My oldest just graduated high school a year early. She wants to move with me to Portland to get her degree in psychology there. However, because her mother is still her legal guardian for another year until June 2025, she is refusing to allow her to do so and is, instead, forcing her to go to college in Texas four and a half hours away from home. She is transgender and being forced to take classes at a college she doesn’t want to attend in a small Texas town, all because her mother is so god-damned insecure that she can’t bear the thought of her child wanting to live with her other parent instead of her. My kid doesn’t have the courage to stand up to her mom right now, and it breaks my fucking heart. But at least when she turns 18, she will be free to make her own choices, and she’s told me she’s definitely moving to Portland with me next summer.

Suffice it to say that my ex-wife is a fucking monster, and I sincerely doubt her kids will want much of anything to do with her as adults.

My youngest (also trans, they/them) is on track to graduate two years early and with an associate’s degree. They also want to move to Portland to live with me, and thankfully they have no problem standing up to their mom.