EVERYone should have an ex-wife....................

I say ex-wife in jest because my co-worker who is female, considers her b/f's ex-wife to be her's as well due to the sh*t she pulls.

Now, for my rant on my ex:

I've been divorced since 2000 and my ex-wife treats me with the same disrespect and ill-regard as she did back then.
To recap:she moved 10 hours away with our children and married the guy (twice her age) she met online. Since then she's considered him the boys father and created a role for me as the big-brother.

I, like a good friend of mine, will accomodate the ex when it comes to the children, and never expect anything in return (basically because one would be expecting for quite some time).
If she wants me to take them when I'm not scheduled to, I do because they are my children and I love spending ANY time I can get with them.
If she asks if she can "take" them when it's my time with them for a family event of hers, I do so without as much as a peep.

However, she's petty in the respects that when we attend one of our childrens sporting events, if it's not my weekend/week night with them, she does not allow the child not participating to come over and say hi to me. Her reason is that "the last game (I) had them I wouldn't let them come talk to (her)".

In my humble defense, after I'd gotten over my resentment, in the first few years after our divorce, of her and the man she wants to replace me as a father figure with, I'd practically have to shove the boys to go say hi to her.

Tonight was no exception, on her part.
Our youngest son had a flag football game and as usual, I went to watch. Nothing abnormal there.

About fifteen minutes in, my ex showed up with our other son, and met up with her husband.
I'd had my back to where they came in and I'd not had seen them if it weren't for the fact that they walked right by me. Well, within ten paces of me.
My oldest son, for the second week in a row, walked right by where I was without even an acknowledgement of seeing me! And to put the cap on things, he never once came over, again.

Now, I could have gone over to where they were (again), put myself in their court (again), and said hello to my child. But realize how I felt, when even after discussing with him how it hurt me when he didn't at least say hi in passing, that my own flesh and blood would ignore me, again.

Some would say "don't blame him" and "it's his mother's fault" but that doesn't lessen the pain of having one's child ignore you in public.
*Just as a side note, our divorce decree states we have joint-custody but after a failed attempt to gain 50/50 placement upon their moving back to the same town, my ex acts and treats me as if she holds the key to the golden crapper.

I chose to stay in this town after my children were moved back. Foregoing any possibility of pursuing my own interests and possibly creating a better situation for myself (with a trickle down of benefits onto my children) only to be snubbed by my own son that I stayed for??

It's enough to make a man rethink his entire life and the choices he's made and wonder what's it all been for.

On a final side note:I'd left as soon as the game was over, basically fuming and being pissy and decided to hit Subway on the way home.
After parking and walking towards the store, I noticed the mother of my daughter (that's for another entry sometime) getting out with her youngest daughter.

Now, this caught me off guard as she lives about 30 minutes south of here and I never expected to see her in my town.
Being naturally polite (which is why I think I get tromped on a LOT), I said "Hi (name withheld)".
She didn't even bat an eye but said 'hello' anyway as she was getting her child out of the car.
I can only assume it was my daughter sitting in the passenger seat, but they followed me into Subway (minus girl in question).
Talk about awkward!!!