My sister is a divorced mum and I wanted to know if anyone had any experience that could help me understand her lifestyle. We see a lot of her daughter but she and I are not close enough for her to tell me her thoughts on her life.
She got divorced 10 years ago. The catalyst was that she had an affair but it wasn't working long before that. Her child is pre-teen.
Immediately following the divorce she began seeing people casually but for the past eight or so years she has had a series of relationships. She's introduced all the men to her daughter but none of them have moved in, though some of them have had children and become close almost step-siblings.
We see the child regularly and it's hard to know what attitude to take when references to the most recent boyfriend are made. The child obviously doesn't understand that these are all semi-casual relationships that last a year or so and thinks each person is going to become permanent. At the beginning we would ask politely and include mention of these partners in our conversations but now we skirt over it, knowing it is unlikely to come to a permanent fixture.
I can't really understand it. If I were her I would want stability. Can anyone shed any light? It's not that they have relationship strife and then break up in a sad way -- it seems more like a teen/20-something lifestyle of breaking up once the first sexual spark is gone.
I'm not judging -- just trying to get information/experience.