You hear mention of domestic abuse frequently. Perhaps we all think we know what it is and that we’d be aware if it was happening to us. But, do you know what? We often don’t. A friend asked me once if I thought my ex was abusive. I think she asked this not long after…
Abuse
18 Tips To Deal With An Absent Dad
Absent dads are a hugely sensitive topic. Absent usually means the non-existence, however, absent dads can be more complicated than that. We often don’t know if dad is gone for good, or if/ when he may return. Infrequent or sporadic contact can be equally, if not more, challenging to deal with. Seventeen percent of fathers…
Recovering From A Breakdown
Trigger warning, talks about mental ill-health, baby loss, separation and the struggles of motherhood. Recently I saw an incredible piece of performance art by Bryony Kimmings; I’m a Phoenix, Bitch. It had me in tears almost from the first second I walked through the door (which admittedly was about fifteen minutes after the show had…
Inside my mind
I’ve struggled with my mental health for about four years now. Quite possibly I was struggling with it before but just managed it much, much better. Over that time some people have made me feel like I should get over it. That I’m not a strong enough woman if I can’t cope with what life…
Moving House – Memories: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
I slump; slowly, into the sofa. It’s not the physical exhaustion of packing that’s getting to me. I can handle placing crap into a box. It’s the crap which is escaping that I’m struggling to deal with. They say moving home is stressful, but I hadn’t bargained for the emotions to come out faster than I could tape…
When My Ex Threatened Court
Sometimes things move so quickly with my ex that I struggle to know what’s happening. In the last six weeks my ex threatened court, tried to be daddy of the year and, most recently, disappeared off the face of the earth. Let’s start at the beginning. My ex was out of the country for a few weeks…
When Co-Parenting Fails: The Reality
This is my story of when co-parenting fails. Two years after separating, it seems almost comical now how naive my initial expectations of co-parenting were. At the start I believed those advice pieces about the importance of creating a strong co-parenting relationship. I thought that the first time my son had a 40+ temperature his dad would…
When Your Husband Suffers Psychosis
Trigger warning – this post talks in detail about psychosis and mental health. It may be upsetting for people who have experienced psychosis or seen others suffer. The blogs I have read on mental illness tend to be clean and tidy. The moral is clear – goodness wins out in the end. I can only assume that an unspoken,…
My Divorce Is a Sign of Strength
If we don’t know personally, then we’ve surely all heard how marriage is hard work, especially once children enter the mix. There are so many posts about it; beautiful ones about the struggles and joys of married life,* and others which, quite frankly, border on the offensive – emphasising how nowadays people aren’t cut out for the hard work…