Separating with your spouse

For most people, life ticks along at a comfortable pace. Many of us go through the same thing each day. We wake up, brush our teeth, slug back a pot of coffee, and head to work. That daily routine tends to be more stressful when you and your spouse don't see eye to eye. You never expect to get to the point where you no longer want the same things out of life than you did five, ten, or even twenty years ago. As time passes, some couples even find that they no longer want to spend the rest our lives together. Why? Because we grow apart, want different things, or just fall out of love.

In my situation, it was growing apart that triggered a separation between my wife and I back in early 2018. We had our first boy when I was 23 and my wife (at the time) was 19. We were full of hope, curiosity, and excitement. We met online, talked on the phone until five am many days, and finally met. Eventually our family grew with three kids, a house, and so many wonderful memories. Fast forward to today, I see my children twice a week and every other weekend. We separated officially in early 2018. There were so many adjustments, emotions, changes, and questions. Getting to that point was tough. I went from living with my family to now renting a one bedroom basement apartment. I'm starting all over. My ex is staying in the house with the kids until she figures out her next step(s) and we sell our home. A few years before our relationship officially ended, my ex refused counselling. She refused to deal with the situation (for reasons I'll never know) and I tried different things to create distractions. In fact I found myself waiting until the kids were asleep so I could