DEAR ABBY by Abigail Van Buren
DEAR ABBY: My wife and I welcomed our third child into the world six months ago. Since then, my wife has been diagnosed with postpartum depression and has cheated on me multiple times. She has now moved out. She is dating a woman and wants a divorce.
Despite all of this, I have forgiven her, and I still love her. Her behavior is negatively affecting our other children, but she refuses to acknowledge its impact and won’t listen to me or talk to me about it. She refuses to go to counseling and acts like everything is my fault. How should I handle this? — DISTRAUGHT HUSBAND IN PENNSYLVANIA
DEAR HUSBAND: If you had no hint that your wife was bisexual before this, it must have been a shock. As I see it, there are two ways to handle this. The first would be to talk with a licensed mental health professional and ask if that person can give you some insight into whether postpartum has caused your wife’s behavior. None of this is your fault, and it may not be your wife’s fault either.
The second way is to start interviewing lawyers who specialize in family law. While you can’t force your wife to stay married to you, you can make sure your children spend as much time with their father as possible.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.