I lost my mum almost three years ago after a 15 month battle with Ovarian Cancer.  She was 57.  My parents divorced when I was a child and my step-dad has been in my life for over 20 years, he's now 60.  We're a close family and we were both side by side when my mum died.

He has recently told me, after being encouraged and influenced by much younger friends, that he's joined a dating site, been on a couple of dates and is continuing to get to know them both.  I'm happily married, never dabbled with dating sites and quite frankly value the old fashioned meeting people approach.  That aside, I do want him to be happy but feel extremely protective of my mum.  Her words to him were to wait a year, which granted he has!  And her words to me were to not be bossy but look after him!

I know the answer is my Mum’s words to me and also that it has absolutely nothing to do with me, it's his life, but I'm struggling with telling my emotions just that.  The child in me is screaming "I made it through my parents divorce, I certainly never signed up to having any step-step parents!"  

Hubby's thought on it is ... if my mum was still alive would I feel the same if she met someone new?  I'll never know, but I have tried to think through this and don't think I would, the overriding feeling is I'd want her to be happy.  So why is it causing me heartache when my stepdad's the one moving on?

Anyone got any pearls of wisdom to help me navigate this please?!

Many thanks x