Reply to Separating from mentally ill spouse

Forum Index » Relationship Discussion (non-explicit)

Reply to "Separating from mentally ill spouse - what about the kids"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=ThatBetch][quote=Anonymous][quote=ThatBetch]You say you'd feel devastated if he did this to you, but you have no guarantee he won't do this (or worse). What if his paranoia gets the better of him and he disappears with your kids "to keep them safe from The Man"? Mental instability is a major red flag, and this level of disconnect with reality is a safety issue. Unless there is some legitimacy to his claims (unlikely, but this is DC and the Clintons apparently off people all the time  :roll: ), he is tuned to a totally different frequency than you and most normal people. Who knows that he's hearing/thinking, or what that broadcast may tell him to do. You aren't obligated to stick around to find out, and you definitely shouldn't leave your kids exposed to that influence. Think about it: if your babysitter/nanny were saying these things, you'd fire him/her so fast they'd be halfway home before they realized what hit 'em!

You have a job to do: protect your kids. This isn't about hurting your husband; it's not about his feelings at all. It's about protecting your children. Do your job. Get somewhere safe, with your kids, and then do what you can to help your spouse get the help he needs.

I don't envy your position. My ex is off his meds/rocker at the moment, so I understand how heartbreaking this can be. But don't let your love for him make you lose focus. Your kids need someone sane and stable at the helm right now. Do what you need to do to protect them and yourself.[/quote]

Thank you PP!  This is pretty much the message I get from everybody.  But what about if I take the kids tomorrow and then he shows up at their school the next day and takes them?  How can I protect them from possible drama and upheaval?[/quote]

Contact an attorney, the police, your counselor, your doctor... Contact the family justice center in your area. Get a TRO, if you need one. Get an emergency custody order, pending litigation. I don't know where you are, or what the specifics are, so I don't know how best to help you, but one of those sources will. Do your best to document husband's behavior (seems you've already gone "on the record" with several people to do this already, which will help).

You may need to take time off work and keep the kids out of school until you get this dialed in. Where I am, the school must release the child to either parent unless there's a custody order saying otherwise. This is inconvenient, but that's a small price to pay for safety.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics