Author Archives: Kismet

My Request for Help and a Response That Will Blow Your Mind

I want to add some more context to try to support others going through this. Today I want to share some email from a “flying monkey” which is a colloquial term for those who support the narcissist despite their devious deeds. Let me lay the groundwork in case you have not read previous or earlierContinue reading “My Request for Help and a Response That Will Blow Your Mind”

On Chaos

Having just been in Dubai for my first time only a couple of weeks ago, the news of the U.S. partnering with Israel to bomb Iran is heartbreaking. I was there for work and it was such an eye opening experience. I feel like here in the U.S. we only hear about this region inContinue reading “On Chaos”

On Betrayal: Navigating the Unimaginable with your “Coparent”

My young daughter was so sick for 36 hours, in bed with fever. I feared maybe she even had measles which is said to be going around. I texted her father (we have been divorced almost 8 years now and he lives less than a mile away) about her condition and that she had missedContinue reading “On Betrayal: Navigating the Unimaginable with your “Coparent””

Surviving Co-Parenting: A Story of Resilience and Hope

For those of you who understand because you’ve lived it and those who are here to be grateful you haven’t, and believe me I hope you never will, I’m sharing how I feel right now. I’ve been divorced now and living this “co-parenting” life for almost 8 years. Now my kids are teens but stillContinue reading “Surviving Co-Parenting: A Story of Resilience and Hope”

A Birthday Saved: Illustrations From My Old Life

Today I was cooking and baking many things, pancakes, lasagna, cookies. My kitchen is not so big so I needed to utilize some extra space in the dining room. This reminded me of a time almost 13 years ago now. And I think it is an illustration of my life at that time. My husbandContinue reading “A Birthday Saved: Illustrations From My Old Life”

On Transparency: The Power of Shared Stories

I feel like everyone is kind of coming out of a period of hibernation as we enter this new year, speaking truths that have laid dormant for quite a while. We endured such a period of censorship that now podcasters and journalists are swinging in the opposite direction, more expressive, controversial and in your faceContinue reading “On Transparency: The Power of Shared Stories”

Revamping the Broken US Education System

Talking with a teacher friend of mine this weekend provided great insight into a clearly broken system. As background, recall that the current US public educational system stems from the efforts of devoted self proclaimed democratists Horace Mann and John Dewey. As Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education, Mann championed the idea of “commonContinue reading “Revamping the Broken US Education System”

Coping with Holiday Grief: Navigating Loss During the Festive Season

Last year I lost my two precious teenage boys to suicide, one in February, the other in December. We just passed Sean’s one year angelversary. Because they both died using firearms, my dear friend began a blog early this year that seeks to bring awareness to the issues of gun violence and suicide, especially whereContinue reading “Coping with Holiday Grief: Navigating Loss During the Festive Season”

Real Stories: Parenting with a Narcissistic Ex

This is a real life example of what it can look like when a narcissist gains equal parenting time. He will demand equal parenting time even though he has never before taken the children to the doctor (and probably doesn’t even know who the doctor is), dealt with the schools or made them their dailyContinue reading “Real Stories: Parenting with a Narcissistic Ex”