Unfortunatel I’m going through a bitter divorce and there are two kids involved. I am really dreading having to sit in the courtroom and spill embarrassing private details about my marriage and life. The stress is rattling me. I was told I have other alternatives. What about family law mediation. I live in Florida. Is family mediation required in Florida or is it optional?

Everybody told me to file for divorce first. I went to an attorney and had a strange feeling and a voice told me don’t do it it will work out. We are both under a lot of stress. We have adopted 4 children starting 7 years ago. 1 week after we adopted my mother went in for surgery and never recovered. My father was home but had several strokes. I ended up spending more time taken care of them than my own family. Which I did.

My father ended up in a nursing home for 3 years before he died. My mother has had several operations and gradually kept going down hill. She is going in for a total shoulder repair this week. She may not survive the surgery. She is down to 72 pounds and wears a size 10 youth pants. I know I am under a lot of stress dealing with it.

My wife babysits and teaches pre school so she has up to 15 kids in the house at all times. The last 2 kids we adopted are bio kids with major emotional problems so she is under stress to and when we both are there we have a hard time comunicating because we are both so tired and stressed. I have found counciling in our church and going to begin Monday. It;’s just hard when I am the only family member here to say mom do things yourself.

How can I show my wife that I can change and put them first. The bible says we leave our parents and cleave unto our wife and kids. What can i do to show her in the next 2 months that I can change?

Sorry this is so long.

and stress for 20 years, ups and downs, good and bads, but for the two of them to be able to trust again if they both say they love each other more than anything and want it to work? I mean if both believe that the other is comitted despite all the past problems and mistrust, can it work if they make a new comittment to make it work out?

If a person’s model of marriage is sarcasm, he is afraid to love, his life is full of stress, & he’s pursuing an unChristian lifestyle, should a Christian counselor advise him that his marriage is at fault & that second marriages are usually better?

I have been with my fiance for 3 years. He has been in a horrible divorce battled with his ex and she is lieing to the court about me and is keeping his child from him. We are on the verge of a nervous breakdown and now our relationship is suffering. We love eachother very much…but the stress we have from this woman is intolerable. We need some support…somewhere.

I am looking for free counseling for alcohol, anger mgmt, and depression. Most of his stress stems from childhood issues. He has lost everything and really needs help to get better for his children. He has lost his home, job, wife, and dignity at this point. He cannot afford counseling services and I need to find resources for him. Thanks you for any help. I am looking in the Marietta, Atlanta GA area.

My wife & I have been married for 11 years & haven’t argued anymore than most couples. Very minor issues(cleaning, what to have for dinner,what movie to watch,etc.) We have worked hard all these years to build a better life & we have finally reached that point(good jobs,house,nice suburban life). But she doesn’t seem happy. She says she no longer feels an attraction to me. She says I’m the perfect guy, have all of the qualities that she could ever want in a guy, am a good looking guy but there is no spark anymore. She is basing this on the fact that she while she doesn’t dislike being with me she isn’t really looking forward to it like she used to. She says these feelings started a little over a year ago. She says that there wasn’t any big reason that her passion for my diminished, she’s not sure why. We have come to the conclusion that the tipping point was when she wanted to do things with me & I was busy doing another and her weight loss the year before.
My wife has always been the type of person to hold things in & not want to express herself. She didn’t let me know how she was feeling at the time & let the feelings of loneliness turn into a lack of passion for me. When we bought the house in November she was crying at times & I thought it was the stress of the move that was bringing it on. She didn’t disagree & the passion continued to disappear until she feels it is completely gone. I feel though that it isn’t gone, just pushed down by how she internalizes things not expressing herself.
Recently we have decided that maybe a trial separation will help bring back that spark to our marriage. I know the fire isn’t completely out & just needs to be restoked. She has said that if she was ever with someone she would want him to be exactly like me. She says that all she needs is space to think & try to understand what is happening. I know in my heart that everything will work out because she does care for me, doesn’t hate me & wants to feel something for me again but my head is saying that being separated will make her used to not having me around. I’m the type that tackles problems head on & feel like a separation is giving up but if it will make our relationship stronger then I’m willing to do anything. I have asked her to see a counselor with me but she says she’s not ready to talk to anyone yet. I have found a small room to rent while separated & figure that I can look for a better place if a more permanent solution needs to be found. She asked me not to buy furniture or get into anything(lease) that will be an issue if we get back together. I’m leaving most of my things in the house & only taking what I need to survive on. She says that’s fine but is it the best thing? If I remove all of my stuff from the house will it help to make her miss me or will having my belongings there but not me be better?
I want to believe that this is the best thing but have read so many comments about it being the beginning to the end. I’ve talked to some of her family members & they all say that she does still love me & time away from each other will make her realize that. They have said that maybe we were too close & spent too much time together. They have said maybe she just has taken the marriage & me for granted and this separation will make her realize it. My wife hasn’t talked to anyone but her sister. Her sister thinks she is making the biggest mistake of her life but supports her. I’ve asked my wife if she wants to feel what she used to for me & she says that she does but I feel like she should be showing more emotion & fighting for it rather than separating.
We have two young kids & she says I can see them whenever I want. In fact I pick them up from school every day & will be watching them until she gets home from work. Once she gets home I will be going back to my place. Its going to kill me to be away from my kids but I can’t be separated from my wife & still be with my kids all the time.
I’ve said a lot but want to know if anyone thinks that a separation in my case will work? I’ve read other answers on here & most of them say that there is no chance of being back together. All of them though involve arguments, cheating,financial reasons,distrust, etc. We don’t have any of those issues & it truly seems like she is conflicted even if she doesn’t show any emotion now.

My husband & I are sperated and have been for over 1 yr. we have a 7 yr old son. The child is with me and has been for the entire seperation. His father has seen him 1 time in a year. He works overseas (not military) . He leaves no contact number or any way to reach him other than email. We are now in a full blown divorce and because I would not agree to his terms of the divorce he is seeking full custody of our son. What are my chances of losing my son to him. My soon to be ex-husband has been online dating and there are pictures of him with another woman (1/2 his age) that he went to visit. I do not want to lose my son, should I be worried? I have be diganosed with chronic lyme diseas a couple of years before we seperated.
He filed for the divorce. He has been sending 0 a mo. But no contact with son. Only way to reach him was by email. I do not mind Joint Legal custody, but no joint physical. His son needs him in his life. I am under a great deal of stress and the anger is growing. Son makes straight A’s and does not do with out anything. Lives in a nice home on 69 acres. We are close to all family mine and soon to be ex’s. Soon to be ex is live in TX and works out of the country. No family in TX. Iwould have loved to keep my family together but he didn’t. Blames me for the break up of the marriage. I accept partial blame, not ALL my fault. I do not do drugs or drink. Do not go to bars or clubs. It is me and my son 24/7. will occasionally go to my mothers or fathers to visit or dinner.
Please See Child Custody Part 2?

YesI do have a lawyer.

When we got divorced, we agreed that my ex husband would pick my kids up on a Tuesday evening for a few hours and also on a Friday evening and drop them back Sat. eve. Now he has moved to a new town to be with his new girlfriend, (still in CT) and says it’s inconvenient for him to pick the kids up on Tuesday so he is not doing it any more. (He still works in the same town that we live in). This causes huge stress for me as I have to work late on a Tuesday. I told him I would take him back to court and he said this wouldn’t do any good as it’s obviously inconvenient for him to pick them up.(He lives about 30 miles away). I feel it is not fair to me to expect my friends to pick up the slack when I have to work late. By the way, my ex is one of 10 children who all live in my town so it’s not like he couldn’t go somewhere with the kids on a tuesday. Do you think if I took him back to court that I could get the judge to enforce this or not?

Married for 10 years. 1 spouse is self-employed and has (negative 10k) earnings for last 3 years. Other spouse has 90k in earnings… I (the 90k) spouse am wondering if wife earned more, would alimony/child support increase or decrease?
I know it’s weird, but I suspect that there is an inverse relationship between income/child support and alimony, that is, the more my wife earns, the more I would have to pay…

I am trying to figure out if I should continue suffering until her business improves its financials or leave now. A couple of years of suffering is not going to hurt too much since the last 10 years have been pretty filled with stress and regret anyway.

For once in one of these divorce stories, no affairs for either party!