Crap, crap, crap!!! I have got to get control of my emotions!
So, the whole "H not seeing/talking to the kids thing" really started getting to me. I called him and asked him if he could make more of an effort to spend time with the boys. He started throwing around excuses and I stupidly brought up the fact that he went out the other night instead of coming to see the boys. He started getting really mad. I told him that I just didn't want to see their relationship go to crap (but I used the not-so-nice term). He said he'd talk to me later and hung up. I texted him that there was no need to get angry with me; that I was just trying to help his relationship with the boys (mainly S4). He said he was mad at my use of the not-so-nice term. I apologized to him and explained that I just want him and the boys to have a better relationship than he and his father & my father and me (neither of them were around when we were kids). He hasn't responded.
I see that he probably wasn't really angry with my use of that word. It was probably his guilt manifesting as anger. It usually is. How do I always let him get to me like he does? It seems we're better at fighting than we ever have been at loving.
Navy, thanks for your reply. I'll respond in a bit.
