If her true desire was to "work on herself" then she would be VERY open to other methods of protecting her finances/child. There are many ways to do this without a legal separation. A contract signed between two people and made to be legally binding is far more sensible than a separation IF the ONLY goal is to be protected.
Of course she wants a legal separation so she has an easy way out... my point exactly. She is giving herself LOTS of options. How many options are you getting? None.
