'I'm a Stay-at-Home Parent and My Husband Just Walked Out on Us'

My husband walked out on me and our 1-year-old daughter about two weeks ago and told me he wanted a divorce. I’m not sure where he is, although I suspect that he’s staying with his brother. Neither of them will return my calls or texts. I was not prepared for things to end this way, especially not from a financial standpoint.

I’m 28 and had our daughter in December of 2020. I haven’t worked since the beginning of the pandemic, when I was laid off from my job in PR. I was pregnant at the time, so it didn’t seem like a great idea to look for something new when I was going to give birth just a few months later. After I had the baby, I stayed home to take care of her because COVID made child care so unreliable (all the day-care places near us were constantly shutting down, and so expensive). My husband works in financial services so he made enough of an income to support us after my unemployment benefits ended.

He hasn’t filed for divorce yet, so I’m not sure what his financial obligations are to me at this point, legally. What should I be doing right now to prepare?

I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that some people have very strong feelings about Minnie Mouse (a fictional cartoon character) expanding her wardrobe options. In other outrage-news: Delusional, transphobic parents have convinced themselves that schools are installing litter boxes in bathrooms for students who identify as furries. Neil Young is the anti–Eric Clapton, removes his music from Spotify in protest of Joe Rogan spreading vaccine misinformation on his podcast. Though on second thought, it might be a savvy business move more than one of moral conscience. Good for sharks, getting back out there. And an almost-Friday treat: Listen to Noga Erez’s very good cover of “Industry Baby.”

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