Dear Prudence,
I’ve been married for five years. We were together for 13 years before that. We have two young children under 5 and have been separated for a year. Our marriage was awful. He started a new business and had absolutely no time for me or the kids. He also resented that my younger siblings lived with us and said that was one of the reasons he didn’t want to spend time at home. He was neglectful, unsupportive, and distant. I threatened to leave daily, and sometimes he’d laugh. Eventually I found out that he had an online dating profile. He swore he never met anyone. I moved back home with my family, and that’s where I’ve been for a year. However, everyone in my family and his has pushed me to try again for the kids, saying I’ll regret it if I don’t give it one more chance, since he’s apparently changed and sorry and wants to be better. His business is more on track and he has more time. My heart says it’s not worth it. I was so unhappy and honestly can’t remember anything good from those years. But our relationship prior to marriage was good, and I do want to do what’s best for our kids. I’m so confused.
—Worth Trying Again?