Husband left for second time - 7

[PsySara]

What you're doing is so hard but worth it. If I may make some suggestions, you mention feeling burnt out, what would give the emotional recharging you need? Can your husband take your daughter for a week and...you know, parent? If you're not taking care of yourself then you're neglecting your child's primary caretaker. Your WH sounds like he still feels a connection to you, the fact that he calls you for advice is a good sign.

You say there are no major developments but it seems you've made your home a good place for you and your daughter. You WH has started coming to the home to see his DD and reestablish a connection. He is feeling the repercussions of being absent from her life and not liking it. For him to come to an eventual point where he feels the pain of his decisions then he will also have to come to the point of feeling safe to reconnect. A lot of these walk-aways don't come back because they fear having to pay the price for the rest of their life. Our job as the stable, healthy partner is to put our pain and need for justice aside and pave the way back. Walk-aways usually have narcissistic traits (at best and full blown personality at worst) so their egos are brittle. They can gain insight however, and eventually become strong enough to heal themselves.

You're doing great, just a bit of burn out. It's ok if your DD eats oce cream for dinner sometimes. It's ok if your evening activity is vegging on the coach and watching chic flicks while she plays on the floor with toys. Boundaries include telling your friends you can't make the meetup due to tiredness. Keep up the good work, you're doing great.