@dawn70. I know that my boys and I are a real family, I don't doubt it at all and neither do they. S8 had to draw a pic of his family for school back in September when they went back in person. On the right side of the paper, he drew himself, me and S11 holding hands. The middle of the page had a thick black line drawn down the middle. On the left side of the page, he drew his mom, step dad, and his step siblings. That hit really hard and was an extra bolt of caffeine to keep me going during this marathon of single parenting. With that said, I'm tired. I would love so much to share this with someone for 101 different reasons. The point of this whole thread is that for single, primary parents with walk away exes, that seems nearly impossible.
I know you "get it". I was really just agreeing with CW. I feel for single parents in your position. I never had to deal with that since my daughters were adults so I really can't speak to how difficult or lonely it is. I hope that you someday (soon) find that special person to help you through it all. Meanwhile, great job being a strong male role model for your sons. They will be mightily influenced by it as they get older.
Me 52, H53 Bomb drop 9/29/2014 Divorce from XH final 12/17/2014 Marriage #2 12/31/2019 5 adult (step)daughters (3 from XH's first marriage, 2 from current H's previous relationships) 6 grandkids
