Co-parenting with my ex-husband Ben had always been surprisingly easy. Our divorce was amicable, and we’d settled into a comfortable rhythm for our kids’ sake. But when his new girlfriend Lisa texted me out of the blue, it forced me to confront something I’d buried long ago.
It started at our daughter’s birthday dinner. Ben had brought Lisa, and she seemed lovely—warm, attentive, and genuinely interested in the kids. Then my daughter handed me a birthday card… from Ben.
I nearly dropped it. In over a decade of marriage, Ben had never once remembered my birthday. Not a single card, not even a mumbled “Happy Birthday” over coffee.
Lisa noticed my shock. “Ben’s not great with dates, huh?” she asked with an uneasy laugh.
Later that night, her text popped up: “Does he ever improve with birthdays and anniversaries?”
I stared at my phone, torn. Should I warn her? Protect her from the same disappointment I’d endured? In the end, I stayed neutral, but when Ben called months later to say they’d broken up over—you guessed it—a forgotten anniversary, it hit me hard.
Lisa had done what I never could: she’d refused to accept being an afterthought. Seeing her walk away made me realize I should have demanded better for myself too.
