Tuesday, November 3, 2009

The X Factor


Okay, being an ex is never easy, especially when children are involved. As you go your separate ways you will both become involved in new relationships and your lives will only be connected through your children. We all hope to have a cordial relationship, but many of us are faced with bitter exes who are out to destroy us emotionally. I recently found myself in a very uncomfortable situation were my ex had moved in with his girlfriend and decided not to tell me about this new transition. Yes, the kids and everyone involved lied to me about the entire situation for at least a month. As a mother I was devastated. I am not a Jazmine Sullivan or Carrie Underwoood, bust your windows out your car, kind of girl. I just don't have it in me to waste my time destroying peoples property. So when I asked my ex if the move was true and he lied, then told me he didn't think it was important that I knew where our kids stayed while they were with him or whom he had them around, I had to pause. So I went a step further and asked if I could meet his girlfriend because according to the kids they were spending time with her on the weekends, again his reply was no.

Now understand something, I don't care about his new relationship, in fact I'm very happy that he has finally found 'true love' as he likes to remind me. My problem is with the dishonesty and secrecy. Why would you tell me that my kids are staying the weekend at one location when in fact they are across town somewhere else at an undisclosed location. My next problem is with the girlfriend coming to my house with 'it' on her mind, getting out of the car and trying to 'start something' about a situation that had absolutely nothing to do with her. That made me wonder, 'What kind of woman are you? And do I even want my kids around someone who is willing to jump their mother while they are sitting innocently in the car you just hopped out of?" Ladies, if you are dating a guy who has kids please stay out of whatever is going on with him and his ex and believe only half of what he tells you about her. Some guys will use you to do their dirty work; get you all rilled up and ready to beat his baby mama down and you don't even know HER side of the story. Maybe he really doesn't pay his child support? Maybe she moved into a gated community because he was stalking her and she felt threaten. Maybe he comes up with excuses not to keep the kids when it's his weekend vs. she is refusing to allow him to see his children. And if he constantly refers to her as a bitch or a ho maybe you need to take a long hard look at him. Is this really about her or the well being of their children or is this about him and his big ego? Is he really over her? And why did she REALLY walk out of the relationship? When a man can't be respectful to the mother of his children; and what I mean by this is, he calls her by her name and treats her cordially (I understand that someone women can be difficult, let's keep it real), then you need to proceed with caution. Because if he doesn't respect the mother of his children what in the world does he really think of you?

When my ex whisked our kids off for the weekend, still refusing to tell me their whereabouts, I was a hot mess. Not only had he allowed his girlfriend to disrespect me in front of my home, but they drove off into the sunset without giving me any information about my children; babies I had carried for nine months. No one can describe the pain that I felt that day. I cried, snotted, and couldn't understand why someone would be this deceitful. Then it hit me. This was a form of emotional abuse! Bring the girlfriend and allowing her to get out of the car with a major attitude, not telling me where he was taking the kids to spend the weekend, all mental punches because they damage you on the inside. No one knows the damage except you.

So how did I survive? I prayed that God would watch over my children and help their dad to get some understanding that I wasn't going any where. We have ten long years to continue to be connected through our children. I can be all kinds of bitches and ho's in his mind, but at the end of the day I am still their mother; one who loves her children dearly. As for his girlfriend, well, I pity her. She is a single mother too, having raised two children alone, before my ex entered into her life. I pity her because of all people she should know better and because she is a mother she should want to meet me and assure me in a positive way that my kids will be okay when they are in her care. Acting ghetto fabulous on our first unofficial meeting was a major turn off. Him allowing her to act ghetto fabulous only confirmed what I was already thinking "that he's gotten inside of your head too."

Don't be a fool over a man. Never come between him and his ex. Always know your position in a relationship and play it well. You are not there to fight his battles and if the battles are increasing maybe it's time for you to throw up a white flag and bail out too!