“It was the best decision I ever made to leave someone who had so little regard for two innocent, sweet little boys.”

Very much giving elder board member of the iconic fangirls association.

"Oh, and during this time, he left our daughter with my mom because she was 'too little.' She was five, btw. The final nail in the coffin of the marriage was when I sat at the family computer and saw a video symbol on the desktop. I opened it and proceeded to watch my husband screw the car lady in our den for 30 minutes. I moved overseas to work and filed for divorce."

"We had a three-year-old and a three-month-old, and it was not easy to be stuck in a hotel room, so I took the kids to visit my parents, and that way, my husband could focus on his new job. While the kids and I were gone, a woman he had worked with at his previous job came to visit him. She flew to visit him from the state we had just left. I received a phone call from my husband telling me I should probably not return and just continue to live with my parents. He had started an affair, probably before we moved, and was planning to be with the new woman. All my furniture and belongings were in storage at the new location. I had just given birth to our second child, so I wanted to save my marriage. I went back, I tried hard, he continued his affair, and I finally took the kids and started over. It was the best decision I ever made to leave someone who had so little regard for two innocent, sweet little boys."

"He also wasn't used to being with someone who wasn't okay with that kind of passive behavior. I wish I had known his parents still held that much power over him, specifically his mother. He tries to use her shaming tactics on me, but they don't work on me. She gave up trying to control me a long time ago because I didn't engage with her. You can't control someone who sees your game and won't participate. He also won't enforce rules, limits, or bedtimes. He is inconsistent with enforcing hygiene and homework. He doesn't back me up when I try to discipline, and when he does 'try' to discipline, he does it when he's angry. He becomes very insulting and verbally abusive, probably because that's what he grew up with. So many regrets!"

"I just came home and cried myself to sleep each night. I also realized this again when I asked him to take me to my checkup after my c-section. He instead told me to take myself and made me drive. My doctor was furious and got upset with me because if I had gotten into a wreck, I could have bled out to death before paramedics arrived."

"This was the first time she had asked to eat. He then told me he had had her all day and that it was my turn to take care of her. He then got out of bed, fixed himself something to eat, and got on the computer to chat with his friends. He wasn't working, didn't do housework, and stayed up all night. I moved out two months later, and he was upset because I ruined his life. He doesn't have a relationship with his daughter. That was his choice, not mine. I know I made the right choice, seeing as how the only time he talks to his daughter is if she calls him."

"He would leave for 9–12 weeks at a time and come back for one to two weeks. He was making more money away, so he claimed, but I realized not only was I raising three babies, but I was also paying for everything (yep, I was still working full-time with three kids; I balanced everything alone, and literally the day before I had our last child, I was still working). So where was this money that he was supposedly making for 'us?' That’s when I realized he would spend more money going out to bars, places to eat, buying booze, and living a single life while I was paying for and raising our kids. After the third baby, we lived like roommates for another five years before we separated. What a waste of 20 years."

"But at that point, I felt like I was in too deep and just tried to ignore my gut feeling that was telling me I was in trouble. The next three months of my pregnancy were a mix of emotions, but still with a lot of anger. Once the baby came and we both realized it was more work than we thought, I was constantly blamed because 'I wanted it.' Fast forward: the baby is now 14 months old, and although he has come around to loving the baby very much, he still blames me for our relationship changing and tells me that my attention is not on him anymore (no shit). Not to mention, he helps very little, and it’s mostly my mom and I caring for the baby. Yeah, we’re still together, but I don’t think I can take it much longer. I think I need to trust my gut."

"She was told it would be years before she could get pregnant, if ever, because of precancerous cells they found in her cervix, so her getting pregnant, especially then, was a miracle. She'd also had the flu the week before she found out and also had morning sickness (obviously didn't realize that part), and he told her if she stopped coughing so hard and being so dramatic, she wouldn't be puking. She tried to make it work for a full year, but walked away when I turned one. He wasn't around at all when I was a kid; I haven't seen him in close to 30 years, so I think she made the right choice in leaving!"

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger as a result of domestic violence, call 911. For anonymous, confidential help, you can call the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or chat with an advocate via the website.

If you are concerned that a child is experiencing or may be in danger of abuse, you can call or text the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453(4.A.CHILD); service can be provided in over 140 languages.