Dear Prudence,
My wife and I have been together 14 years; this is a second marriage for both of us, and we each had a kid. My step-daughter (21) is in college and thriving. My son (18) is neurodivergent and struggles academically, emotionally, and socially. I am his only parent. I love him completely, and we have a real closeness.
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My spouse can be critical of him and use sarcasm and “teasing” to “correct” his behavior. He recently wrote me an email detailing how much my wife’s actions have hurt him. I received the email, and something in me broke. I immediately requested couples counseling and moved my son in with his grandparents. Now in counseling, my spouse has admitted to never really liking him, and I am feeling awful and sick that I didn’t let myself listen to my deep knowing that they were both miserable around each other. I feel like I have to get divorced even though I love my spouse. You can’t stay married to someone who hates your kid, right?