Well, it is now looking like the Thinker vs. Mrs. Thinker mediation is going nowhere and is about to crash and burn.
So far we have fundamentally managed to agree on NOTHING except that we are getting divorced and are going to have to sell the house.
The core sticking point - Custody. I'm not backing down from full joint custody (no way, no how, I'll take that to court), and she refuses to discuss anything except "every other weekend and one evening a week"
Her argument..."I'm the mother" (yea, and I'm the father, so get over it)
She refuses to have any discussion on the topic - just clams up and sits there.
The only thing she wants to agree on is that we are going to have a "transition period" where she remains the full time stay at home mom and the kids live with her. Her definition of a "transition period" is 3 or more years! I am refusing. My stance is that we make the transition when we move out of the house.
She's also balking on any sort of employment for her. She's currently employed part time and working a large number of hours (supported by me) on her own startup business, but she is refusing to commit to having any income from either of those sources because "the kids need her as a full time mom" (Yes, I know - contradictory)
In parallel with mediation, we were attending joint C sessions to work out how we were going to coparent going forward. Yesterday she pulled out of those sessions because (in her words) she "just can't stand to be near me any more"
Basically, she does not want to have any more discussions regarding the terms of divorce with me, especially not with a rational 3rd party observer in the room.
Time to batten down the hatches. I just asked my L to send me the final retainer agreement.
Me 42, W 39, S8, S6, S2 M 11y, A & ILYBNILWY 11/08 Walking away from a bad situation.
