One foot in front of the other

[Elbereth]

AndrewP and CWarrior (and anyone else that read my post) I SHOULD HAVE SAID

Or is it that SOME men want a strong woman, but once they have one, they resent the strength and try to pull you down to their level?

I fully realize that not all men are the same and it was truly a mistake to not make it clear that some men, and it appears the men I have married, might feel this way...but there are lots of great men out there that DO support their strong women, and I want my next partner to be that kind of man. We had some reasons for rushing due to financials and other things, and yeah, I agree, we should have gone slower. Live and learn...right?

It's true I often dismissed her parenting style with, "You haven't been a parent, you don't get it." I'd never be that dismissive of even an employee trying new things unless they silently ignored the rules or guidelines. I've tried, but I can't answer where that arrogant prick version of me 5-10yrs ago came from. Keeping an emotional distance? A fragile ego? We can't change who we've been. If anyone ever tries so hard with my kids again, I will treat them like gold.

So good! I'm glad you feel differently now CWarrior. It truly is the hardest job ever...and as a step-mom I felt totally dismissed for my commitment to the kids, even by their bio mom. It is what it is now and all I can do is keep trying and keep loving those boys...and maybe someday their father will realize what I did for them and for him in the relationship we had.

El