My most recent patient to move toward divorce is married to a man she met when they were both partying. They were musicians, so drinking and weed were shared interests. She stopped drinking when she got pregnant and never restarted - she wants to be clear-headed. She would on rare occasion smoke weed with the husband, but eventually decided that’s not something she wants or needs and stopped, which upset him. Her priority is being a good mom and saving money. The 2 kids are 6-8ish.
She trained as a (specific type of) tech and now works full time at the hospital, working overnights for both the pay differential and access to the kids.
He has not acquired any skills and has not held a job for any length of time. Happily, he stopped drinking, too, but his weed runs them around $500/mo and a lot of his time is spent in the basement, getting stoned and doing whatever he does when he’s stoned.
He’s threatened suicide in the past and not long ago was hospitalized for it. She is supporting all of them and trying to manage his emotional shit. She feels a lot of guilt, but he is drowning and she and the kids are going down with him.
She asked him to move out. He’s living with his mother now and has gotten a job - part time as an elementary school lunch server. He needs a new car (won’t pass inspection) but recently withdrew $350, presumably for weed (as groceries and gas and such get charged on the debit card).
Meanwhile, back at home, since he’s been gone she and the kids are starting to thrive. She’s playing her guitar and teaching them songs, they’re dancing together and doing art. TV isn’t on in the evenings now.
This is just an example of what I see all the time. Guys who come home from work and play video games, spend all weekend doing that, then pick fights when the (working) wife asks for help with kids and chores. Eternal teenagers.
And the women that keep having kids with them… If I had $1 for every story about a single mommy and her hardships. Maybe stop letting guys that look like they eat cigarettes cum inside you?
They can’t resist dead beats with Class D Felonies, flat billed hats, low credit scores, deal drugs, dry wall punchers and drug users. Have seen it time and again. Women are awful at choosing men.
Those are grounds for divorce to me. The guy is at fault.
I think that there is sometimes a misunderstanding when divorce is discussed, even when no-fault (not fault) divorce is specifically stated.
I once was talking to my intelligent boomer uncle about divorce and I mentioned the majority of no-fault divorces are initiated by women. In typical anti-male boomer fashion, he said, “But guys are assholes.” I replied, “There is no legal designation for asshole and no one can even properly specify what an asshole is. And men who are assholes were always assholes and chosen by their women.”
“But what about abuse?”
“Then that’s grounds for divorce. That would be fault divorce. Do you understand now?”
Should we believe these guys presented as something else before marriage? I know of such men, married and unmarried.
Could there be something about their teenage-like behavior that attracted their women in the first place? I’ve observed clowns, men who act like everything is a big joke all the time, are attractive to women. I’m asking totally seriously and I appreciate female input on this.
LOL I met a lot of those guys when I worked bar security. I would always let them know that first class is free if they wanted to try it out on the mats.
Zero takers.
One bar shit talker did show up to squat day once. He’s actually a bouncer there now and a Marine combat vet. His number’s been called a few times and he’s done well each time.