I hear ya, Flipped. I can truly say that I love my ex as a friend and as a co-parent. I never have thoughts of being "back together" with him--I think we do much better this way. I also think his wife is an amazing woman--many would not be so understanding.
As it is, it's like we have a sort of extended family that I feel a valued part of. Is it "better" for kids to be in an "intact" family with their mom & dad? Maybe, but I'm not totally convinced. In our case, I think my kids turned out pretty great, and they have never expressed any resentment (though they did later tell me it was kind of confusing for them why we divorced because we never had "fights"). Neither one of us (my ex and I) were much into fighting, and I was the one who wanted out of the marriage. Not because I didn't care for him, but the marriage just wasn't a satisfying situation for me. And that is probably much more due to my personality than anything he ever did/didn't do.
But yes, your daughter is a lucky girl and the fact that you can cooperate with her dad will pay big-time bonuses down the road for her as she grows up.
