Rebuilding a life after a divorce is often difficult. The relationship that a person most likely thought was going to be forever didn’t work out, and now they have to figure out how to make things work without it. Assuming they want another partner, they have to experience all the drama of the dating game again, and if they have kids in tow, it only makes the experience even more complicated.

The reality is that while life might not end after you have children, it does make things very different. If a mom or dad is in the position of finding a serious romantic relationship, it’s important to take into consideration how a potential partner may be around their kids. While it may be upsetting for somebody to have to leave behind someone that they like because they don’t align with their lifestyle as a parent, it can occasionally be a necessity to keep the family at its happiest. 

Am I terrible for not wanting my (38F) aging dad’s (65M) childfree wife (66F) to move into the apartment I built for him?

This is something that one adult woman found herself struggling with after bitter childhood memories and her sense of duty to her family collided. Due to their health, her dad and stepmom were looking to downsize to a smaller, one-story home, and she and her husband had built an apartment on their property for this exact purpose.

However, the woman was reluctant to offer it to them as she felt her stepmother had failed to be adequate in her role while she and her brother were growing up, being dismissive of them and seemingly annoyed that they impinged on her childfree lifestyle. In her current position she felt guilty, and looked for advice.