Recently, we heard from D,  a co-parenting mom,  who shared with us the pain and difficulty of co-parenting in the wake of her ex’s infidelity.  We offer the story below from another co-parenting mom to D and other parents who are struggling to find a glimpse of hope.  Even if your circumstances aren’t identical, we hope that you’ll find some comfort in knowing that healing is possible.

My former husband and I had a blissful marriage that lasted for six years. My son was six months old when I discovered that his father was having an affair with a co-worker whom I had considered a friend. The night that this was revealed, he also stated that he was leaving us for this significantly younger woman, whose son was only several months older than ours. Devastated doesn’t begin to cover it. However, with a little therapy and support from my family and friends, I began to see this as a fresh start and was even a little excited about dating again (in addition to being terrified).

I’m not going to lie: At first, I really struggled with the idea of co-parenting and had intended to let my son know just what a bastard his father was the second he was old enough to understand. Until one day, I was having a conversation with my cousin whose mother had a nearly identical experience to mine. Knowing how well-adjusted, successful, and happy my cousin was as an adult, I asked her the secret to her mother’s single parenting success.