First of all, thanks for this thread! I was with my ex for 14 years, after we had been together about a year her ex husband agreed to let us take custody of their 2 boys. The oldest was 10 and the youngest 6
We lived as a family for 13 years. I raised those 2 from pups! When our relationship ended, I lost touch with the boys. And then out of the blue, the youngest one (now 19) contacted me.
I
really like the young man that he's turning out to be!! I'm so very, very happy that we've re-connected! He's proof of what everyone used to say when they were kids, "Boy, you two are good parents! Your boys are so polite and well behaved!"
I would change saying "No" so often. We didn't have much choice, through out our 14 year relationship, there were only 3 years when both of us were working at the same time and at times neither of us were working...we said "No" alot.
Are there things that I'd do differently as their parent? Absolutely!! But facts are facts, we did the best we could with what we had. We made sure from the begining that we got into family therapy to talk about our new family and how to handle it outside of home. We went to every IEP (for the oldest) as a couple and were treated very respectfully by all the teachers and administrators in our area!
There were things that I wish we could have changed but, not the fact that I have a son and we love each other! I have another son too but, I haven't heard from him yet...time will tell...
