Just a little journaling... I'm thankful for the input my wife has had over this journey. She may not trust me or be open to a relationship right now but she's had a profound impact on how I've handled things in her absence these past five months. Just now, my wife was looking after our kids at my place while I was at work. I arrive home to my wife telling kids to get to bed and D5 crying. I pulled D5 in for a cuddle, explained that Mummy didn't know that we did things differently now and that she should do as Mummy told her. I quickly explained what that meant to my wife as, despite getting home at 8:30pm, I've allowed the kids to stay up with me for half an hour when I get home.
I don't think my wife was all that impressed by that but left me to it, and after some hugs and kisses from the kids, took off herself. I spent 15 minutes with the kids, catching up on their days, tucked them into bed and after a quick shower, come out to find that two are already asleep and one is quietly playing games in his bed.
It may seem strange to be thankful for my wife in such a circumstance but it was her who told me to pick my battles before she left. Some simple minor adjustments have led to happy, easier-to-settle kids rather than the old yelling matches that used to occur. My wife has only been back for a week and already she's received defiance from the kids. Me? I'm good. I just sit back, wait my turn and handle things calmly and with a cool head... and my kids respond positively.
Still a lot of chaos but I'm in a good place. Take care DBers.
Me: 31, W: 29 T: 4 M: 2 Kids: 3 (SS: 7, SD: 4, D: 3) Separated, still living together: Nov 2013 Separate bedrooms: Feb 2014 W working away; kids with me: Nov 2014
