You are playing on her agenda, reacting to her. Are you her best friend, who she turns to to share her love life woes and successes????
Me thinks the Smile Guy is Batshit Masochistic. As long as you accept, welcome, reply to her responses this is your tilt-a-whirl. Live your separate lives. Your business is YOUR business. Your stuff is YOUR stuff. Sheesh, fella.
She has something significant to learn on this journey. And so do you. As long as you mollycoddle, throw fits about how she cares for her children, allow her to invade your personal life you are completely enmeshed.
Drop the rope. Break the cycle. Stop fixing. Quit leaping for ways to passively control her. It's time for BOTH of you to learn what life is like with and without each other. And then you decide what the gold ticket really means.
Congratulations on finishing the race and having a great time!
