Originally Posted by
MamaKit 
Liz,
I bet your son already knows A LOT!
I focused so much on protecting my boys from their Dad's alcoholism and all that goes with it. I thought I put on a good front. My STBXAH was also very negative, about the world, people in general, friends, my family...he didn't discriminate. He could never let go of negative things in his life that had long since passed.
A few days after it sank in that Mom and Dad would no longer be together. My oldest son, 10 years old and a worrier (anxious), said to me. "Mom, why did you wait so long?"
He knew for quite some time that I was staying in an unacceptable situation. He wasn't engaging in magical thinking.
Several weeks later, he said to me: "It's nice to know that I will always have you and a place where I can feel normal"
His anxiety, despite the upheaval of moving and the separation, has diminished.
Liz, I am always so interested in your posts. My hope for you is that you find the path that will bring you peace, whatever that may be. You deserve it.
Hugs,
MamaKit
Yes, my son knows way more than I give him credit for, I'm sure. And, my son is also a very anxious person. He has Tourette's and ADHD, too, and that makes it hard to work with him sometimes as the tics get in the way of his movements or ability to read. Yet, he's not bothered by them and neither am I. I'm most concerned about his ADHD as this affects him worse.
Thank you for caring enough to read my ups and downs as I travel on this path. And, I totally relate to what you said about your STBXAH, my AH does not discriminate. Everyone is at risk of being fodder to him, being put down by him, and being a target by him verbally. I guess I just got burnt out of listening to him complain about my mother, complain about his family, criticize my sister and her poor choices for her life, and then throw every other human under the bus. I wonder, though, if the problem is ME. Are there other humans out there who would look at my AH and be able to listen to him rant and rave without it getting under their skin? I guess sometimes I wonder if maybe there's someone else out there for my AH who can handle him better than I can?