Let’s do it differently, please.
I’d like things to be different between my ex-wife and me. I’d like us to be friends. I’d like us to be cordial and be good parents. But that’s not how it’s gone between us and I’m sad about it. I learned today, there’s enough sadness to go around, and too little happiness. What we are looking for in divorce is finding the joy of parenting and not just the managed tolerance of one another. I’d like it to be different, but I’m only one voice.
As with the divorce, I would’ve stayed married for the kids. And perhaps that was not the right answer either. But as it fell apart I tried to stay connected. I tried to stay close.
Sure, I did my best as a collaborative divorcing parent, but as things got tough, the tough came between us and created anger. Perhaps I walled up that anger as indifference. I’d rather not know anything about my ex-wife’s life. I’m content to know she’s remarried and that my kids like the other guy.
But it’s not enough. I still want us to be friends. I still have this idea of us being cordial to one another. And, unfortunately, that — again — is not what it’s like.
And yesterday it took a third-party to finally get it through my thick head. I am writing a tv series about divorce and I was meeting with my cowriter. As we talked about our divorces I gave her an example.
“So, I’ve been out of work for a few months and yesterday I notified my ex that I’d gotten a new job and that the AG’s office had been notified. I was at least expecting a response. A ‘Good job,’ or something.”
“Oh,” She said. “You still think you are friends.”
“Well, yes, we try to be friendly.”
“She’s not your friend. And you need to stop expecting anything from her. Any acknowledgment of your good deeds would mean she’s still engaged with you. She’s not. She’s moved on.”
“So I’m just like a paycheck for her, and she doesn’t care about me at all?”
“Basically.”
“That sucks.”
“Welcome to divorce.”
“Okay, so I know and I’ve written that serenity begins and ends with me. But I was expecting us to at least be cordial.”
“Why?”
“Well, we’ve still got kids together.”
“Yes, but she’s focused on them. She doesn’t care about you and your journey. She’s glad you’ve got your new job because it means the steady checks are going to start coming in again. That’s why she turned you over to the AG’s office. She’d rather not deal with you at all.”
I’m not sure I’m fully over the idea of us being friends, but I sure got a lesson in practical divorce yesterday from my co-writer. Sometimes it’s great to be given the view from the other side of divorce.
Always Love,
John McElhenney – life coach austin texas
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Related posts:
- The Joy of Divorce and the 3 Gifts of Breaking Up
- The Hero’s Journey of a Divorced Dad
- Focusing On the Other Person is a Trap
image: don’t kiss me, creative commons usage
