You sound great and very well grounded. You are rebuilding after the wreck your wife made. You have every right to raise the children in your own home with your rules and she is wrong to think she has any say in it unless there is a REAL problem. I was married when each of my kids was the age of yours but sometimes they stayed up late and sometimes they made a mess but they were well taken care of. Too much rigidity does not make a child's life better.
Sounds like things are also going well on the dating scene. I spent much time on the phone getting to know prospective dates. It made the "in person" time much more comfortable and I was able to learn much more about them. Josh and I still spend a few hours a week on the phone since we don't live in the same city.
And yes - she is jealous. Even 4 years later, after our divorce and our remarriage, Chuck displayed jealous tendencies. You see - it is ok for them to have someone new but they seem to think we are going to be too shattered to pick up the pieces.
You handled everything extremely well. And on top of it - you are obviously enjoying being a parent - quite obvious about your posts of chemistry sets, birthday parties and the tooth fairy. All the wonderful aspects of being involved in your children's lives.
Kudos to you, Kerry - you have moved on quite well and it will be even smoother once the D is final. Your boundary setting with W is excellent. You are a good role model for others.
