I don't think I would have been able to make it through Christmas if it weren't for my kids. The older ones did everything they could to make it as normal as possible. They did most of the planning, the organizing, the wrapping. We have six of the most wonderful kids on earth, and my H doesn't even appreciate them. He often acts like he is ashamed of them. How could he leave them to live with someone he had only known a few months?<P>Sometimes I wonder if he is incapable of love because he was unsure of his parents'love for him. During the 25 years that I have known him, his parents called him a few times a year, rarely sent him or the kids a birthday card, never called on his birthday or Christmas. They used to visit a couple of times a year, but when they were no longer travelling right by, that stopped. Don't most parents pay more attention to their adult kids than that? His brother, whom his father always favored, lives with their father (his mother died a few years ago), and my H communicates even less with his brother than he has with his parents. Maybe he has some kind of attachment disorder, for all I know, but my H used to act like he loved his kids dearly.

Nellie - you never know, do you? I lucked out. My H hasn't been as attentive to d as he should, but he did well w/ her presents - they were thoughtful and showed he was trying very hard to make it nice for her. I did appreciate that so much.<P>Your children are such blessings - they all are. Hey, know what? We all actually made it through!!<P>Thinking of you,<P>Lori

lostva,<BR>My H seems to be spending more money on the kids, and paying them less attention, which I guess is typical.<P>I just wonder if he is capable of showing love for his children, at least after the toddler stage, because perhaps he never felt truly loved by his parents.