Nicole, I missed this when it was first published, but so glad it popped up in my feed today. There really is so much pain associated with raising children, and I know first hand, when someone leaves, the children feel it and never forget. To this day, I wished my parents had stayed together, but what they did do was remain good friends, even to the point of spending holidays as a family... as odd as that sounds. My dad has left this planet, but I still tell my mother how grateful I am that they made it possible to have comfortable gatherings and holidays. I know that isn't always the norm... but for us, it worked.