Hi Dudess: It is a tough time for all those issues to come together...all part of the new reality I have to tackle, I suppose.
I went to that men's group last night...after hanging out with my S11....when I talked about my frustrations with MIL buying all that stuff for my W - one of the senior members responded by telling me that I should not let those material gifts from MIL "diminish" me....It was an amazing thing to hear...and it really made me think a lot about how I was reacting to her mom's intervention...in the end, it really just means my son is more comfortable at her place...they also reminded me that I should not look at her getting stuff for her new place as another nail in the coffin of our marriage...
...just to clarify things, though...I don't know what will become of our marriage - and I know that there's nothing I can do to convince my W to return to it or even just to go to IC for herself and MC for us...but I have finally realized (or maybe just fully accepted) that I have to use this time to the fullest. No matter what happens with my M, I have to work - I have to get up, do my work, take care of myself and take care of my kids...and I can't succumb to the sadness of things falling apart...
