For Years I Put My Ex-Wife Through Living Hell

The more miserable she was, the happier I was!

Having a child with a man that you are no longer with can be a lifelong struggle for some women. I know. After years of fighting with my ex-wife, I can honestly say that I am glad that we are finally in a space where we can smile and say hello to each other.

When I look back at the fighting and arguing that followed after our separation, I often wonder if it made a difference in where we are now, or if it made a difference in where my sons are at, now that they are grown.

One thing that I can attest to is that for years I put my ex-wife through hell, and during that time in my life, I believed that everything that I did to her was justified.

You see, I was on a mission to prove to anyone that would listen that I was right and she was wrong. I was hurt and embarrassed, and all that mattered was letting the world know that I wasn’t scared of the family court system and that in some shape or form, she was going to pay for introducing my kids and me to this system. So, considering her decision, I made some decisions.

If I had to pay in the form of humiliation, embarrassment, child support, and potential financial ruin, she was going to pay too, and it would be in the form of intense aggravation, frustration, annoyance, and irritation.

This is how we communicated for years. Our relationship had gone from one that was filled with the care and love of newlyweds to one where each action and event that occurred (during and after our separation) produced a multitude of retaliatory acts towards each other. We had a tit-for-tat relationship that I played extremely well.

Just to give you an idea as to how bad it got, I subpoenaed her grandmother. Oy Vey!

Now that I have the time to reflect on things, I now find myself looking for innovative ways in which I can help women to win because helping a custodial mom win will contribute to increasing father involvement.

This means that I will:

• Be in mom’s corner to help her navigate through the family court system because it is not about mom against dad or dad against mom. It’s about what’s best for the children.
• Inspire her to return to school because child support alone will not decrease her chances of living in poverty; education will.
• Help her to understand her husband’s point of view better.
• Provide her with some forward-thinking tools where we consider the repercussions (and there will be repercussions) of a future with or without her boyfriend/husband’s input.

I don’t feel good that I put my ex wife through hell. It is my belief that if mom is happy, the kids will be happy and if the kids are happy, dad’s level of stress will decrease, thus increasing the chances of a positive working relationship with the mother.