Episode 8: Dating After Divorce: Shifting of Primary
In this episode I look at dating after divorce, and how hard it can sometimes be to be the new person coming in when the exes are "besties."\xa0\nI look at this from three angles, and give a prescriptive for how best to make this often difficult shift work.\nAfter our divorce, while we each dated other people, my ex and I still did holidays together, went to the theatre together, and had family dinners together. After all we\u2019d been through we were now close, and as he began to date I took on the awkward yet esteemed role of First Wife.\nI\u2019d befriend his girlfriends. Partly because it seemed easier; we could all just be a family, and it would be less complicated for our son. Or at least that's what I told myself. But the truth was that I couldn\u2019t let go.\xa0I didn\u2019t want to lose my spot as the primary woman in my ex\u2019s life.\xa0We\u2019d spent 10 years together, and I barely had an identity outside of him.\nULTIMATELY IT WAS A POWER-PLAY BASED ON MY OWN INSECURITIES. I WAS PISSING ON MY TERRITORY, AND MY EX WAS\xa0MY\xa0TERRITORY.\nBut when my ex started dating the woman he\u2019s now married to, that all changed. We'd all been friends for a while, so knew what I was up to. She immediately set very clear boundaries and firmly (and rightly) pushed me off my perch. Ultimately I knew that this rearrangement of status was perfectly appropriate, but I also had a LOT of feelings about it.\nBeing moved out of my position as First Wife gave rise to new layers of grief I\u2019d never anticipated...\n*************************************\nWanna work with me? You have options!\nIs It Him or Is It You is a 60-minute laser coaching experience for women who want honest feedback about their current situation.\nROOTED is a 5-week coaching experience for women who think they may want to leave their marriages, but who can\u2019t seem to find the courage to make a decision, once and for all.\nThe Divorce Worksheet Bundle is a $27 digital product in which you'll find everything you need to know in order to protect your children from any potential fallout from the divorce process.\nIncluded in this bundle is:\n\nHow to tell your children you're getting divorced (four full pages of detailed information for all ages)\n\nCo-parenting agreement (7 pages of things you and your ex should be talking about before seeing a mediator)\n\nChildren's Bill of Rights in Divorce (2 pages of rights for your children you and your ex should agree on and sign)\n\nMutual Vision Statement (one page document guiding you through how to shift your relationship with your ex into this new phase)\n\nIf you have a topic you\u2019d like me to discuss on The Divorce Survival Guide Podcast, or a guest you\u2019d like me to interview, please submit it here.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices