The Beginning of the End

When I thought of my life outside of my girls...it felt scary.  I was living a pretend life.  To the public and to our friends, we had everything.  Inside, I had nothing.  Empty.  Blank.  Painful.  For a very long time.I was lonely.  I was sad and broken.In my heart, I know that I tried to make my marriage work.  God, did I try.  I begged and pleaded for couples counseling.  Finally, in September of 2008, I took "him" to dinner and I explained where I was: I'm not in love.  I am scared.  I can't do this anymore.  I want out.  He panicked.  I was serious this time and he knew it.  I was so alone and desperate that I swore to him that I would have an affair if someone merely HUGGED me.We started couples counseling the next week.  I was hopeful and willing to throw everything into making our marriage work.  Four months later, he walked out of counseling while waiving the white flag.  I was also done.  I was exhausted.At the same time, our world was crumbling around us.  I was in the dark about our finances for years and there was debt that would make your head spin.  Some of it I knew about but much of it felt like complete and utter betrayal.  I uncovered lies and deception-- lies to banks, he spent his parent's retirement savings and he conned his younger brother out of almost $100,000.  I didn't know who he was.We actually shared the same home-- on the weekends, I stayed in the bedroom and he stayed on the couch.  This went on for months.  We co-existed under the same roof...nothing in writing and nothing formal.###One Mom's Battle: Our mission at One Mom’s Battle is to increase awareness of Cluster B personality disorders (Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder) and their impact upon shared parenting and the Family Court System which includes Judges, CPS workers, Guardian ad Litems (GAL), Parenting Coordinators (PC), Custody Evaluators, therapists and attorneys. Education on Cluster B disorders will allow these professionals to truly act in the best interest of the children.History of One Mom's Battle: In 2009, One Mom’s Battle began with one mother, (Tina Swithin), navigating the choppy waters of a high-conflict divorce in the Family Court System. Since then, it has turned into a grassroots movement reaching the far corners of the Earth. Tina's battle spanned from 2009 - 2014 during which time she acted as her own attorney. Ultimately, Tina was successful in protecting her daughters and her family has enjoyed complete peace since October 2014 when a Family Court commissioner called her ex-husband a "sociopath" and revoked his parenting time in a final custody order.Tina Swithin: Divorcing a narcissist? Tina Swithin's books are available online at Amazon (print, Kindle or audio format). Each year, Tina offers life-changing weekends of camaraderie and healing at the Lemonade Power Retreat.  Tina also offers one-on-one coaching services and a private, secure forum called, The Lemonade Club, for those enduring high-conflict custody battles. [wp_ad_camp_1]