Barrybran - [Insert Original Thread Title Here]

[Barrybran]

Well, my wife has been home and left again for another week of training for her new job. Last week was a mixed bag for me having started so well before I allowed D4's behaviour to bring me down Wednesday. I got myself back together Thursday and D4 was still acting up (the whole.... fricking.... day...!!!), I kept my cool and handled things far more constructively.

Friday rolled around and we were all looking forward to my wife's arrival. She sent me a text message to let me know she was leaving and I was expecting her 2.5 hours later. It turned out that she pranked me as D3 spotted her driving into our driveway five minutes later. I thought that my wife was in a good mood and it started the weekend off on a great note. That didn't last long.

My kids had been looking forward to seeing my wife all week. When she got home, they were all more interested in what they were doing than my wife, which was a surprise to me. When she got their attention, they were all over her so she watched cartoons with them briefly before falling asleep on the couch. My son asked to play soccer outside instead so I went out and played with all three kids so Mum time quickly turned into Dad time.

I kept my distance for the weekend. My wife was chatty on the phone a couple of times but I wasn't feeling it so I stayed in the main room, where I'd set myself up while my wife was gone so I could keep a better eye on my kids, particularly after bedtime. She didn't initiate any conversation, was short with me for much of the weekend and I just carried on doing my thing. For some reason, she felt it appropriate to call me at midnight last night for a lift home from a concert but I ignored it and went to sleep instead. This morning, I helped her with a couple of things and when she complained at how I was doing things, I sat back down to study and left her to finish off the tasks she was doing. This included when the smoke alarm was set off; she was already inside, I was outside and I didn't feel the need to help her out when she didn't appreciate the help. She complained about this too and I ignored it.

On a positive note, I've enjoyed some quiet time without the kids, I have completed my first uni assessments for the trimester, my readings are up-to-date and my house and laundry are clean. I am all over this single Dad stuff. Of course, my kids didn't do their chores Thursday night and as my wife arrived home shortly after we did on Friday, her first impression was that the house was a mess, which it was. The house is in order again and I am kid free until the morning so it'll be easy to keep on top of again this week.

On the whole, I'm glad my wife isn't around at the moment. I don't like her attitude towards me and for things to turn around, her attitude must change. I don't expect it to for some time and I understand that. I do still believe that things will improve between us in the long-term but I'm not going to pander to her to achieve that. I've come far too far and I feel it is best for my kids to see that 'Dad's got this' without my wife around. Unfortunately, I live on a huge block, I don't have easy access to a vehicle that can tow a trailer and it's getting hot again so the yard isn't in as good as condition as the inside but it's all a work in progress. I'm happy with where I'm at though. I'll get there.