Community story
Steve — The Fathers Group That Held Me Together After Separation
When the marriage ended, the Fathers Group became the room I needed and didn't know how to ask for.
Steve, MENd member (shared with consent) · 5 min read
When my marriage ended in the summer of 2024, I didn't fall apart in an obvious way. I kept working. I saw the kids on the weekends I was allowed to. I ate. I slept some. From the outside I was fine.
On the inside I was drowning.
A mate of mine — one of the good ones — told me about the MENd Fathers Group. I didn't go for three months. Then one Tuesday I did.
I don't know what I was expecting. What I got was a room full of men who all understood a version of what I was going through. Nobody told me it would be okay. Nobody gave me advice I hadn't asked for. Everyone listened.
A year on, the Fathers Group is one of the two or three things that got me through. My relationship with my kids is stronger than it was in the marriage. I'm dating again — cautiously. I like the man I'm becoming, which is not something I could have said 18 months ago.
If you're a separated dad and you're reading this at 2am on your phone: come to a Fathers Group. Come once. See what happens. You don't have to say anything you don't want to say.
Looking for connection?
There's a room in this for you.
MENd Together runs free and low-cost groups every week — trauma-informed, safeguarded, and open to any man. You don't need a referral. You don't need to say anything you don't want to say.