MLC - I am definitely going to bring up my desire to have a weeknight dinner with the kids in our next MC session.

I had a good talk with a D'ed friend of mine yesterday. He went through an amicable D, then 2 years later wanted 50/50 custody and it got as nasty as it can get. His advice was that once I'm ready to D, whether or not I feel prepared to do 50/50 today, I have to go for it if I want it in a couple years.

I can continue to be patient for now, provided I get that break within the 10 day gaps.

R2C - Interesting you suggest self-education. I have bought several parenting books in the last few months, my W seems to have no interest. I am taking a 7-week parenting class starting in a couple weeks on my own initiative. I had my car seats inspected on my own initiative. I'm not trying to make a big show of it, I'm doing things I think will benefit me and my relationship with my kids.

Hrt - I had a good IC session yesterday to help me sort out the MC goals. Next week is our first MC session after a 1 month break during which my W intended to work on herself and see if she is ready to work on the MR. I am skeptical that she will ever come around.

HOWEVER... we do have a lot going on and these sessions can be useful for co-parenting, provided my W does not turn them into "child safety class." We are still at a fragile stage where our texts and conversations are littered with triggers and we have difficulty working through logistics. So I feel some MC is important to help us with communication. Unfortunately, the sessions often veer away from working together as a team, and instead turn to accusing me of failing to live up to some arbitrarily high parenting standard that does not go both ways.

My intent is to raise this problem in the next MC session as well -- that it is not serving my needs to be put down and accused of being a bad parent when we go to these sessions.

In other words, I am okay if we continue MC provided we are working towards at least one of 2 goals:

1. Working on the MR
2. Working *as a team* on being better co-parents