but a kid is by definition not mature. i suspect things were better for the kids with doc in the mix than with the trombone guy who just crashed the party a year or two ago. so, if im doc, i take it as a sort of compliment. the message i hear is that they miss him being the step dad. its an opportunity to have a conversation that repairs that relationship.

5- regarding that convo, docs apparent plan of sitting them down for a "tell all" about their mom.... just an all-time awful idea. again, i appreciate that its an emotional situation, and his instinct is to redirect their angst to the guilty party, but thatd be a pretty immature and destructive move. there are much better ways to handle it.