Hi everyone, thanks so much for you all your kind words. I've definitely still got a lot of work to do - and still have many unresolved issues ahead of me. The demise of my second marriage has just been so very different from my first. My first marriage was to a very good person - and we both just realized we were not right for one another - and there was hardly any conflict once we decided to go in different directions (it was more like accepting it, than deciding to do so, actually). She and I have always managed to talk about our son, and to be civil to one another and find ways to work together in his best interests. We've also done a good job, I think, of being very fair to one another in terms of time with our son.
My STBX, on the other hand, is a very different person. She's not willing to cooperate with me very much - and tends to take the position that her opinion is fact - and that makes communications very difficult. I still hardly ever talk with her - which I think is a shame - since I think that having this kind of poor communication with her could/will affect my S2.
But it's just impossible to talk with her about anything...as she tends to be very angry when we talk (this after having been physically separated since November) - and she still continues to try to bait me into arguments. The sad truth is that I just don't trust her, either - and so there's very little I ever want to discuss with her other than the basic facts about my S2 - his health, his school, his eating and sleeping habits, etc.
As I deal with cleaning up the mess left by the breakdown of my marriage - I am also continuing to deal with the stress of making a living as a freelance writer in a tough economy. That's proven to be quite the challenge of late - as many of the customers I used to write for just are there anymore...and I find myself having to compete for work with many other writers that have been laid off from their full-time jobs. It's a messy situation - and one that brings with it a fair amount of stress at times - but I accept it as part of what I have to learn through right now - even if it is challenging me in a profound way.
