A Note for Older People: Give Hope a Chance
Forget the conventional narratives.
“You just want to see if you can find someone better than me!”
I remember my ex-husband shouting those words at me in one of our end-of-relationship “discussions.”
I wanted to end the relationship for many reasons. We were together for over twenty years. For too long, I tried this and that strategy to make the relationship work, to make him a better father, and to create a stable home life for our children.
It didn’t work.
I didn’t end the marriage simply to find someone else.
If anything, I was doubtful I would meet anyone else. After all, I was a woman in my late 40s with four kids. You know how much men love middle-aged single moms (here’s a hint: they don’t).
I ended the relationship because I wanted peace. I wanted the chaos to stop. I wanted a better life for my kids and myself.
As it was, I was pretty used to it always being just me and the kids. (Yes, ex was around. His main contributions when he was home were watching TV and/or losing his shit over something).
I don’t want to say that he contributed nothing of value to our family. That would not be true. However, he contributed way more negativity…
