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Bad news / good news team

Well team bad news/good news.  Bad news is separating from wife after 17 years, very hard because two amazing little boys involved and afraid I will be fucking up their heads forever.  Silver lining is this is me today after exactly one year of EN workouts, diet, and lifestyle. Gotta go get new clothes!  Thanks to everybody on this team for helping me become the man I've become.

Comments

  • Oh Jonathan, so sorry to hear about the break up. Even when it's the right thing to do- it can't be very easy. Good luck and I'm sure if you both keep the boys first in order of priorities they will turn out ok.

    And congrats on the weight loss- nice job!
  • The bad news: the divorce process will tear you up. The good news: the divorce diet will rip the weight right off you. Ask me how I know...
  • Been there myself. The training really kept me together through it all. Best of luck.
  • @ Michael...Ditto for me as well...after 15 years....training will keep you sane...and your children will be amazingly resilient...just be yourself with them.

  • Oh -- sorry to hear. But kudos for being healthy. =-)
  • Jonathan,

    That is definitely a tough situation but you are still looking out for your boys.  My brother just went through this 2 years ago with two small boys and he was also very concerned for them and they seem to be doing quite well. 

    Nice job on the lifestyle change.

    Gordon

  • Jonathan - really sorry to hear. Got to be tough on everyone, then there is Kona. You will get through this I'm sure, you're an ironman.

    I've been Carole's kids other parent for 16 years and was always impressed by the level of civility between Carole and Tom (the ex). The kids always understood I was not their father and would never do anything to interfere with the relationship they had with their father. Tom and Carole never engauged in kid-tug-o-war or let their own emotions smear the other parent in the children's eyes. Both have grown to be well adjusted adults. Your kids can get through this as long as they know that both parents love them, care about them, and want to be a part of their lives.

    PM me if you want to talk to an outsider who has seen this from the inside. And no, I had nothing to do with the divorce - the marriage ended on its own.

    Steven
  • Sorry to hear this news, but the way I see it, for the children, two parents separated with a healthy relationship is better than two parents miserable together.
  • Been there too. Really worried about about the effect on my kids. I think they turned out pretty well, or are turning out pretty well. Life goes on, things even out. Life will become great again.
  • Been through it too, it sucks, no way around that. Kids make us be the people we want to be, kids in divorce make us do that x10. if you are 1/10th the inspiration to your kids that you have been to your teammates, they are lucky boys!

    I do find it odd that this happened in your post IM LP euphoria, i hope when you come down from Kona you aren't looking around and saying "what did i do?"

  • Thanks guys those are fastastic insights. I'm just laying low and trying to comprehend it all, don't really feel like talking to anyone about it yet but appreciate the offer and the sentiments. WIll keep in touch. Talk soon. Jonathan
  • Been there as well. I'm better now because of it. I'll even say I now have a better relationship with my "babies momma" as well. Kids are resilient. Be honest and upfront with what is appropriate for their age and keep things routine. You're still a role model to them.
  • Don't buy into the idea that this can happen and the kids won't be hurt and changed by it. That's a rationalization. It hurts them. A lot. And it takes a long time for them to feel secure again and to trust you. And what you say to them can help them cope short term but long term it's all about you reproving to them that you're not leaving THEM. Im talking years. It's way more complex than you can imagine now and you may feel an urgency to make these changes but I say be very careful what you ask for. Doing nothing is a strategy. Not pressing the issue is an option. Try to let it evolve and re evolve. We don't know what we don't know when in the midst of it. And the kids are almost always better off if you find a way to stay together.

    Been there, done it and I can honestly say that it is the worst thing that's ever happened to me. And I have an ideal relationship with my ex, we all live very close to one another, and have never once fought when it comes to the boys. We are still pretty seamless when it comes to them.

    Alls I am saying is make damn sure this has to happen. Good luck.
  • Been there as well a long time ago. Divorced after 15 years marriage with 3 boys. Oldest stayed with me and the youngest 2 stayed with mom. I was moving a lot and I felt like I was single handedly keeping the airlines in business flying to see them or paying to fly them to me...including overseas. It was absolutely essential because as Chris said, it hurts the kids a lot. Now, many years later, I've been happily remarried 16 years and have a daughter in the mix so my "kids" are now 31, 24, 21 and 12. Keeps me young! But most importantly, I have a great relationship with all of my sons who are all college grads and doing well.

    I think Chris's advice is good. If it doesn't have to be then don't divorce. But if it the marriage sucks (and my first marriage was never good), then the future always holds promise. Just keep the kids welfare foremost.
  • I'm going through the same thing right now. It really sucks. Very hard to keep my chin up. I agree with making sure the kids are first priority.
  • Geez, is this "divorce nation"?
    i have recently had a reunion of sorts with my ex. even though she was the one who left and the one who kicked me in the teeth, did ugly things, etc. turns out that 3 months after the fact, she fell and fell hard. It is scary that i was the one despondent and on the floor and here we are two years later, i found ironman and apparently she found the bottle.
    while i have re-established a friendship with her, she often says "This had to happen." and per the per the comments in here, it didn't. I did recently get a present that i bet no one gets in divorce. i was told that i was right that when we went to marriage therapy, i was right in that she only was working on me and never herself. I was also told that i was 100% right when i told her "if you want to get divorced it won't change anything, you (her) will still be just as miserable without me as with me, because the source of your (her) miserly is internal.

    so where does that leave me? it leaves me being a better dad, taking my three girls on constant adventures, and being a positive role model for them. Moving my life forward, doing positive things with every day. I had another relationship in the last two years, wasn't right, but learned alot from it. Now embarking on another relationship that seems great.

    Act II is going to be all about me. i never got my needs met in the marriage and i was too happy to try and meet hers. lots of therapy and of course all the thinking time you have biking, running and swimming has produced great results. I am the best person i have ever been in my life and will continue to reach new heights.

    The kids - it DOES SUCK for them. they move from house to house, they forget school books at one house and get ripped apart by their mom for being irresponsible for it, they don't have all their clothes in one place, they don't have a big enough place with me to have friends over much, the counterpoint is they have a better relationship with me than ever. but do not ever for one second think you can do this without affecting them. but do NOT stay together FOR them. make decisions on where to live, work, etc, to be in a place where you can be there for them and be present, more present than you would have been had you stayed together. I moved my office out of NYC, have an apartment in the same town that she is in. I do not miss a single event at school, i often do more than i am supposed to in terms of driving, etc. it is just another opportunity to be a part of their lives.

    i could go on, but perhaps that is for the team DN website...
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