I realized I never answered.For me, the act of cheating is pretty black & white, but the after-effects have many shades of gray (no pun intended).
1. What would you do if you found out your partner/spouse had cheated on you?
I would be completely shocked - especially if I never saw it coming. I would be sick. I would want to punch him in the face and probably her as well if she knew he were married. If I were younger and a lesser-established woman in my community, I probably would punch them both in the face.
2. Does it matter if it were a long-term deal or just a one-night fling?
No.
3. Does your opinion change if alcohol/drunkeness was a contributing factor?
No.
4. What if it weren't the first time?
This probably makes it worse. Having been cheated on before and my reaction before, I promised myself I wouldn't be a "victim" to that again. Not to say that it couldn't happen to me again, but I would hope my reaction to it would be different. It's hell to rebuild from, and I don't know that I would let myself go through that hell again.
5. Any other thoughts/questions/comments?
The child factor. Here is where the shades of gray can come in. I don't think it's easy to just walk away when you have a child. No matter what their age. And I've seen so many times where the child/children were put in the middle. Your cheating spouse may be the biggest piece of crap for what they did, but they are still someone you have to be somewhat involved with pretty much forever because of your child. So I would hope that you could work out some sort of civility for your child.
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