Well the time has come, we've been separated for over a year and the divorce proceedings can begin.

The good: Wife (referred to as ex preferably) has become quite cooperative in everything. For those that don't know of my situation, I don't post much on this thread, we have two boys together - 11 and 12. They have lived with me the entire year. Over the year she's had them once, tried to keep them for thanksgiving weekend and let them come home to me, apparently they were "bored" and wanted to go home. :/ yeah it's a real fight to keep them with me (/sarcasm). So in a nutshell, she has made very little effort to see them much. I've agreed to shared custody and her having them for the summers, weekends and many holidays. I don't know if she'll even try to have them that much. We talked about that and she just matter-of-factly said "yeah that's fine" to everything I've said. Nothing is documented yet, that's next. So the school year I'll likely have them the whole time considering she lives an hour away now that she's moved again - she's even considering moving out of state til she "gets on her feet" again. Anyway, I'm confident at the very least she won't try to take them.

The Bad: i think it's unfair, although I'm not against child support altogether. I figured it out and since she (in my opinion) chooses not to work, she has no real income to calculate. Because of this, the calculations come to almost $800 a month for child support, this, when I'll have them more than her! How is this fair? Idk. I'll go with it of course if that's the decision of the courts but I still feel it's ridiculous. If anything it should be that amount for the 3 months she'd have them but I have looked and I don't find anything to show that you can deviate from it for the other months and just pay when she has them. I don't get that but hey.. I feel like, she should be working and could easily. She's not disabled and even has a degree. I, am not the one with a college degree, but yet I work in a field where I make a good salary and how much more that one with a degree should be able to do at least that? :/ nonetheless, it is what it is and I have to deal with it.

So now I have to get the paperwork out of the way but so far it seems she's going along with it all and isn't fighting me on every front, like I hear so many people go through. She keeps saying that she's glad I'm there for the boys since she hasn't been able to be and that "it will change"... after 12 months not really trying very hard to see them, I don't know how much I expect out of her in this area. If I was mean I'd get a lawyer and fight for full custody but I'm not one to say taht she shouldn't have any say over her kids. idk... I'm kinda still tense about the outcome and won't be totally satisfied til it's on paper and finalized.

Anyway just sharing.