My Psychology Degree Comes In Handy..

So... I'm one of those MANY people who spent 4 years getting a degree that I don't use on a daily basis.  I worked in the field for a few years... and honestly, with my soft heart, it was just too hard.  I spent most of that time working in a nursing home.  My title was "Social Services Director".  I did admissions, dealing with families who were struggling with the guilt of placing their loved one in a nursing facility.  I worked with the patients on a daily basis.  I was the general problem solver for 92 residents and about 50 staff members.  If they were sad, I tried to comfort them.  If they were happy, I tried to rejoice with them.  If they were looking for their husband or wife who had been dead for 10 years, I would help them look and then try to get them to rest or something so that maybe the twisted memory would go away.  I didn't mind it a bit, but it wore me down emotionally after a while.  Now, years later, I find myself to be the person that many choose to tell their problems to.  I don't mind that either, but I still take everyone's problems to heart.  Recently, there have been many discussions brought to me from people who are divorcing and dealing with issues with their children and ex-spouses.  I can totally relate to it... Even with our pretty much normal daily lives, there is still a lot of unwanted & unnecessary drama that creeps in... we aren't immune to it by any means.  From day 1, Stan and I have known pretty much everything about each other.  It's total honesty between us.  That's the ONLY way it can be.  We have both been through a lot in our lifetime, including divorce.  So I feel like we have a lot of life experience.  It is disheartening when people don't respect boundaries after divorce, especially when one person has remarried and started a new family.  It is disheartening when people try to pit their children against the new stepparent for no reason at all.  If there is reason, that's a different story... but if your child has been gifted a good hearted stepmom/stepdad, then you should be thankful for that.  Many kids aren't that fortunate.  It is also disheartening that parents will say things to children that are negative, make them worry, etc. where the other parent/family is concerned.  Why can't people realize that in most cases, children benefit from spending time with both parents?  It's just a dramatic attempt at control and manipulation to be that way.  It is also disheartening to hear things come from children that you KNOW were heard from an adults mouth and are now being repeated.  I am SO careful what I say around any of the kids around me.  I never want to plant a bad seed in their precious little minds about ANYTHING.  I just don't get that other seemingly good parents do it constantly.  It is just a blessing to me to be able to reflect at the end of the day and know that we do our best to do right by our kids. All of them.  Stan and I sat last night admiring our yard work and listening to the tranquil sound of the fountain by our back porch. We talked for the longest time... We do that a lot and I love that about us.  We communicate beautifully and I think that is the key! We talked about and wondered why sometimes we have to go through hell and back to get to the place we want to be.  It doesn't make sense.  It doesn't seem right that we have to blindly make our way to our happy place.  I think we both agree that we are just thankful for our mistakes and our struggles, for they ultimately lead us to our forever.  So.. friends... I never mind listening and helping you through your struggles... Goodness knows, I have plenty of my own!  I wish nothing but the happiest of endings for you all.  I am proof that it is possible.