My ex did not try to turn our sons into toxic patriarchs, thank goodness. He was an okay dad I guess. But he tended to put all his energy into work. He definitely believed in manners and civility and loved his mother.

But over the years his politics became intolerable plus he fell out of love with me and couldn't bear to admit it. So eventually I had to be the one to leave.

Our 2 kids are wonderful kind egalitarian people and I am very proud of them. They are in their 20s now.

I can imagine liberal women married to conservative men, but the definition of "conservative" has changed so much since 2008 that the devil is certainly in the details.