Another Conversation I Didn't Want to Have

One thing about being a single parent is, you definitely get your share of questions that married parents don't get. In the car last night, DD asked me again why her dad and I got divorced. She has asked this in the past, and I've been able to give a generic yet true answer, but last night she really pushed. She said that now that her dad has decided to be back in their lives, she thought she deserved to know why he walked away in the first place. I tried to answer her in honest yet vague replies because, frankly, there is no way on this earth that I will ever, ever tell her the main reason we split. No. Way. (I can count on 1 hand the number of people who know that, and that includes my brothers and best friend, and I plan on keeping it that way.) Well, that didn't satisfy her. She accused me of thinking she wasn't mature enough to know the truth, and I told her that actually it was just the opposite. I feel she is mature enough that with what she already knows, she should be able to figure out why we split. After talking a while, she still didn't like my answers, even when I confirmed some of her suspicions, and said she would "just have to call Dad and ask him." I don't think she was expecting me to tell her that was fine, but I did! I told her I'd get her their number whenever she wanted to call. (She hasn't asked for it yet.)

This is a no-win situation. She is persistent, and nothing but (what she thinks) is the whole truth will satisfy her. I gave her a little more information when we got home, but immediately regretted it. I need to learn to keep my mouth shut sometimes! Not that what I said was bad or a lie, but it just really didn't need to be said. Anyhow, as I said, it's a no-win. She's not going to be happy because I'm determined not to give more information unless I have to clarify something she has heard from her dad or other people, and I'm not going to be happy because I don't think this is the end of the topic for her. I told her that I try hard, and don't always succeed, to try not to talk badly about her dad, that I did what I had to do to protect her and her brother and that I did not want them ever in a position where they felt they had to "choose sides." I did try to make a mini learning lesson out of this in that, while I'm so very glad to have her and her brother, our marriage was not in God's will since He specifically says not to be yoked with unbelievers, and she reiterated that that won't be an issue for her because she is only going to marry an evangelical Christian! *sigh* Only time will tell where this leads. Hopefully she is satisfied for a long while. This is not a conversation I'm anxious to have again anytime soon.