Seeing my Daughter with my EX’s Boyfriend |

I knew that eventually Jenn, my ex, would start dating someone. I was okay with that. We had too much of a past to ever consider getting back together, and the present was too good to consider changing. I thought we’d already been through the hardest part. We’d managed to get past the breakup of a five-year relationship, which culminated in my return to drug and alcohol rehab. We’d navigated our way through the short sale of our home. We’d had to get lawyers. We’d fielded questions from Lola, our four-year-old daughter, as to why Mommy and Daddy were no longer living together. Each hurdle proved to be difficult, but we agreed on one basic premise: What’s best for Lola?

After a while, joint custody seemed almost normal. Thursdays, Fridays, and every other Saturday at Daddy’s house and the rest of the time with Mommy seemed fair—on paper. Pick-up and drop-off were always pleasant, but sometimes life happened and we had to accommodate the other person’s schedule. Not once did we have to refer to the legal document issued by the courts. We just communicated. Always starting every conversation with: What’s best for Lola?