Becoming a mother changed everything for me (as it does most, if not all, of us), and I'm grateful for that. And because I love who my kid is, as an individual, so much, I'm thankful for her dad. If it hadn't been him, it wouldn't be her. Even when I'm angry and completely frustrated with her dad over something, I keep that in mind. And...we're going to be part of each other's existence for a long, long, long time... so it seems much more healthy to me to try to figure out how to communicate and solve conflicts with kindness rather than frustration.
Some of her friends have very strict visitation schedules - not budging for anything. Others can't communicate with the one parent while at the other parent's house. I know one family that has so much internal strife, the parents communicate only through the child. I'm happy we've chosen the high and light road. I'd recommend it to others. We're lucky it works.
