THE GUILT OF DIVORCE written by AMY MORENO. Commented by Eric Bensoussan

I was very touched by a blog post I read recently.  Amy is going through a divorce. She is courageous enough to express with authenticity her journey. Whatever her process thinking is, she owns it with responsibility without blaming anyone else. She knows she has to heal the wound that causes the Guilt. Guilt is part of the Divorce process. We can feel guilty for everything, as we judge ourselves constantly. Feeling guilty is part of the healing process. Don't make it mean anything. Feel the guilt without any resistance and let it go.  Eric Bensoussan

"Two days ago I told my ex that I wished our children had never been born. And in that moment, I meant it. Let me be very clear – I LOVE MY CHILDREN. They are amazing; kind, smart, loving, and a pain in the ass when they want to be.

I grew them for fuck’s sake! I adore them. I really do. But sometimes, there is a resentment and a confusion around parenting that creeps in, and the guilt that goes along with this is nothing short of horrific. So, in that awful moment, as I sobbed my way to work, I was thinking that maybe my life would be somehow easier without them.

Erase the children, erase the guilt.

Wishing my children would disappear is a selfish thought born of denial and insecurity. It’s me, projecting my sense of self-worth onto 2 people who didn’t do a damn thing to deserve this. This divorce, this hurt, this major shit-show of a broken childhood. Any of it.(It’s not my fault, it’s not my fault, it’s not my fault).
I know that I feel this way at times because of the single hardest thing for me to deal with as far as this divorce and my ‘new trajectory‘ goes, is the bone-deep guilt I feel over breaking my kids’ hearts. I do not know how to settle this within myself.

Sure, I see them, and they are happy and thriving. They are still their silly selves and the acute trauma from last fall after their dad left has eased. But my guilt remains; steadfast, not budging, in my heart and in my gut. It makes me feel physically ill.

All I EVER WANTED was an intact family. I never had that as a child. And now my kids won’t have that either. My inner 9-year-old is hurting badly. Again. It’s grief. I am grieving as a wife, as a mother, and as a little girl who thought she had the life she always wanted. Jesus. That is a lot. No wonder this is lingering. When they are with me, there is a constant unspoken reminder of a missing piece. I feel off-balance, off-kilter, and longing for the family unit that we once were.

I struggle to be present with them because they are a constant reminder of my own shit. My hurt, my loss, my guilt, my confusion. When they aren’t with me, I can ignore that. Do my own very, single thing. I am redefining my life. I am rediscovering who I am. I am trying to rebuild myself outside of my role as a mother. I got swallowed alive by that role. And I harbor resentment toward my kids because of that. Again, not their fault.

When I feel as though I wish that they had never been born, I am also struggling with this fear that no one will love me if I have 2 nearly grown kids. We are a package deal and that is not for everyone.

I am responsible for 2 human beings aside from myself. Who wants to take that on? Sometimes I can barely take care of myself. If they didn’t exist, I could feel my feelings and my hurt and my upset whenever I wanted to; whenever I needed to. When I have them, if I am struggling emotionally, I have to push my feelings down as I don’t want them to worry about their mom. I have a ‘game face’ – everything is sunshine and happiness when they are with me and sometimes I just don’t have the energy to sustain that.

Do I show my emotions to them? Of course, I do! I just can’t share the depth of those emotions during the times when the hurt and the fear and the ache is so primal it brings me to my knees. No one sees that. That is mine and mine alone.

Okay, enough of this shit. I want to tell you about my kids.

Sam is 9. He struggles with anxiety and his own sense of self-worth. He is an amazingly smart kid and loves with a sensible caution. He is an introvert and a highly sensitive person. He loves bugs, Pokemon, reading, and his family. His laugh is infectious and when he gets going, we are usually laughing at him laughing than whatever made us laugh in the first place. He doesn’t like to cry and he has a hard time feeling his feelings. I worry about him. A lot. He looks just like his dad.
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Ellie is 7 (soon to be 8). She is an empath and has a huge heart. I am constantly amazed at the depth and clarity with which she is able to express herself. She is a smart, kind, quiet, child. She loves with a reckless abandon and has a dry wit and silly sense of humor. She is a fierce friend and hero-worships her older brother but also stands up to him with a newfound confidence I am thrilled to see. She looks a lot like me.

I cannot imagine my life without them.

Their love, their hugs, their laughter and their tears.I own this resentment and this guilt, hurt, heartache, and confusion. It is mine and mine alone. And I will beat it just as I have beat the other shit that comes up. One day at a time. The Guilt Of Divorce. "

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