h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I feel the catalyst for the separation from my wife (Who I still love very much). Was arguing over the eldest daugter (she prefers me to call her my step-daughter now, which really hurts after nine years of being her dad).

She'd (my daughter) got herself a new boyfriend, and started stealing, staying out late at night and generally being insufferable.

I caught her stealing and tried to punish her by grounding, taking her mobile phone off her and banning the use of the telephone. (She'd been stealing to put credit on her phone to talk to her boyfriend).

My wife intervened and said i was being too harsh. I relented and let my wife deal with her.

She was punished by not being paid for doing the washing up for a week.

This started off a chain of events where my daughter would do something wrong. I would punish her and then my wife would take my daughters side and take no action.

Then my daughter started trying to convince the other children from my wifes previous relationship that i was favouring the children my wife and I had between us.

The final straw was a phone bill my daughter ran up, that at her own admission she'd done to get at me.

My wife wrote me a letter, telling me she wanted a temporary separation and left it in my sandwich box for me to find.

I was and still am devestated.

I now live by myself in a flat, the CSA are involved, i see my sons (the eldest not my natural son) once a week, and i miss them and my wife desparately. My Daughter, she now has her own bedroom.

The way I feel i've been punished by trying to keep my daughter onthe straight and narrow. She's been rewarded for stealing, lying and cheating.