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Dating a separated man

ileana0825's picture

I'm dating a separated man... how do i deal with the ex-wife's presence?
my bf still believes that they(my bf, X, daughter and her X's son from another man when she cheated on him) should have family activities like watching movies, children shows, going out to eat, going to the mall and I really hate it... i feel very angry, insecure and left out. he said he's gonna stand his ground and not stop these activities because its for his daughter. he lives in the US... the ex still lives in Asia but he comes to visit them and his parents once a year for a month. can you help me on how girls dealt with it? they've been separated(yes, not yet divorced because they still have to transfer the daughter's name to my bf)for three years but when my X visited them the last time a year ago... she begged for him to take her back and he did for the sake of the child... but only lasted a week, after my bf went back to the states, she went back to her bf. the X is such a stray. i still feel jealous, uncomfortable and angry about him going over to their house almost everyday.
he comes home to me every night after spending a few hours there. he said he doesnt have a choice and could not avoid her. but i believe he does have a choice... he can take out his kid instead but he said he doesn't like and would sometimes prefer to just stay home. i'm really confused. i hope you can help me. they've been separated for 6 months when we started going out. we've been together for 10 mos now. the ex knows about me and i've seen her bf and their kid as well.

They were already separated when we started dating so i knew from the start what i was going into. but we were both in the US at the time so the ex and the kids aren't in the picture until we both came home to asia for a month. then i experienced the heartaches and how hard the situation is. i just keep thinking this is only one month every year. we're also in a long-distance relationship. we were together though for the past three months. they're fixing the transfer of the name of the daughter and i overheard him telling his dad(lawyer) to deal with the divorce process after the transfer of name. the ex is in a long-term relationship and they also have a kid as a result from her cheating on my bf three years ago. any more advice?

Ligaea's picture

He's not being honest with you and she's trying to get back into his life! She cheated on your bf and had a child. She has no integrity or morals.

I think interacting civilly with an ex is great for the kids sake, but too much can be confusing to them. This is also way unfair to you.

Oh Canada's picture

My BF was divorce for 2 years before I met him. During that time he used to go over to the kids house (they lived with ex) and cook them dinner, he would fix their cars, clean the yard & pool. He had a beautiful, huge home, wonderful kids and probably really missed all that while he was sitting up in a lonely apartment all the time.

Point is... he WAS confusing everyone with that behavior. Those 2 years he did date other women, stayed out of ex's bed, and had his own life, but the boundaries we fuzzy.
I think the ex-wife was loving the fact that she basically had all the perks of having a husband but she didn't have to be bothered with sleeping with him. PLUS he could drag his carcass back to his apartment if she nagged at him enough. Lovely woman.

It's really a good idea to be with a person who is emotionally separated from their spouse. I am sorry that you are going through this - I think it's an awful thing to be so in love with someone and have all this confusion. It's supposed to be fun! With only 2 people involved!

My advice is to take him to counseling! They will help a lot. I did it. Not just once, but 2x we went toghter. There isn't anything wrong with getting some help.

I hope you can tell him how this is hurting you.

3terriers's picture

Sorry to say but I don't believe a divorce will actually take place. Run, you deserve better.

frustratedgirlfriend's picture

That sounds AWFUL!!! Boundaries are definitely being crossed and it sounds like your man is still very enmeshed with his ex. I don't blame you for feeling left out! That behavior is not fair to you at all. You should not have to tolerate him hanging out with the BM. He should be spending time only with his children. If he can't respect your very valid feelings, he's not ready to have a girlfriend. I don't know many women who would tolerate this situation.
Best of luck to you!