OK, a couple thoughts. Why have a talk with the kids? Why not just show them with actions what's going on? I mean if they have ?s that's cool, but it doesn't seem like that will do anything for your kids expect maybe cause them extra stress.
You are a smart and intuitive woman, Karen. That's EXACTLY what we decided to do. No "family meeting" today, just a real nice dinner with all four the kids. Our daughters came over, really pitched in and helped, and it was nice watching the two girls just sitting at the kitchen table, chatting, enjoying BEING SISTERS without their boyfriends around. I made some teriyaki-marinated london broil on the grill, carmelized sweet onions (w/a little sugar and some soy sauce), sauteed mushroom (in butter and a little red wine), and grilled fresh shrimp (basted in butter, fresh garlic and a little lemon juice, plus salt and pepper). Baked red potatoes, fresh broccoli and some good wine and sweet tea rounded it out, and we just had a really nice dinner with the family.
D22 asked me if she could mooch "a couple of dollars" for some lottery tickets, and I folded a twenty inside the two $1s and winked at her, and she really appreciated it. She's always broke, but NEVER misses a car payment or a utility payment to me, so I just felt like doing it.
Anyway, Karen, we decided just that. My wife and I talked and we decided that we're tired of the dramatic "proclamations," and decided to just DO it -- work at it, one day at a time. If we'd been fighting or something in front of the boys, or one of us had found the need to sleep away from the house one night or something, it'd be one thing, but they really haven't been exposed to anything like that, as we've really gotten along great. So we thought this was for the best.
Oh, and spending the afternoon watching the fetching & fit Mrs. Puppy try on bikinis was NOT hard duty today, either. O . . . M . . . G . . .
