‘After the conversation, my son came out of bed completely upset’

Kelly (39), relationship with Marc (40), mother of Luke (8).

“Very pregnant, I sat at the notary to have a will drawn up. My son is from an unknown donor and I wanted to get the custody right. If something happened to me, Luke would go to my best friend, I recorded. But when Luke was three, I met my current boyfriend Marc, who over the years established himself as a doting stepfather. He even recognized Luke last year, officially making him his son as well. Time to change my will.

The custody question

In an emergency, I wanted Luke to stay with Marc now. Then he didn’t have to move or change schools and he kept the same friends. Ideal. Just to be sure, I wanted to discuss that with Luke. So during dinner I carefully put the custody question on him. Did he think it was a good idea too? Luke replied firmly that he wanted to stay with Marc. It was a light-hearted, short conversation, without drama or further questions. I could call the notary.

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Completely upset

An hour later Luke went to bed. Only to come down completely upset not much later. He didn’t want Mama to die! My child was deeply sad and inconsolable. He couldn’t live without me. He didn’t want to live with Marc or my girlfriend, but with Mom. It was so pathetic. I didn’t know what to do other than shouting that I didn’t intend to die and that it was more of an appointment just in case. But that message barely got through. He cried a thousand tears. Luke didn’t calm down until I put him in bed with me. That night I lay in a stranglehold with my child, he had clung to me like a pathetic monkey. Note to self: never have those kinds of conversations right before bedtime.”

This one that went wrong is in Kek Mama 05-2021.

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