Ladies, Hugs. My take on this is that the selfish part of MLC is taking over when they tell you they don't want custody. They love their children; however, the crisis is pushing them to "run", and they surely can't do that if they have custody of children. They leave them in your hands because they can count on you to take the very best care of them. No, it isn't fair. But they are trying to escape. My H couldn't even take care of our dog that he demanded stay with him. Guess who has the dog now? It's very sad. I'm sorry for what they are doing to you and the children. But I'd rather see the kids stay with the sane parent.
Most of us really marry only once. First love endures, even unto our dying day. And we never really divorce.