I truly thought that once our home sold and closed, that my situation with my estranged husband would get easier, but not only is it worse, now the emotional strain of living w/my parents is adding to the stressload of both my children and myself.

Mom and Dad mean well, but lately Mom particularly is really being judgemental. She questions my parenting, subtly reminding me that if my judgement were that good then somehow "I wouldn't have been in this situation to start with." At least, that's the message I'm receiving....

My 8 year old is depressed and stressed out because, like me, she feels trapped between the "warring parties"....Mommy, Daddy, Grandparents etc...and bless her heart, she get's so many "versions" of who's right, who's wrong and it's painfully unfair. She and her father aren't getting along on visits..he insists on discussion topics that aren't appropriate like *his feelings for me *how much he has "changed"* how he wants his family back*how lonely and unhappy he is* how grandmommy and grandaddy are somehow to blame for all of the tension* etc...etc...

Sadly, he's using all the same emotional manipulations that made my life with him such a living hell....and i truly believed that i was getting the kids out of that situation - protecting them.

Financially, we aren't realistically ready to move out of my parents home......naturally, they don't want us to, convinced that if we leave their "protection" that daddy will just waltz back in and "get us back"....as a family, that is...(not going to happen, i can assure you).

But I'm worn out, hurt, angry and feeling like I've failed on just about every front. How can you keep going and believing that life is going to get better? Again, I left this man because we were in an abusive situation and I didn't want to scar my kids further...and i knew that i didn't deserve that life either.

So when the decision is right...how can the transition be so awful? It's as if i've traded one hell for another.