a young marriage in trouble

[Vanilla]

Ins
You are definitely a fantastic young father. If you truly feel that S needs time with W then this is a boundary not an emotional issue. You have my admiration as I see you do a marvellous job. It's delightful to hear about.

This need not be a matter of 'keeping score' and I would suggest you can approach it as agreeing a schedule which works for your son. W is wayward and will try to guilt you into feeling like a poor father, but this is clearly not the position. I recollect on HPs thread there was an online diary suggested by Starksky.

Things will ease as S grows older. Ideally you need to be part of a single parent group where more experienced parents can help with some of the issues you will find. You will find this very useful and supportive to know all parents get tired. Single parents often help each other in practical ways too.

However Ins you are clearly the more stable parent here so I suspect for a while despite tiredness you will need to carry more of the burden. This is not easy, I wonder if you are eating properly yourself and resting too.

The Xmas present was spot on, what a lovely present. Excellent DB.

Ins W should not be rude to you and you did well to point that out. It would be stronger if you stated this as a boundary issue, but you will need to be specific say what you need to say the move on. 'W I felt that when you said "xxxxx' that you were trying tone hurtful, and I know that I am being the best parent that I can be. I want us to be civil to each other for the sake of S.'

If this rudeness continues please post and I am sure we can help with some scripts.

I will find the Starsky link for you and post.
Have a wonderful Xmas and (((((hugs to Ins and S))))))))
Vanilla