We haven’t heard a word from Mark.
The kids and I talked over the weekend and came up with a proposal. We wanted to suggest a visitation schedule that we could live with. Mark has indicated that he would like to see them more frequently. The kids say, “Absolutely Not.” We think we’ve come up with something to appease Mark. We hope that he will see that a few visits are better than nothing at all.
See? There we go hoping again.
Yesterday morning I called Mark and ended up leaving a message. I selected what I hoped sounded like an encouraging/positive voice. I told him that we were looking forward to talking to him after his counseling session – which was yesterday. I asked him to please call us so that we could discuss how to proceed from here.
I called again in the afternoon. No answer.
Now what?
Is he shopping for a new counselor, since this one most likely didn’t tell him what he wanted to hear?
Is he still processing, even though his kids leave on Sunday? By the time we return from vacation, that would make it about three heavenly weeks with no contact, but I can’t imagine he would stand for that since he has expressed his desire to see more of the kids.
Does he think he’s punishing us?
He can’t be hiking in this wind.
Have the kids been trumped, again, by his work schedule?
Or did he get wrapped up in some fascinating TV show last night, and forgot to return calls to his kids?
Wouldn’t it be fabulous if he’s already found another source?
More than likely, he wants to be the one to determine when he contacts us. He can’t stand the thought of responding to my request, and thereby relinquishing control over the situation.
___________
On a paranoid but somewhat funny note …
Yesterday morning, Will looked out the front window and saw the backside of a sign that had been nailed to our fence. I went to investigate and found a rather innocuous looking “No Parking” sign. It didn’t look like something the City would have put up. It didn’t include a suggestion of what the looming project might be.
The first thing that went through my mind was, “Mark put that there. He’s going to barricade our house until the kids agree to see him.”
And about two hours later the street sweepers crawled by.
Tags: all about me, child of narcissist, divorce, life, narcissism, narcissist behavior, narcissistic behavior, NPD, proactive, survive
Let sleeping dogs lie. Don’t wake the baby. Don’t touch it with a ten-foot pole. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. And other such aphorisms… :O)
Stop contacting him. You’ve done your bit. Pack for and anticipate your fabulous vacation. Get involved with and ENJOY that process! And send photos when you get back! Love you! ;-)
Your messages have come through loud and clear. ;)
And anyway, we are enjoying not dealing with all this.
What’s that? A whiff of sunscreen I smell?