Having kids is no easy task. The constant attention on them tends to draw from any attention you once had for yourself and your sex life. For my partner and I, our sex life changed drastically when our first son was born.

We were the type of couple you could classify as rabbits. We were always at it. No matter what time of day, what part of the house, or even if we had obligations that we were running late for. If the urge hit either one of us, that was it, sex was inevitable. The only break we took was that annoying week of the month when I was ‘broken’, and we had to find other means to get our kicks.

We were like this for about a year, when we decided we wanted to have a family together. We had known each other for years, and our relationship was no longer new, so we felt it was a good step for us. It took only three and a half months for me to get pregnant at our regular frequency of sex.

Those nine months were the best sex we could ever have had. Because of my growing belly and changing body, it did things to my uterus and vagina that made our already wonderful sex life into something so much better. And since I didn’t have the monthly break anymore, we could keep going as much as we wanted. Of course, by the end of it, things became a little more difficult because of my size, but we managed to find ways around it.

When our son was born, we didn’t know what to expect. We knew we wouldn’t have the same sex life we had before then, but we hadn’t anticipated this. The long sleepless nights and complete dependence our baby had on me and his father, left us both exhausted. Not to mention when he was born, I had a full episiotomy, meaning I had a lot of stitches and soreness in the love area.

Thoughts of no sex didn’t bothered either of us for the first little bit. Then the urges came back little by little. I took a long time healing, so we took it easy for the first few months. We got into a comfortable routine with our new little family, but it still didn’t leave much time for any fun. We took every opportunity we could get, even if it meant a quick shared shower while the baby was sleeping.

After a while though, our son eventually moved into his own room and slept through the nights completely. This freed our night times up immensely. So we balanced our love life based on this. The baby had our time during the day, where we met all his needs and gave him all of our attention, and in the night time, we turned our attention to our needs and each other. This balance was perfect for us. Everybody was happy, well rested, and all frustrations worked out.

My son was about 9 months old when I went back to work. It was only a fast food restaurant, so I didn’t actually get overly tired, and the extra money coming in was wonderful for us. My partner was already working, so our son spent a lot of time with his grandmother. He loved visiting his grandparents, and since they were retired, it made things easy on us working. We did get tired from our new routine of life, but it didn’t have enough of a bearing on our sex life to change it.

I was working about one year and had a bad reaction switching from the pill to needle, so I was waiting out the time to be able to get an IUD. We had discussed having more children, and had decided not at that time. I was at work when my chest was hurting, I was cramping and vomiting, and my period was late. I had called my doctor about in between bleeding, so this was all expected. I was due to see him again in two more weeks to have blood work to make sure all birth control was out of my system. When it was out, I would then be able to get the IUD inserted. I felt so odd this day though, and even knowing it was expected, I still went across to the pharmacy and bought a pregnancy test. Of course it came out positive. This was one of those “1 in 99” cases, and I was pregnant with our second child.

I told everyone at work. They were all happy for me, but I was still unsure. We had wanted to wait, and now I was pregnant again, and had no idea how I was going to break the news to my partner. He was at work, as well, but he still had six more hours before he was off. I stopped in to his work place on my way to pick up my son, and walked right up to his desk. I put the pregnancy test on the table in front of him and just turned to walk away. I couldn’t face him, and was so afraid he would be angry with me.

He didn’t say anything as I walked away and I didn’t bother trying to talk. I took my son home and tried to keep myself busy so I wouldn’t think about it too much. I was worried about his reaction, and what I would be facing when he walked through the door. I was in for a shock though.

He got home at his usual time, and I had supper waiting for him. It was about 10 pm, and he was very quiet. He finished his supper, changed his clothes, and got comfortable in front of the TV. The tension was driving me mad. I sat next to him after a while and cuddled into his chest. Our oldest son was asleep by this point, and there was no walking away from the inevitable. I just whispered, I’m sorry. He wrapped his arms around me and told me not to worry, that he had known I was seeing the doctor about getting the IUD, and had even been to some of my appointments with me. He knew I didn’t try it, and he told me not to be so worked up, that it can’t be good for the baby. I laughed at this. He was so sweet about the whole thing.

So our sex life stayed during the night times, but maybe a little more frequent despite my extreme exhaustion this time around. I had a few complications during the pregnancy, but all of which had to do with me and not the baby, so that had no bearing on our sex life either.

Orgasms during pregnancy are probably the best ones a woman will ever have. I assume it’s because of the added pressure and the sensitivity there, but I know those were my favorite ones to have. Having orgasms during pregnancy is also rumored to help make labor easier, so of course, I tried to get in as many as possible. This wasn’t an issue for me or my partner. He was more than happy to oblige, and rather enjoyed the intensity of it all.

After my second son was born, a lot of things changed. He had a few problems at birth, so he spent a lot of time in my arms. He was also breast fed, so we slept at the same time and often in the same bed. This made a huge hindrance on our sex life. The baby was a very light sleeper, and sleeping in our room made it difficult for any intimacy to happen. He’s very needy, and attached to me in ways I never saw with my first son.

Even now, 15 months later, my second son still spends more time in my bed than he spends in his own, so sex for us happens only in the extreme late hours. Since my partner works at 6 am everyday, this makes things extremely difficult. We went from having sex five or more times a week to maybe once a week if we are lucky.

The urges are there and as strong as ever, but during the daytime the kids are so demanding of our attention, and with the baby in the room with us during the night, it’s just too hard to fit it in. Not to mention, with my partner’s work in the warehouse being physically demanding, I’m lucky if he has any energy to do anything but lie there, even if we do get the golden opportunity. Doesn’t mean we don’t try whenever we can, though.

The weekends have become a much anticipated time for us since time is not a factor then, but children have definitely made an impact on our sex life. The sex itself is just as good, maybe better now that we explore things we didn’t before, and although the frequency has changed, the urge never does. We’re just waiting now for the wonderful age of 18, when they are out and the house is our playground once again.

This winter has been a little bit difficult on me, more than usual, it seems. I am one of the people who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is defined by Wikipedia as a mood disorder, in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer, spring or autumn, repeatedly, year after year. I get it in the winter every year.

This year has been different, or particularly bad, because I moved to the city last spring, and have had a lot of issues with my family throughout the year. There have been issues with my mother being estranged and spreading lies behind my back, and also issues with my father being overbearing and nitpicking every little thing I do with my kids. It has made me very depressed this year, and I probably would’ve had a hard time even if I didn’t suffer from SAD.

I can’t say it’s been all bad. Thanks to EdenFantasys and the things I’ve discovered here, my boyfriend and I have had such a wonderful time rediscovering ourselves, and exploring a new side of our sex life we didn’t have before. I have written about my love and gratitude for this, expressing it when I can. I am grateful to have at least something to cheer me up. I look forward to the parcels arriving, and to getting to try out all the goodies I order.

This spring, I’m hoping to make a few changes in my life. I am hoping to continue my participation with EdenFantasys, as it has given me some happiness in an odd way. But also I hope to change a lot of things with myself. I am a known packrat, and am hoping to get rid of a lot of things I have stashed over the last few years. My children have way too many toys cluttering their room and our living room, so I’m hoping to get rid of as much of that as I can.

Since moving into the city, I haven’t had any luck in making any new friends. I’m hoping that, starting this spring, I can begin to participate in some play groups for my boys. It will provide me with an opportunity to meet other parents with small children, and also a chance for my boys to meet new people and socialize.

I’m hoping to be able to get the motivation to get out more, as well. We live just around the corner from a fair sized park that has duck ponds, and playgrounds, and everything in it. I know my boys love it there. We went a few times last summer, but my youngest son was too little at the time. He was only six months old, and being a breastfed baby, he had to eat at certain times, and he had naps at certain times. My life ran on his schedule, so it made a lot of things difficult. This spring and summer, he will be older and not so dependent on schedules, like he was. I will be able to plan picnics and walks in the park.

Around, or for Easter, I am saving up to get my boys their own playset for the backyard. They both love swings and slides, and having their own playground will be easier for me. I have a hard time getting the motivation to go too far, but if I’m only opening the door and walking into the backyard, I will be out there everyday. I know the park is around the corner from us, and we’re very fortunate to have it there, but with my boyfriend working in the daytime all week, I find it hard to take them by myself. I’m so paranoid that something would happen to one of them while I’m tending to the other. Having my boys in the backyard with me would ease my mind so much more, and make things a lot easier for me to handle.

One of my other goals is to get more physically active again. I always have a hard time in the winter and gain a few pounds, this winter being no different. It’s never a whole lot, but since having two kids, I have more weight on me then I would like. I miss feeling sexy, and having the energy to do a lot more. My boyfriend always tells me not to worry about it and that I’m perfect, but I haven’t met a woman yet who believes their man when he says that. We always assume the worst, but are so flattered that they would try to make us feel better. Got to love the sweetness of some men.

My boyfriend is also hoping to lose weight. He has always been on the bigger side (250 lbs.+) and last summer he lost a LOT of his weight. He has since gained almost all of it back, however. But knowing it was possible for him to lose it, he is trying more than ever, now that the snow has started to melt. He walks to and from work five days of the week, which is about a 40 minute walk each way. He didn’t start this until the end of last summer, and got results almost right away, but with the harshness of our winter he wasn’t able to keep it up. This year he is starting early, and hoping to be under 240 pounds by the end of summer. I support him fully in this, of course, but he has such a sweet personality, I could care less if he was 500 pounds.

There are a few other things I hope to take care of in regards to my family, as well. I hope to talk to my mother a bit more, and see if there’s anything that can be fixed there. I hope to put my father in his place, in the fact that he is my father, and I have my own family now. I want to raise my kids my way, and his interfering is only hurting my relationships, and making me question everything about myself.

I had a rough winter but am hoping this spring is going to turn things around for me. I have a lot of changes I need to make in my life, and I just pray I can go through with them. My life, and my boys lives would be so much better if I can. Maybe a move to a new apartment and a fresher start on the right foot would help us all in the end. Spring is the beginning of the year, and I feel this one can be a new beginning for me and my family, now that the winter has passed and my SAD is finally almost gone.

My baby brother is now 17, and is not the person we once knew, at all. It’s hard to lose a family member, but even harder when the loss is just isolation from another family member. My mother walked out on me and my family when I was 16. My youngest brother, Kody, was 8 years old at the time. Things were very hard for us in so many ways. My father was still there, but in a way he wasn’t there. He took the break up extremely hard, and relied on me to take care of the household while he made the money to support us.

We got into a comfortable routine after awhile, but it wasn’t too long before I was off to University. That meant leaving them behind to fend for themselves. They actually didn’t do too bad though, and I came home to visit often when I could. My mother was still away and I never spoke to her. My brothers spoke to her now and then, but it always ended in tears. My parents blamed each other for the break up, and they used us to get at each other, saying whatever they needed to to make someone upset and angry.

Since my mother wasn’t around, I became the legal guardian of my brother after my father. I got him signed up in school, and registered with anything he needed to make thing easier for our father. They moved into the same city I was going to school in, so it made things much easier for us. I did the same with his schooling here, as well. I had to drop out of school for medical reasons, so got to see my bros and father a fair bit.

After awhile, I moved back to a small town to start a new life for myself. I was almost four hours away from my father and brothers, but I needed a break from the city. I got my own place, a new boyfriend, a new job, everything, and established a great life for myself. In this span, my mother also came back, and happened to live just outside the small town I moved to. I started talking to her now and then, as four years had passed since she had left, and I was willing to put some things aside.

About nine months after I had moved there, in December, I found out I was pregnant with my first child. My mother was ecstatic about it and even moved just around the corner from me. It was an easy pregnancy, but my mother was over all the time and helped me out with everything. We started talking a lot and grew closer than we ever had been in my whole life. I was so happy to finally have a relationship with the one person who seemed like she had never wanted me.

We had some issues with our apartment there, and troubles with the landlord. So we had to move. It was July when we did; I was due in August and we got a place literally about four doors away from my mother. This made us even happier and made things better for me, who was getting huge by this point. Being my first pregnancy, I had no idea what I was expecting to happen, so I needed all the support I could get.

Kody had come out from my father’s place in June when school let out to spend the summer with us. He stayed at my mother’s but spent most of his time at my place. When it was summertime, I did a lot of walking, so I was always going somewhere. Kody tagged along everywhere I went. He was about 12 at this point, and was getting a good grasp on life and the things he wanted in it. He hated living with my father. He would call me or my mother, upset all the time, because he had no freedom at his age in the big city. While he was with us, he had more freedom than he knew what to do with. It was no surprise when he finally decided this was where he wanted to stay.

When my son was born, Kody was there every step of the way. Since he was the youngest, he never had any younger siblings, and being so young still, my son was like a little brother to him. Since it was still the summer, I spent a lot of time walking with my new little baby. We would go over to my mother’s, where she could help me out. We started new routines and our lives were never better.

The only issue was, at the end of the summer when it came time for Kody to go back to the city for school, we had to sit my father down and explain to him that Kody was staying. He was, of course, very upset by it all and begged Kody to come back with him, but there was nothing he could do to change his mind. My father had recently started a new relationship and had moved in with his girlfriend. Kody did not particularly like this woman, or how my father had changed since meeting her.

Since the begging didn’t work, my father tried threatening him. He had custody and could use the courts to force Kody back to town with him. That’s where I stepped in. I love my brother and wanted the best for him. If this was where he wanted to be, I would fight what I had to, on his behalf. I went head to head against Dad, but since I was a legal guardian by law, Kody had the choice of coming with me. Since mom only lived a few doors away, he could stay at her place but I would be his guardian.

So, Kody made the move. I set him up in school and everything was set. Mom was thrilled to have Kody around, and I had someone close by all the time. Kody loved the new baby along with everyone else, and we all pretty much became a very close-knit family. He made some new friends and was settled with everything.

Taking care of Kody was a little more than our mother had bargained for, so she got a job at the local KFC. She spent a lot of time working, so he spent even more time with me. We did everything together, and although he was my little brother, he was in a lot of ways my closest friend.

My son was 9 months old when I went to work at the same KFC as my mother. She worked in the kitchen and I worked in the front part. I’m a very ‘people person’ so I spent a lot of time on the cash register, and dealing with customers. My boyfriend was already working, so we had to make schedules that fit our lives. Kody was one of the only people my son trusted enough to stay with for an hour or two. We were a little skeptical about it at first, but we got over it quickly. Our son adored Kody, so there was no questioning it afterward.

This went on for a long time. But our schedules became harder and harder to manage, so we started bringing our son to my boyfriend’s grandmother’s. She had raised him for many years, and was more than willing to babysit for a few hours of the day while we worked. This helped us out a great deal, and left Kody more free time as well. Not that he had minded babysitting, but he was coming up on 14, by this point.

Somewhere in this span of time, my mother had started chatting to men online and had found herself a new boyfriend. He lived a few hours from her but came to see her as often as he could. Kody didn’t like him at first, but didn’t mind it after awhile when he got to know him. My mother had fallen head over heels for this man, and after about six months she decided she was going to move in with him.

I was about four months pregnant with my second child and was not expecting this at all. She came over one evening and told me they were moving in with her new man. I asked when and she told me in three weeks. I was shocked that she would do it so soon, and that she would leave while I was pregnant. We spoke about it a few times after, but it seemed like she didn’t care about me at all, only what she wanted.

She packed up my brother and all her belongings and walked out of my life again. She rarely spoke to me after the move, which didn’t help matters, but I was hopeful for my brother. He hated it right away, and was talking to me constantly. We were arranging having him come and live with us before long. He missed us, and my son especially. Not to mention, he was to be the godfather of my second son. My first son’s middle name was in honor of Kody, so he had a part in both of their lives, and wanted to be there. My second son was born in December, and they came out to see us. They actually got to the hospital five minutes after he was born, due to a snow storm. He was thrilled and spent a week with us then.

In February, we found out our apartment needed a lot work on it, a lot more then we had expected. We had to move out by the first of April. The landlord had other apartments, and even offered a different one to us if we chose. But we decided it was time to move to a different part of town. Things didn’t go as planned, and we ended up having to go to the city instead.

We moved at the end of March, and got settled as best we could. We had only seen Kody and my mother once after they had moved, so Kody decided to spend a week with us after our move. During that week, we noticed things in him that were never there before. He was deceitful, poking around our personal things, and our computers. He was also starting fights between me and my boyfriend, by making up lies to tell behind the other’s back.

We didn’t know what to think. We didn’t believe he would do this to us, so we thought it was all true. It was horrible. He spent a night with my other brother and father, which gave us a chance to talk. It wasn’t long before we realized what had happened. We started watching him very closely, and even set him up in a few things. He fell into them all, thinking we believed him. We let him go on believing it, and decided it would be his last visit like this.

He was taking on traits my mother had. She was like this before she left the first time, and I could see hints of it before she left with her newest boyfriend. She had changed him when he had no influence from us. We were hurt and disturbed by everything. He was such a sweet and loving kid, and now he’s just like my mother with his lies. We left him where he was with her, and didn’t bother inviting him for awhile. There was a lot that had happened in this span of time to influence our decisions in regards to him.

When he hit 16, he found himself a girlfriend. This didn’t help matters at all. He cut himself off from everyone. He was already a carbon copy of my mother, and now he had secluded himself as well. His girlfriend became his world. We were happy for him, of course, but still longed for the person he used to be.

We still haven’t seen him since that week he stayed and disrupted us, and it’s been almost a year. He has made his choice in what he wants to do and be. We are very disappointed, of course, and miss him dearly. I try to talk to him when I can, but he has no interest at all. I wish my mother hadn’t changed him when she got a hold of him. It feels like he is no longer there at all. My brother is still alive, but it’s just as well to say he is gone for now. We are hopeful that one day he will see what she has done by secluding him away from the world, and I do blame her for the changes in him. He will always be my baby brother, but I wish we had him back to the way he was.

My hubby and I have known each other for many years. I met him when I was only 17 and dating one of his friends. He was so sweet and kind to me, and helped me through a lot of rough times. My boyfriend at the time was emotionally abusive, and since he was so controlling over my life, I had no one to turn to except his friends that he allowed me to associate with. One of them is my hubby now.

I met him at a friend’s birthday party. It was a huge gathering with about 15 of us there, and I was told by my boyfriend not to speak to anyone. A lot of people tried to speak to me that night, but I just acknowledged them with nods or few words. My hubby of course not knowing I was not allowed to talk, kept trying to make me feel comfortable there. I was so grateful for this. I didn’t get to say much to him that night, but he tried none the less.

I saw him at a few other gatherings after that, and was able to speak more by this point, after much fighting with my boyfriend. We found we had a lot in common and just casually chatted whenever we were around each other. There was no love interest at this point, but there was definitely a friendship brewing.

After a few months, I decided I liked having him around and set him up with my best friend at the time. They got along fairly well at first, but only because they had a long distance relationship. When it came time for us all to go to University, we split up as roommates. My boyfriend and I had him come live with us and my best friend lived with two other friends of hers.

This worked out to some extent, but since they were now only a set of stairs away from each other, their relationship died after only a few months. My best friend took the breakup hard and moved away from there. She ended up going to her grandmother’s about 14 hours away from where we were living. It all worked out for her in the end though. Just a few months after moving there, she met her now husband, and only three months later became pregnant with their first child. She doesn’t regret anything at all, and I am happy for the way things turned out for her.

When my friend had moved out, her roommates split up as well. One moved in with us and the other moved in with her boyfriend at the time. Another of our friends had also decided to move in with us, so with five people now in the household, we moved to a bigger place. Things were okay for a long time, but after awhile we started to see what kind of people we all really were. The last roommate to join us had begun to make a nuisance of himself, and was making comments that were rude and suggestive towards me and the others living there. We took a vote and kicked him out altogether.

Only a few weeks after that, my now hubby had become very depressed and decided to move home. His time with us was wonderful though. He helped me deal with my then boyfriend and the stresses of school. We would talk for hours about everything just to clear our heads, or go for a walk even in silence. We were still only friends at the time but we became so close. He was my best friend and I trusted him with everything. He left and moved home, leaving me with my boyfriend and my other friend’s roommate.

Due to the decrease in people, we moved to a smaller place across town. I barely spoke to my hubby at all, but saw him every time we came home from University to visit our families. He was still my best friend and we had many good times, even if we didn’t see much of each other. He had another girlfriend in this span that didn’t work out either, so he loved it when we came to visit to take his mind away from things.

The more time I spent in the city, the more depressed I became, and not having someone to talk to made me miss home. I didn`t leave the house at all or do much of anything. My boyfriend’s control over me had grown so much that I was even on medications for depression. It was so hard to handle. One year after my hubby had left, I decided it was time I went back as well.

My boyfriend, our other roommate and I talked it over and decided we were going our own ways. My boyfriend didn`t know that when we moved I was going to be leaving him, but it was my whole intent of going. We packed up all of our belongings and left for home. I stayed with my boyfriend and his family until I got a place of my own.

When we got out of the city, I spent all my free time with my hubby. He was my best friend, and the only one who knew everything about me and what I had planned. All our other friends were with us, of course, but he was the one I talked to for a long time. When time came for me to move out, I left my boyfriend and moved into my new home. My hubby helped me with everything. He was there for me with my breakup, and helped me move into my new place. He stayed with me that night talking about pretty much everything. One night became two, and then three, then next thing I knew he was living with me, and what was once a friendship became a relationship.

We had such a wonderful relationship then, and even now almost five years later. We are not married but I hope to be someday. He`s still my best friend and I feel we are a closer couple than most. We talk about everything and communicate when we need too. We have our debates now and then, but have never had a big enough fight to hinder us in any way. We have two wonderful little boys together and couldn`t be happier with our little family. Together we are battling outside sources, but I think we can over come them if we stick together. He truly is the love of my life and I know we`ll be together forever. He`s such a wonderful father to our boys, who love him more than anything. Maybe marriage will be in our future, but for now being with the best friend I could ever have is more than enough for me.

Keeping a happy household is a task in itself, but when you have people interfering in areas that have no bearing on them, everyone suffers. My family is very simple, it’s just me, my spouse Justin, and our two sons, Dante and Dj. We lived in a small town pretty much on our own when both kids were born, so were comfortable in our lives, routines, and each other.

Not long after Dj was born, there were some issues in the building we were living in and we had to move. Instead of moving to another place within the small town, we decided to move to the big city where we’d be closer to my father and brother. There were a lot more opportunities for us here so we thought this move was the best thing for us and our family. Plus, having my father nearby meant we could have some help that we didn’t have beforehand.

We made the move in March of 2010 into a beautiful basement apartment. The landlord was the kindest lady, and we even had one of the biggest children’s parks nearby, as well. We were in a prime spot close to amenities but off the main highway, so it was safer for our kids here.

It was still cold at this point and even had snow on the ground for a few weeks after, but we made every effort to explore the area with the kids. Justin had lived his whole life in a small town, and I moved around a lot, so this city was new to both of us. We explored the park that was just around the corner, went to the malls, and just strolled the back roads to get our bearings of our location. We tried to have the freedom we had in our previous place, but with the city being so much bigger, it was hard without our own means of transportation. My father came over regularly to see the kids and he had a little Suzuki Swift for a car, but it was not big enough for all of us to go, at all. That took away from our family outings significantly. Since it was my Dad, Justin was usually left behind. He didn’t usually mind it, but it bothered me a bit that he was missing out on so much.

Around June, Justin finally managed to get a job not too far from home and worked from 8am-5pm, mon-fri. My father worked from 4pm-11pm, sun-thu, so this lessened our outings even more. One thing to understand with my father is that he doesn’t handle children in public very well. My brothers and I are all grown up now so it’s been many years since he dealt with very small kids like mine. He could handle it as long as both Justin and I were there, so we could take them off his hands if something went wrong. This wasn’t a very big deal really, but it made our outings so hard to organize. He did eventually get a new Ford Escape 2011 model, so there was then plenty of room for all of us to go anywhere and tons of room to spare. There was still the scheduling issue, but at least the ride issue wasn’t so bad anymore. The first little while everything was okay, but then the real fun started.

My father is a very opinionated person, which is something I grew up with my whole life, so was not surprised. However, after spending so much time around us, he started nitpicking every little aspect of our lives. Everything we did was wrong in his eyes. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but he would go back to his even more opinionated girlfriend and tell her everything. My father also tended to exaggerate as well, which didn’t help matters.

Just an example of what I mean; it was summertime and we had a small kiddie pool in the backyard for Dante. He had been out there most of the afternoon with me on the step with Dj watching him and enjoying the sun. Running around in the grass, any child would get a bit of dirt on the bottoms of their feet.

Anyway, we came inside for supper and went straight to the table. I didn’t realize how dirty Dante’s feet had gotten outside, and assumed he must have stepped into a little patch of mud. While eating supper, my father came over and sat in the living room just off the kitchen. He was nagging about toys on the floor, and how the kids need to spend more time outside. I told him they had been out all afternoon, but since he wasn’t there to see it, he didn’t believe me. Dante was very excited that he was here to visit, and hopped up from the table to run in to him. Whatever was on his feet had dried on already, and when he climbed into his grandfather’s lap, he immediately noticed the dirt.

The first thing he assumed was since the kids ‘never go outside’ then this dirt was from somewhere inside the house. We are not the most tidy of people, and with kids it’s even harder, but dirt is one thing I don’t leave around. I’m a bit of a ‘germaphobe’ so I would not tolerate it for any length of time. Not to mention, after spending all day in the grass and playing in his pool, Dante was going to be having a bath right after supper anyways, until his grandfather had shown up.

My father, of course, went ballistic over the bit of dirt, which in all honesty wasn’t as bad as it sounds to be. He said everything to me, about how I should be cleaning them regularly and bathing them, the floors should be scrubbed constantly and dirt shouldn’t be a factor. I tried to explain to him about Dante being outdoors all day, but again, he didn’t see it so didn’t believe me, and even went around looking for dirt on my floors.

I had never been so embarrassed and degraded in all my life. Justin came home from work not long into this and Dad gave him the same going over that he had given me. Justin of course bit his tongue and just went about his business. He knows I get very stressed out when the two of them butt heads, so whenever it arises, he tries to avoid conflict as much as possible. This was very straining on our relationship after awhile because my father liked to be the ‘dominant male’ on any premises, and was coming into our home and acting like he was the boss. Poor Justin didn’t say much about it, but he drifted away from me for awhile.

During this particular rant, my father pushed a few boundaries, though. He made digs at me being schizophrenic, at Justin being a bit overweight, and at the fact that Dante preferred not to speak to him. It’s not that he couldn’t talk, he just had his own means of communicating and spoke when he needed to. It was even confirmed by the public health nurses, but this did not satisfy my father. He didn’t speak to him, so he couldn’t talk, and it was my fault because I neglected and ignored him constantly, apparently.

We were completely appalled by him and everything he got on with. I’d finally had enough and told him to mind his own business, to which he decided it was better he left. We agreed, of course. He was only gone a few minutes when Justin asked me what had happened. He still didn’t know what was going on or why he was doing this. I told him about being out, Dante’s feet and Dad showing up, etc. This all upset Justin, because there was no need for any of it. I tried to tell him I would deal with my father when he cooled down a bit, but since this wasn’t the first time my father had done this, Justin was very frustrated with him, and also with me for putting up with it.

The strain of my father’s constant picking and nagging about every little aspect of our lives started to make me depressed for a long time. I stopped talking to friends. I stopped going out to the malls on my own, and started trying to push my kids as much as I could just to satisfy him. The biggest issue, though, was Justin having to deal with me. He had a hard time dealing with me because when Dad would come over in the afternoons Justin would be at work, and I would get the full brunt of Dad’s nagging. Then when Justin would come home, he would have to deal with the aftermath of my father. I was blaming him for not helping me around the house more, and he blamed me for not telling my father off.

It was so hard to deal with then, and even now. We talked to him many times and told him to leave us alone, and mind his own business, but week after week he starts on something. Justin doesn’t keep quiet so much anymore, and my father is the one who is disgruntled by it. I still get stressed now and then as well, but Justin and I talk it over. We decide how we are going to handle it and what to do, and then together as a family, we deal with it, instead of individually.

Personally, I think the only thing saving my relationship right now, is the fact that we communicate as much as possible. Even if we think it might be hard on the other, or start a fight, if we approach it together we can face anything, including my father. My biggest word of advice to anyone dealing with those pesky in-laws, communicate with your partner, and together anything can be overcome. I love Justin with all my heart, and even though my father is a pain a lot of the time, he’s still my father and I love him too. Now that we are handling him as a couple, it’s much easier on us both.

I’ve read quite a few articles and have noticed nobody writes about some of the things I go through on a daily basis, so thought I’d throw it out there. You never know who else is going through the same.

I am a diagnosed Schizophrenic. Now most people believe that would mean I have multiple personalities or that I was crazy, but I can assure you, that is not the case. Well, I might be a little crazy, but not in the same context. Schizophrenia has all different types, so I can only write about mine. Basically, when I’m under stress, my mind tries to protect itself. There are days I can’t tell if I’m asleep or awake, because my way of escaping stress kind of feels like a very vivid dream. To anyone seeing me, I just look like I’m deep in thought or I’m mechanical. I show no emotion, but still go about normal daily tasks. I’m also raising my two small kids with their father. And for anyone wondering, no I do not take any medications. I tried them before but it just wasn’t for me. It may be for others, but I had a negative image of them and therefore they didn’t work for me.

Now, when you take all I’ve said into consideration and apply that to a relationship, it can be very hard on the other person. I have been in many relationships, with both genders I might add, and it was always a straining factor. I can see where Schizophrenia can be believed to be multiple personalities due to the way I react to stress, but it’s still me there. My partners didn’t understand what was happening to me. Although I tried to explain it, and even let them know what they could do to help me snap out of it, it was just too much for them. The fact that they couldn’t deal with me and accept me for who I am made things pretty bad for me, thus leaving me in my ‘dream state’ for long periods of time. Thank god for my Hubby now. He was my best friend for many years. He accepted me when there was no relationship at the time to build on, or to strain. He knew my quirks, and helped me through a LOT of them. He helped me through yet another breakup. He spent days and nights at my place when I was having a very hard time over it. One thing led to another, and I have never been so happy in my life. He is exactly what I needed. I still have ‘episodes’ now and then due to normal stresses, but never as bad as before now that I have him to support me. I’m sorry to say that not everyone gets as lucky as I did. Not everyone finds that person who understands them and accepts even the worst about them, even in regular relationships. If you ask my hubby what my worst trait is, he’ll always say my father. Just like a normal couple, no love for the in-laws, haha.

Anyways, in all relationships, there is going to be sex. Thinking about my ‘condition’, if I am stressed out, there is no way it’s happening. That in itself can be very straining. I am a very sexually active person. I LOVE it. So not having any kind of intimacy like that can actually make things worse as well. It’s all just a big spiral. One bad thing can lead to the next, and thus the end of another relationship. Now if my issue is over money, for example, I’m not nearly as bad, and can still have some intimacy without much hindrance. I mostly just get distracted, which can be rough for my partners ego. But if my issue is due to my partner, it’s very hard to get back on my feet, or off them, as the case may be. My partner now of course knows how to handle me, and if he’s in the mood for love, which buttons to avoid and how to keep me happy. That sounds so selfish, but in the end, I realize everything that happens and reward him in my own ways. That may be sexual favors, it may be cooking his favorite meal, or overlooking the fact that he left his dirty clothes in the hall…. again. Basically, it’s the same as any normal relationship. And he knows how much I love our bedroom antics; so sometimes if he sees me feeling down about something, he’ll start talking about it like he’s reminiscing. It sometimes leads to more antics, but at least we are both happy, loving each other and stress free for the most part. He loves me for me, and accepts me for who I am and what I go through. We talk about the things that stress me out, and communicating always helps me feel better. It feels like he is taking part of the load from me, and with less on my shoulders, I’m more able to handle it. I think communication in all relationships can be the key to a happy one. If you know there’s a problem, why ignore it? Talking about it helps to find a solution, and saves on a whole lot of stressing later on. Even if the solution means going separate ways, at least if it’s out in the open your options are there, letting you decide if it’s really what’s best.

Living with something like this doesn’t have to be a chore, or the end of the world as some people like to make it out to be. I am a perfectly normal person. I go through daily routines the same as everyone else. I’m raising two wonderful little boys who are my world, and I have the love of the most amazing man in the world. Sure I don’t handle stress as well as some people might, but there are plenty of people out there that take it worse than I do, and don’t have any diagnosed problems. You have to take life as it is handed to you, and if you find that person that makes your world even slightly better, no amount of pills in the world could ever mimic that, whether you need them or not.

I’ve never had much of a relationship with my mother, growing up. It wasn’t until I was in my early 20′s, with my first child, that we became very close. She helped me with everything around the house and with my son.

My parents had divorced many years before, and although she had had relationships after, none of them really lasted. Most of her boyfriends we’re people she met online or through family.

She had a life of her own, and I had my life up until this point. Having my baby brought us closer together and gave her something to do, rather than live online talking to men she’d probably never meet. We talked about everything, and were the best company for each other. My boyfriend was working all the time, so it made me much more comfortable with raising my son when she was around.

My mom was a very social person, on or offline. The town we lived in had just built a new club that was supposed to be a dance club. It seemed people closer to her age were more attracted to the place, so she was eager to check it out. She didn’t want to go by herself, so she talked me into going with her.

We got ready one Saturday night, dressed up appropriately, makeup and all. It had been years since I had been to a club, so I was a bit eager to go as well. I was a bit skeptical though, due to the age group that preferred to be there. But I wasn’t going alone, so put it all aside.

We had a blast! We danced the night away, had a few drinks, and just overall had a great time there. She knew a lot of the people there, and there were even some people I knew as well. It wasn’t very far from home, so stumbling back to our doorsteps wasn’t an issue either.

A few weeks went by and my mother decided she wanted to go out again. Lucky for me, my boyfriend didn’t mind staying home with our then 8 month old baby, and he had no problem with me going out with my mom. I was with my mother for god sake. This particular night, one of my mother’s friends was coming with us. I had no problem with it. We got ready and went to the club, had our few drinks, and were rocking the dance floor. My mother was a little braver this time. She grabbed random guys to dance with, and was a little more confident in her dancing as well. She was only 40, still young in this age group. The more she drank, the ‘friendlier’ she got. After a few hours, I called a cab and helped her stumble into her door, alone. Her friend was her next door neighbor, so I helped her home as well. I lived just up the road a bit, so I walked home myself.

I didn’t know what to think of that night, but I chalked it up to her having a few too many drinks. We went out on a regular basis after this outing, and every time was very similar. I didn’t have anything to do with the men though, so I wasn’t too worried. She was a grown woman and she was single, so there really wasn’t anything wrong with having a bit of fun.

I didn’t notice right away that some of the men seemed like they were dancing more with me than they were with her. I know my way around the dance floor and am very confident in my moves, but I know my limits when it comes to other people. The more we went out, the more we saw the same groups of people. We danced with the same guys a lot of the time.

I believe there was a Lady Gaga song playing, and we were shaking it on the dance floor. Mom had grabbed a few guys to dance with, and I was just tagging along. One of the men wrapped his arms around me and said “What would it take to get you to do that to me?” I was appalled! I told him I had a boyfriend, and moved closer to my mother, away from him. He was drunk, so it didn’t even bother him that I had walked away. He came closer again and said it louder. My mother heard him this time, and instead of defending me, she told him to buy her another drink and find out. He looked from me to her and grinned. My mother and I could pass for sisters. She looks very young for her age, and he was willing to go along with it, probably assuming she was my sister. I couldn’t believe it! I kept to myself a lot that night, staying away from the men and even passing on dances. My mother tried to get me to dance again, but I couldn’t. It bothered me too much.

I was reluctant to go out again after that night. My mother went every week religiously at this point, with or without me. After awhile, she begged me to go with her. I couldn’t figure out why she wanted me to go so badly when she had gone so much on her own and with her friends. I agreed one night and got ready to go out. I never wore revealing clothes but I did dress up a bit. We went just before midnight, and as soon as we got there we got drinks and started dancing. She didn’t bother with any men and it seemed so odd. We had a good time, so I figured maybe I was hasty in turning her away all those other times. She convinced me to go out the following weekend as well, and this time I noticed her talking to people at the bar when I was coming back from the bathroom. I didn’t think much of it, maybe it was just people she knew.

We danced through for awhile, just her and I, then the men started coming out. Mom was a lot braver now than she was originally, and was leading me in the dancing, which was getting very provocative. It was fun for awhile, but then the men came around. The closer they got, the worse she got. She was very suggestive, making gestures to them, and leading me closer to them on the dance floor. It seemed the more she got me to dance, the worse she got, and the closer they got, until finally they were dancing with us. They would get close to me, and she would gesture them or grab them in a dance move. The only thing you could call it was dirty dancing. It was like vertical sex with clothes on. It seriously got to be way too much for me, so I told her I was going home. She waved me off and stayed with the men.

A few days later, I was talking to mom about that weekend, and her friend happened to be there. Her friend was a little miffed that mom had gone out without her. Mom just laughed, and said she had missed a few good ones. I just laughed, but it sounded funny to me. We went out again that weekend, me reluctant again, and mom’s friend joined us. While there, Mom acted the exact same as the previous weekend. When the men started coming around, mom’s friend asked me to hit on one of the guys she liked so he would come dance with us, and she could get closer to him. I said, no way, so mom did it instead. After some time of this, I got tired of it and left to go home. Mom stayed with her friend. I told my boyfriend about it when I came home, and he laughed saying she was using me as bait. It was so obvious! I felt pretty dumb and blind by this point. But she was my mother, why would she use me like that?

I told my mother the next day that I didn’t want to go there anymore because the men creeped me out, and she even admitted to needing me so the men would come around. She apparently wasn’t brave enough to approach them on her own, so she was using me to lure them in. It was so disturbing. I was not very happy about it at all. My own mother, a cougar, was using me as bait so she could get men to come home with her. I didn’t bother going out with her after that. Not if she was only trying to show me a good time so she could get some man to sleep with. What if things went too far? What if he got the wrong idea, and wouldn’t take no from me as an answer? It disturbed me beyond belief.

To this day, I still haven’t gone out with her since. I miss the first days when she wanted to just go out for fun, but the fun is gone for me now. I’m too paranoid that she would risk anything happening to me for her own personal gain. She told me in the end, that she got men to go home with her mostly on the nights I left early; saying they didn’t have to end their fun because I was gone, and that she was willing to show them a good time. I never would have thought, though. My mother was a prowling cougar, and she dangled me in front of the things she wanted. I was her bait, but I won’t be used anymore.

Since joining the EdenFantasys community a few months ago, I discovered a sense of satisfaction I never thought possible. My boyfriend Justin and I have explored parts of our relationship we never explored before, and found things within each other to draw us even closer.

When I originally joined, it was because a blog was holding a contest for a gift card for EdenFantasys. I never had any sex toys of my own, and didn’t know how to even come by some that weren’t outrageously expensive, or just plain scary. I ‘liked’ the Facebook page, and that’s when the fun started. The daily posts intrigued me to no end. I found myself exploring the site regularly and even checking out SexIs and EdenCafe. The array of toys had me gawking for hours.

I didn’t win the gift card, but I did make my first purchase not long after. It was very simple, just a book and a toy. The news feed on facebook had mentioned using a code for a discount, so I did that for the book, and even got the toy for free for sharing EdenFantasys with my friends. Being in Canada meant it took a little over a week to get here, but before long it arrived and I was so excited. Justin didn’t know what to think. The toy was just a small blue bullet, and the book was for positions. It wasn’t overly scary for my first purchase of this type.

We read over the book that night and got a fair bit of inspiration from it. Most of the positions we had tried as the extent of our sexual exploration. But this book offered variations we hadn’t tried, or even thought of in some cases. I was hooked, of course. I was scouring blogs to try to win a gift card, and one day noticed a little post on facebook. Write for EdenFantasys, and get gift cards to do it. I didn’t know what to write about at first so I just wrote the first thing on the top of my head. I started with one submission and got my gift card code the next day.

I spent days on the site agonizing over which toys, books, items, etc I should get with it. Justin sat with me and picked out some things he liked, and I picked out a few things. Using discounts and deals, I made my second purchase, which included five toys for women, men and couples. We couldn’t wait to get our parcel. I was so anxious for more that after a few days I sent in three more submissions. One wasn’t quite appropriate, but I received two more gift cards from the other articles. These were like gold in my inbox. I spent days putting things in my cart, taking things out, switching things around, etc. It was so hard to decide what to get, and what we would be ok with. We were new to the idea of toys joining us in our bedroom antics, so I didn’t know what would be best to start out with, without scaring us away from the idea altogether. We’re a very open-minded couple. But were we ready for something like this?

When I finally put the order through, there was one book and mostly apparel this time. Justin was as eager as I was for this one. I got a dark blue corset dress for my birthday that was very burlesque style, but I was lacking accessories. I got stockings and gloves from EdenFantasys to compliment my new dress. This new attire was more of a bedroom outfit, so it excited both of us to think about it. Although we hadn’t had toys for sexual pleasure, I did have many costumes that we just loved. We didn’t role play, per se, but rather enjoyed each other’s reactions when I wore a sexy outfit to tease him with, and my having the confidence to do it. I didn’t try on the corset dress, however, until the parcel had arrived and I had everything to go with it. The accessories I had ordered were perfect, like they were made to go with the dress. We were thrilled at how well the outfit suited.

We received the second and third parcels within a few days of each other, and didn’t even open the boxes right away. We took the clothing items out since we were already comfortable with them, but the toys ended up in a designated bag I had hung on a hook in our room. Justin had never had any sex toys and neither had I, so we were anxious but also very intimidated. I was braver than he was, and tried a few of my solo toys at my own discretion, only to learn later that Justin had done the same with the toys exclusive to him.

It didn’t take long before we were comfortable with our solo toys on our own, but there was the matter of the couples toys. One was a cock ring. We didn’t know how to use it, or how it would feel for us. We had read the reviews by other members and the product information that was provided, and that helped a great deal. Justin was more intimidated than I was, because he would be the one wearing it. But I didn’t know how it would feel either, so had my own version of fears. We kept meaning to try it, but found ourselves putting it off night after night.

The night we finally did try the cock ring is so hard to describe. It just happened more or less. I had a little routine of getting out of the shower, and while in my bedroom getting dressed or drying my hair, I’d take out one of the toys and get a little better acquainted. The kids were in bed, and Justin happened to walk in while I was getting friendly with my bunny. He took the ring out of its box, slipped it on, and the bunny was completely forgotten. The ride was wonderful and definitely unforgettable. It was so much more than we had ever expected, and we enjoyed every moment of it.

We have used the solo toys, and couples toys, on our nights of lust together since. We are more comfortable with each other than we ever were, and have found a new side of our relationship that I am glad is no longer dormant. None of this would have been possible if EdenFantasys didn’t sponsor giveaways, discounts, deals, and all the other wonderful things they offer. I found a community where I can be myself and talk about the taboo of sexuality without being awkward. I found products that enhanced my sex life in a way I never thought was ever possible. And I have found an outlet for some of my writings that I could never have shared anywhere else. Not only do I want to thank the community of EdenFantasys, but I know Justin is more than thrilled that I have found it as well. Thank you to everyone! This was definitely not a cold winter. *wink*

I’ve had some strange relationships in my past. Some are days I like to reminisce about, and others are days I’m glad are in my past. One of these occasions was the last relationship I was in, before my current one. It was not a nice place to be.

I was 16 when I met what I thought was Mr. Wonderful. He was 17, and I now know it was more just the intrigue of having a boyfriend. I was in high school and very naive. He was everything I thought my future should have. We had a lot of similar interests and got along better then I could imagine. His family was wonderful, and I thought this is where my place should be. I finished out high school by his side, and he by mine. I couldn’t wait to go to University in the big city because we’d be moving there together.

He was from a different town than I was at the time, which was about a 20 minute drive. I only saw him on weekends or during the summer. We had lots of friends that we would see on a regular basis, and we were quite popular with the crowds. He was also a local singer at the time, so we were also in the public eye a fair bit. I was so happy, I had everything!

When I had graduated high school, I was accepted directly into the Science Department of University. I was going to do a joint major of Math and Computer Sciences. Mr. Wonderful still wasn’t sure what he had planned to do, so he did a year of generic courses to get a feel for life on our own. Instead of throwing himself into studies as I had, he discovered clubs and groups that had even more similar interests with him than I had. He was a heavy gamer. It was everything to him and always came first. When I only saw him on weekends I didn’t think much of it, because we were always out somewhere. Living with him was another matter. It became clear, pretty quick, where his priorities were.

We were into our second year together by this point, and I was getting a feel for his family as well. They were a very close knit family that stuck together more than I had ever seen before. His mother babied him to a point that he was completely dependent on her. While in University, we were living 4 hours away from our hometowns. He would call her for permission just to go to the mall with me. That got irritating very quickly. Every decision he made went through her first, and I had no bearing. It even got to a point where he expected me to ask her permission as well.

When I didn’t listen to his demands, and did things my own way, he started to turn on me. It was gradual at first. He would tell me to wear certain things, and when I asked why, he’d always say ‘Oh, I dunno, it would look nicer on you.’ He was getting me to wear large sweaters and loose pants all the time. I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup or jeans because I ‘Looked like a whore looking for a bit of skin’. That hurt. I never had a whole lot of self esteem issues, but that seemed to be where he directed a lot of his attacks on me. It made me question everything about myself.

I got my very first cell phone that year as well. I was thrilled about it. He was too, but not for the same reason. I was a free spirit, so I liked to go to the malls, or ride the metro buses just to get out of the house. I loved exploring the city. My new cell gave him a means of contacting me everywhere. He would call every hour or so, to see where I was and who I was with. He even had his mother calling me, which cost a fortune. She loved the idea of me having a cell so much, she wouldn’t call the house phone anymore to call him either. I think he got her to do that to check up on me now and then too. She literally ran my cell bill from the usual $37 I was paying to $250+ a month with her calls. I, of course, showed her the bills and how it was her calls running it up, and made her pay it.

On one occasion, I was in class when my uncle had called me. He was in town and wanted to go out for lunch. I hadn’t seen him in years. He was my age, and we had grown up together as children. Mr. Wonderful didn’t have a cell of his own, so I had no way of telling him I was leaving. My father lived across the road from the mall, so I stopped in to see him before I met my uncle at the mall. At some point, Mr. Wonderful had called my father to see if he had spoken to me. My father told him I was at the mall having lunch with my uncle, who he even knew. He, of course, was angry and left school to come find me. He spied on me and my uncle for a few hours, while we talked and just caught up on life. When I went back home again, he showed up a few minutes after yelling and screaming at me, and even accusing me of cheating. I told him where I was, and he admitted to seeing me there and following me around. I, of course, was very angry by this. He did not trust me even with my own family.

He was worse after that. Calling home constantly to make sure I answered the house phone. I had dropped out of University due to stress and depression that I didn’t think at the time was caused by him, but now know he was the root of it all. If he called home and I didn’t answer right away, he would leave school and come home to find me. I could be in the shower or asleep, and just happen to miss the call. It was worse when I didn’t answer my cell. The accusations became a constant, and I was fed up.

I tried leaving him on so many occasions, only to have his mother pay me hundreds of $$ just to stay with him. I am not joking there. She would send me money behind his back so I wouldn’t leave. I was desperate for money at the time, so I put up with his emotional abuse so I could stay in the city. I could not work at the time, and was seeing doctors for some conditions, and needed to be in the city. I got to a point where I was on medications just to escape the world. Again, at this point I didn’t think another human could be responsible for this kind of hell. So I just blamed myself, thinking there was something wrong with me instead.

After our second year in the city, I had had enough. We went home for the summer months, and I was going to find another place when we returned. Thus, we had all our belongings with us. I stayed at his place, hoping that maybe being close to his mom again would help matters, but it made no change. He had a summer job, so was gone a lot of the time, making things a bit easier for me. However, his house was outside of the main town. It was too far to walk, and my only ride out was his mother, who didn’t want me leaving anymore than he did. I told him I had had enough of being couped up, and that if I didn’t get to see someone, I would have to find my own place in town. He didn’t want me out of his control so he allowed me to spend time with my best friend, who had happened to be one of his long time friends anyway. The only issue he had there, was that my best friend was a guy, and was also single.

For three weeks, I spent the afternoons at my BFF’s, where he lived with his grandparents. I was finally starting to cheer up a bit, but the accusations began again. Mr. Wonderful was determined that he couldn’t trust me no matter who I was with. He had his mother hound me and even his sister. He would call my BFF’s and ask his grandmother to check on us. It was ridiculous. I sat up one night, and told him that if this bull didn’t stop, I would be leaving. I gave him two weeks to straighten up and get his family off my back. That was two weeks too long. He made things so bad for me with accusations and threats, so I set him up to prove it wasn’t me who couldn’t be trusted. I knew he had my email passwords, he flipped whenever I changed them. So I had my mother email me from one of her accounts acting like another guy, saying she would like to spend some time with me, get to know me, and that she could make me happy. What was funny was that the email address used was her name! I just wanted to see if he’d find it. I realize it was wrong of me to do it, but it ended up being what I needed to get away.

The email was sent a few days after I gave him my ultimatum, and about a week and a half later, he cornered me finally with it. I was relieved he had actually fallen for it. He had printed it off, and gave copies of it to his whole family! How childish! We were in his room and he was screaming at me saying, ‘He knew it! He knew I was cheating! He found the email the day it was sent to me and knew all along. He was just trying to catch me in the act’. I busted out laughing at him. I showed him that the email address was my mother’s name, but he didn’t believe it was from her. He just kept yelling more and more, until finally I walked out of the room and called my mother to come get me, and packed up my things. He shadowed my every move as I grabbed my things, pointing and glaring at me.

When I was finally done, he was remorseful then. He told me I didn’t have to go, that he loved me, and was sorry for hurting me, and for not believing me. I told him it was too late. He had put me through hell because he couldn’t trust me, and I had proven I couldn’t trust him. When I threw that one at him, he was stunned. It was like he finally realized what had happened, and that he was set up. His mother came home at that moment, and he had her yell at me too, but I didn’t care. I was finally free and walking away. She tried to bribe me to stay, but I told her it was too late. She could keep her money for someone willing to put up with her and her family. I loaded up the car my mother had borrowed to come get me, and didn’t even look back. Mr. Wonderful tried to convince me to stay as I loaded the car, but I told him it was far too late. I wished him a happy life, and that I was glad he was out of mine.

I stayed with my mother for about a week. The whole week his mother tried calling and emailing me, but I didn’t even respond. I was so happy to be free, I didn’t care what they had to say anymore. They all tried to spread rumors about me, saying I did in fact cheat, but nobody cared. They ruined their own lies by saying, ‘They knew I was cheating because I was happy.’ People started questioning that, and what would drive me to run from a family like this.

After the week with my mother, I found a place of my own, right in the heart of town. I was close to everything! All the stores, malls, my friends (those of ours that had been loyal to me, sad as it was), and my mother. My BFF had seen what I had gone through with Mr. Wonderful. He was one of our roommates for 4 months in University, and he had been there for me during the last days of my torture. He was my own safe haven, and was everything I needed at that time. He stayed by my side for many months as my friend, and after spending so much happy and free time together, we decided to try a relationship. My BFF became Mr. MoreThenICouldEverAskFor. I am not proud of my method to get out of that relationship, and am often remorseful about it. I wish it could have been easier, but what’s done is done, and I try not to dwell on my personal dark days. I spent 3 1/2 years with Mr. InMyPast, two of which were the worst of them. Now, I am currently 5 years happy with the man who truly is my Best Friend Forever.