Originally Posted by
coyote21 
Yes, he's going to notice how you take care of yourself and how you take care of HIM.
I know this is hard. The hardest thing I've ever done was to stop protecting my grown alcoholic wife, and begin to protect my child. It was my proudest moment.
The mind set of me, as a dad, being put in a position to have to protect my precious child from her own mother, was one of the hardest things I've ever had to understand.
That really shines a bright light on the situation.
Cryanoak, the title of your post "Substitute daughter for son..." got me thinking. What if it had been a father grabbing a daughter? It surely would have been seen as violence. It's sad that I didn't apply the same standard to my son that night.
I've got another son who's 13. He was in his room while this happened but I'm sure he heard it all.
You've all given me so much. I don't know where I'd be without you!