UPDATE 12/19 8am It's going to be a comparatively quiet/lonely Christmas and New Year this year. Our son left with my wife for TN for a grand total of 18 long days. I already miss him dearly.
When I dropped our son off at her place a few hours before they flew out, I asked my wife if she's read the emails I'd sent her over the weekend. I said that in one of them I gave her a rough schedule of when I would call her to talk to our son during their stay there. This is what she said:
W: No. I've been really busy; I haven't checked my email in days. M: Well, when you get the chance, have a look at it. W: Why do you need a schedule? We may have plans. Just call whenever. M: That's the idea of a schedule, so we don't have to play phone tag. W: (Laughs) You are trying to be controlling. Stop being controlling. M: I don't want to call when I fancy. That would be more annoying. (I was subconsciously pointing at her own past behavior).
Then our son said loudly: "Stop, stop! Those are bad words."
I hope what he said broke her heart as much as it did mine. We haven't "argued" like this in months, but our son could pick up on it right away. The next part is hypothetical: Another sad part about it is the possibility that our son's reaction is fueling my wife's anger/animosity/resolve. In her eyes, nothing has changed, because our son is the automatic argument tell-tale. Daddy is still the same jerk. Nothing has changed.
I didn't pursue the conversation and quickly changed to saying one last goodbye to our son, and telling him to be polite and to behave.
UPDATE 12/19 I had also asked my wife (verbally and by email) to send me their flight itinerary, but still no response. This irresponsibility is driving me up the wall!
Hope everyone else is doing fine and ramping up safely for Christmas!
