> Explained some circumstances in which taking such a leave might be ok.
> Said maybe there's more to this then I understand.
OMG! What a slave driver, he thinks I shouldn't be allowed to just up and leave for a year.
Yeah alright, well strawberry float me I guess.
Tafdolphin wrote:Now with this child, any chance he had of breaking free from his self doubt cycle is gone, and that's heartbreaking to Marie.
I understand what you're saying but we've come at this from all the angles you mentioned. This is a guy who is immature in the most literal sense of the word, who has great potential but who refused to rise to it due to crippling self confidence issues. Now he's made some rushed decisions, possibly under manipulation, and that potential is gone.
I find the whole thing incredibly sad.
Again you know the situation better than anyone on here, so feel free to tell me if I'm wrong but I think being a father is an excellent chance for him to break out of that cycle of self doubt, and achieve something that will be incredibly meaningful to him. He may not be prepared for it, and honestly I don't think any guy is, but at least he wants to do the right thing, and at the very least I think that's a good sign, and shows he's more mature then a lot of other guys out there.
Saying that this potential is gone makes it sound like his life has been ruined. The course of his life has changed, but certainly not ruined, he still has the potential to do what he wants, yes it will be harder but it's not gone!
For now really all you can do is support your wife as I'm sure the whole situation will be very hard on her, and maybe lend him a hand if he needs some help or someone to talk to. As other have said just be careful with what you say as I'm sure everyone is going to be very stressed.