Logan,

I was the same way with my daughter. I never said anything bad about my ex-husband or his 6itch wife (do I sound hostile???) because I knew, as Amy got older, she'd see for herself how awful they were to me when Amy was growing up.

Amy lived with my ex and his wife from the time she was 5. Not that I HAVE to explain, but I felt that Amy was much better off with them, as they had a house and were financially able to care for her. I paid child support, believe me, till she was 18. To say they made my life a living hell is putting it mildly. There were times when I was ready to throw in the towel. But I knew if I gave up my parental rights, her stepmonster would tell her I didn't care about her and that's why I gave her up.

I never regret my decision. I handled it with dignity, never once saying a bad thing about either of them. Eventually, when Amy got older, she saw what they did to me and asked me why her stepmother hated me so much. I didn't go into any detail (her father was having an affair with a woman he worked with and her stepmother was losing her grip). I simply told her that her father and I caught Karen (stepmonster) in a lie.