171 - Raising teenage girls solo

Single Mother Survival Guide

My (anonymous) guest from last week is back this week to talk about raising teenage girls solo, plus she fills us in on her new relationship.

This is Part 2 of a two-part episode. You can listen to Part 1 here.

Last week she told us about her single mum story - she was with her husband for 18 years when one ordinary day, seven years ago, she got home from work early and discovered that all his clothes were gone. He didn't respond to any attempts she made to communicate with him. He had vanished into thin air.

Almost a week later she was walking through the shopping centre when she ran into him. He completely gaslighted her and called her crazy. My guest describes her experience like her husband being alive one day and dead the next (only he wasn't dead).

In last week's episode we discussed all of that plus my guest also shared:

• how, in hindsight, his behaviour had changed over the 12 months prior in that he was going out regularly until the early hours of the morning and caring more about his appearance,
• how one day she got home and he had just moved back in,
• discovering his new relationship,
• realising how abusive he was after the relationship ended and how he had constantly gaslighted her,
• the continuing abuse and death threats that continued even after the relationship ended,
• child support issues,
• the importance of teaching her children self-respect,
• having to get an AVO out, and
• how, ultimately, she is grateful for the experience because it has made her the woman she is today, and it's made her kids the people they are today.

Links mentioned in the episode:

To contact Julia, email: [e-mail].

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