The very delicately written piece by Mary P linked below brings to mind a conversation I had once with a newly-separated woman whose daughter was in the same daycare class as my daughter.
How is it now that W is gone, I asked. More work or less?
Oh, it’s SO MUCH EASIER, she said. Now I just have the two kids, instead of two little kids and one big one.
There’s probably a long German word that describes the state of being simultaneously happy and sad for someone.
Sometimes, Saying Nothing is the Kindest Response; or, People Can’t Read Minds
…and if her experience was anything like mine, the “big kid” was a bit of a bully, someone you’re quite happy to have out of your house. Divorce is never what you intend when you say “I do”, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing when it happens. I’d be happy for her.
“Delicately written”. Thank you!