After sending her girls off to meet their father’s new partner, Erica Keane shared her emotions on TikTok. Rather than conveying her most negative sentiments about the circumstance, the single mother expressed thanks. Knowing things may go worse, Keane videotaped herself writing an “open letter” to her ex-husband’s girlfriend.

“I haven’t met you yet, but today is the first day that you’ll meet my girls,” she says in the video, which has over 1 million views and 84,500 likes. We appreciate your hospitality and willingness to let them stay in your home so they could spend time with their dad.”

Keane went on to offer some information about her children, Kaitlyn, 14, and Avery, 9, to give her ex’s girlfriend an idea of what to anticipate. The mother of two described her youngest daughter as a finicky eater who enjoys American Girl dolls and beauty items. In contrast, Kaitlyn is “really smart” and “intuitive.” She listens intently. “She’s very wise,” said Keane, who also mentioned that the youngster enjoys music, painting, veggie pizza, and texting with her pals.

“She’s quite relaxed, quiet, and composed. “She’s a lot of fun no matter what she does,” Keane told her camera. “But she has an adolescent attitude. So, if you need anything, please let me know.”

@ericainoklahoma To my husbands girlfriend: welcome to my life 🫶🏽#divorce #momsoftiktok #coparenting #support #singlemomsoftiktok #parenting #stepmomsoftiktok #girlfriends ♬ She’s Been Through the Fire – Brian Rhea

As inviting as her video is, Keane tells people that she wasn’t feeling very open-minded. Keane called their 15-year marriage “abrupt” when she and her ex-husband split up last year. When she discovered that her ex-husband was dating someone else, Keane experienced a range of emotions, but primarily felt unprepared as a mother.

“I wasn’t mad,” she admits. “I was sitting there thinking, ‘Okay, now what?’ “How do I address this? “How do I feel?”

She tells people that she asked her ex if she could meet his new partner, but he declined to make the introduction at the time.

“I spiraled a little bit, I’ll be honest,” Keane admits, reflecting on a conversation in which her co-parent confessed he was in a new relationship. “He told me, ‘Erica, you can’t alter this.” He told me, ‘Erica, you can’t alter this…'” I’m finished controlling things… After that, I relinquished control and accepted the inevitable outcome.

Keane maintained this mentality when it came time for Avery and Kaitlyn to meet the new woman in their father’s life. The Oklahoma mother helped her girls pack and led them to their father’s car. After they drove away, Keane recalls returning home and crying.

“I just broke down by myself,” she admits. “I texted my friend Brooke, saying, ‘Brooke, I’ll never recover from this.’ “I am never going to be okay. I’m in a shambles, unsure of how to proceed.

Then her viewpoint began to alter. She thought of her mother, who had gone through a painful divorce when Keane was younger. Looking back on that incident, Keane realized her mother “never found her forgiveness, ever,” as she often tells people. Those were not the footsteps she wanted to follow.

Sitting in misery after sending off her girls, Keane questioned herself, “Erica, what’s the one thing your mom never did that you need to do to be okay?” she recounts.  “I was thinking about my mom and stepmother’s relationship.” She never, ever thanked my stepmother. And in that moment, I said, “Okay, start spinning your thoughts a little bit.”

She concentrated on the positives: “Consider how fantastic it is that the girls would be able to meet another individual.” “Consider it as an additional friend in their lives,” Keane remembers telling herself. She reminded herself that it is natural to feel envious, hurt, or any other powerful emotions when digesting an experience.

Keane then took out her phone and started recording for a variety of purposes. She primarily wanted her ex’s girlfriend to see the open letter video.

“I wanted her to see my character, and yes, I wanted her to know that I do not hold animosity or grudges, and I’m good,” says the actress. “But honestly, I probably made it because I felt so misunderstood.”

Keane received encouragement from her online network when the video went viral. She got supportive remarks and letters from ladies who had similar situations. In addition to the positive response on social media, the TikTok developer experienced a sense of accomplishment. She remembered the words her ex left her with after they talked about his girlfriend.

“Remember, he warned me, ‘You can’t control this,'” Keane recounts. ” “The degree of acceptance I’ve had to have in recognizing that I can’t control things, I did a great job… “I was very proud of myself.”