I had in mind one particular friend of mine who seems typical of a lot of people I've observed. She had a baby when she was about 20 and the father was never involved...possibly never told about the child. She and baby lived with her parents but this was much too restrictive for her so when proposed to by a nice man who, at the time she was madly in love with, she got married. Steve adopted her son, treated him as his own, was a hardworking man who earned a good living. He worked away from home quite often but she was happy because he brought in more money that way. They had another child, Angie didn't go to work but occupied herself with doing up her house to within an inch of it's life and flitting from one enthusiasm to another, such as keeping chickens, growing vegetables etc.

Then she got bored. She wasn't unhappy with Steve but said that she found him boring, so she started an affair with the man next door but one. She instigated it, chased him until he succumbed then had him around to the house while the kids were at school and husband was away. Pretty soon it was madly in love and she had to be with him forever so out went Steve. This was all too heavy for the new boyfriend who went back to his previous girlfriend. So Angie went on the net to find another man. She is now on her (I think) third. They've all lived with her and she is always madly in love with each at the time. she has now moved to where the current boyfriend lives, a long way from her original home, but last heard she was getting bored with him.

This is perhaps an extreme situation but not uncommon...and an appaling life for the two children

Love Lynne