Maybell XVIII

[Maybell]

OK. I've digested everything (I think) and here's what I've got:

When H moved out he asked the kids to make him tons of artwork so he could hang it in his laundry room. They did, but he forgot to take it with him and it sat in my dining room for three weeks. I finally disposed of it after the last time he left without it because I thought keeping it out like that was rubbing it in the kids' faces.

GGG, my kids are 11, 8, and 6. They make lots of artwork and sometimes send it in the mail to his apartment. He has nothing of theirs at his apartment except toothbrushes and toothpaste that I provided. They've asked if they could keep stuff there and he always finds reasons not to.

He is well aware they are sad, has even mentioned it from time to time in texts the morning after he has them. He says "I tried to talk to them about it but they wouldn't." I ask if he wants to discuss it with me and he says no, he knows what the problem is.

I believe he doesn't call because they declined to speak to him on the phone so many times (sometimes very vehemently and angrily). He didn't insist because "I don't want to be pushy."

There are pitfalls with both approaches but I'm going to go with GGG's and see what happens.

Card, when I did "Hi." i was mirroring how he addresses me.

Ahoy, S6 would call him but S8 and D11 won't. So that's not really a solution. Plus, it doesn't help the problem that they feel like he has abandoned him. They shouldn't need to be pursuers either. He has said that when he sees them midweek he feels like he doesn't need to call in between.

And he was proactive enough to address this week's schedule yesterday so I suppose I should be glad of that.