Wasn't the premise of the show was that Carol and Mike had previous spouses and it’s assumed that Greg had a bike before Mike married Carol. So unless Mike and Carol had an affair when Greg was little, why was she around when Greg got his first bike? :crazy:

Maybe she was aware of them and was observing them from a distance. It may have even been while her husband was still alive.

This is another example of how the show almost forgot or pretended they were not a blended family. The kids never refer to their brothers and sisters and steps. The only episode where we hear step mother is when Bobby runs away in season 1. After season 1 it was never eluded to again they were a blended family.
When Greg is practicing his guitar, Carol and Mike are at the bottom of the stairs listening. Carol says something like talent runs on her side of the family. In another episode Jan wants Peter to do something for her and says "blood is thicker than water." They are not biologically related at all.
Long story short, after season 1 its almost forgotten they were a blended family except for the opening theme song.

They had to pretend so that interactions didn't get weird with the boys concerning their 3 new sisters and stepmother.

I have noticed that too. I wonder what was going on in society and if blended families in real life acted the same.

This is another example of how the show almost forgot or pretended they were not a blended family. The kids never refer to their brothers and sisters and steps. The only episode where we hear step mother is when Bobby runs away in season 1. After season 1 it was never eluded to again they were a blended family.
When Greg is practicing his guitar, Carol and Mike are at the bottom of the stairs listening. Carol says something like talent runs on her side of the family. In another episode Jan wants Peter to do something for her and says "blood is thicker than water." They are not biologically related at all.
Long story short, after season 1 its almost forgotten they were a blended family except for the opening theme song.

I think Jan's comment is fitting actually, often times when non biological siblings are together for SO LONG, they THINK of each other as blood. I think "blood is thicker than water" could be metaphorical as well. I have an adopted sister on Facebook, for 12 years now, we've never even met in person, but we are very close, and we say stuff like that to each other a lot lol But you're right.... after season one it's totally dropped that they are a blended family, in season one its mentioned a couple of times, like Bobby thinking of himself as just a "stepchild" to Carol, etc...

If they wanted to make a really REAL episode, they could have made an episode about Bobby being "homesick" for his biological mother, and having to deal with those feelings. I say Bobby, because of ALL the kids, I could see YOUNG Bobby from season 1 as being the kid most likely to be experiencing that type of "homesickness"

As far as the girls and their biological father, I'm playing psychic here a bit, BUT I always got the impression that Carol's marriage with him did NOT end on good terms for SOME reason, I dunno why, but just always felt that way. Perhaps because I knew originally Carol was intended to be a divorcee.... But I dunno, I just always got the impression that Mr. Martin may not have been such a nice guy