This is a gift #2

[may22]

Hi U,

You seem to be in a much better place today than the last couple-- glad to see that. (Are you? Or does it just come across that way here?)

The way I see it, the longer things go on this way the worse it is for you, because it is reinforcing her fantasy of what D could be like and could potentially demonstrate that you are OK with less time with the kids.

Here's another option-- what if you told your wife you were going to talk to an attorney just to be sure you fully understood what the possibilities were, and encouraged her to do the same, as a prerequisite to starting mediation? See if you could both find Ls who specialized in mediation, not the knock-down drag-out win at all costs kind? (At least in my city, there seem to be several firms that really try to emphasize the mediation path.) Mediation might actually go better and not flame out if she has counsel helping her to understand that what you're proposing is quite fair.

Hang in there!