Is it wise to share a house with an ex-lover for the sake of your child?
This mother and father decided to buy two semi-detached houses for the sake of their child.
Ending a relationship is harder or more complex when there are children involved.
The separation can negatively affect the child’s emotional and psychological well-being.
One Reddit user explained how she and her child’s father who divorced six years ago decided to stay within the same yard for the sake of their child.
“Neither of us wanted to lose full custody of her or miss important moments in her life, she is the most important person in both our lives,” explained the Reddit user.
The mother says they saw fit to make an arrangement that "many view as unconventional".
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“When we sold our house, we used the money to buy two semidetached houses that were joined and had a door installed between them,” she wrote.
This has allowed the daughter the freedom to choose where she wants to sleep or eat.
She says they have an agreement that although the house is only separated by a door, the are not allowed to go into each other's houses except for emergencies.
"Many of you may balk at the door but there is an agreement, it is strictly for our daughters use and neither of us can use it barring any emergencies say a fire, a medical emergency or something being wrong with our daughter," she wrote.
The mother says their arrangement was weird at first, but they made it work for the sake of their daughter. The father of the child has even moved on and married another woman who does not mind their arrangement.
However, she says, her current partner does not understand the arrangement.
"All in all, it's an arrangement everyone is content with except for my boyfriend who I started to date two years ago. He understood the arrangement entering into the relationship while he said it was a bit "weird" he never protested and all seemed well, things are getting more serious, and we've been discussing moving in together and he has made it clear he wants me to move as he doesn’t want to live next door to my ex-husband.
"I understand that but told him that wouldn't be happening as my daughter had to come first and our arrangement gave her a stable upbringing.
"He got upset with me and asked how he was supposed to be a father to my daughter when she already had a dad, and he was literally a wall away."
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Image courtesy of iStock/ @Vasyl Dolmatov