You are all so right. This has to stop.
Marz: Appreciate your candor.
Grace: I have the same concerns about the house. The market is looking worse every day. I cannot afford to wait.
Squid: I still do all the little things for her - and I shouldn't. Darn, I need to stop that. I still measure success by her not being too displeased with me. She works part time now - a few mornings per week - but gets her entire salary in her account, not using any of that for the family, while I replenish the joint account with my salary. When I suggested that we both should contribute our earnings to the family account, she thought that was unfair and that I wanted to take away her hard earned money. The sense of entitlement is strong with this one.
Don't get me started on entitlement. What tops it all was when she said she could not sell the house and live in an apartment because she may not be allowed to play her piano there. (Apparently, a piano is a basic human right.)
josiep: Spot on. I read some of the other threads and it really does seem as if no one ever regrets having moved too quickly to file. I just cannot go on playing happy couple, keeping up appearances.
I am also more careful about the kids' passports now. I hold on to some of them so she never has the full set. Still, I know, not perfect. She could probably apply for a replacement without my consent at the embassy.
Overall, this advice here on SI is sooo valuable. One never could collect that experience in a single lifetime. It gives us something to counter the cheater playbook with. Knowledge is power and makes me feel less powerless.
