My divorce is getting reading to go into negotiation and mediation I think things may get tense. I negotiate for a living and I can hold my own, but still don't want to ruin any remote chance of reconciliation. I also don't want to give up anything in the divorce just to placate my wife in hopes she will want to reconcile.
My thinking now is to be tough, stand my ground, and be friendly and civil.
Will she respect me for this or will it just push her further away?
You're right, she will lose respect for you if you don't stand up for yourself, and giving her more will not win her back.
Be too tough and she'll respond with the same and you will have a bitter fight of a D.
What was your history in the marriage? Were you too tough on her, or were you too passive? Maybe go slightly the other way on this, always keeping in mind it is strictly a business transaction.
M: A really long time. Crisis: 5 years. She's still worth it.
Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose. -Viktor Frankl
