Way too little, way too late

I guess you could call this "trying" if you ignore that he needed "hindsight" to realize that the way he left could have been "done differently" (how's that for a strong statement of remorse?) And that "you nor your brother were the reason for me leaving" is a bit rich, since he left, acting wounded, when Alana said he was going to bring home covid with his irresponsible behavior. So he USED her to leave and go live with is girlfriend (of many months). But beyond that, I stayed for the kids. I didn't want to be married to him any more, but I cared about our FAMILY enough to stay. So even if the kids weren't the "reason" he left - it's also clear they weren't enough of a reason for him to stay. And the many weeks that went by without any communication from him (to Alana and Matt) reinforced this, as he is well aware. Him just saying they weren't the reason doesn't erase the hurt of his behavior, as Alana apparently communicated to him.

On top of all that, "senior ball and graduation" was straight out of a message that I sent to him, which he did not acknowledge (even after the divorce, I am still prompting him to actually parent his child, which he still accepts without giving me the credit). The other thing I have been saying for many months is that repairing his relationship with Alana (which was damaged by him long before he stopped pretending to live with us) will require more than sending messages, yet here we are still - all talk and absolutely no action. How about, can I help you with your car? can I buy your ball gown or pay for the limo? or even, can I come down to Syracuse and take you to lunch? Nope, just words, the laziest way possible to convince yourself you are making an effort.