Hello, I'm Paul, and back in September 1999, my wife walked out on me and took our two young sons with her for the second time. It was a devastating moment that left me feeling lost and overwhelmed. I had to find a way to rebuild my life and be there for my children, despite the heartache. This is a recap of the ending of my first marriage. My wife organised a party for my youngest son's first birthday on September 17, 19...

Hello, my name is Paul, and I live in South Australia. Tara, an online friend from England, calls me Beavis after I tell her about my nickname. I'd been friends with her for about a year. I also told her about my other nickname, "Wombat." As we spoke, she asked about my nickname, Wombat. I stated, "It eats roots, shoots, and leaves." This amusing reference to how wombats behaved sparked a lively conversation about animals...

Hello, this is Paul. My in-laws assumed that my wife and I desired a large family, so I had a vasectomy in 2009 to appease them; however, my wife, Melissa, later expressed a desire for additional children. I have a son, three daughters, a stepdaughter, and two sons from my first marriage. Despite our initial decision, Melissa and I often observe ourselves discussing the possibility of expanding our family again, as we ref...

It all began in the summer of 2013, when Melissa first brought it up—quietly, one evening, curled beside me in bed, her breath warm on my chest. She wanted another baby. We already had four beautiful kids. Life was comfortable. Predictable. But her body ached for that feeling again—for life growing inside her. Only, I knew I couldn’t give it to her. Years earlier, I'd had the snip. At first, we joked about it. The idea of...