The Text You Should Not Send
Devon reads the message he nearly sent his ex-wife in 2021 and explains why he did not. A mediator joins to talk about the three kinds of text that start every custody fight.
Meeting Mum's New Boyfriend
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Show notes
This week at the gate
Devon's ex-wife introduced her partner to their kids in 2023, and Devon handled it better on the outside than on the inside. This week is about new partners: when to tell the other parent, how slow is slow enough, and what the kids actually remember.
- Devon's own reaction, honestly, including the part he kept from the kids
- Guests Sam and Leila on a twelve-month introduction plan that worked
- Jordan, 19, on meeting his stepdad at ten and what he wishes had been different
- The courtesy call: telling the other parent first, even if you do not owe them
- The rule Devon's kids made up themselves
Next week: two houses, two sets of rules, one confused eight year old.
Transcript
Welcome back to The Handover at the School Gate. I am Devon, and this week we are talking about the moment a new partner enters the picture. In 2023 my ex-wife told me she wanted the kids to meet someone. I said all the right things. I said I was happy for her, and that we should go slowly, and that the kids come first. All true. Inside, I was a mess for about a month, and I think it is worth saying that out loud, because a lot of you are living it right now. Today I have Sam and Leila, who spent a full year introducing a stepdad, and Jordan, who is 19 and met his stepdad at ten and remembers every detail, including the ones the adults thought they had hidden. You are listening on Witspeak Podcasts.
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