Opinion on second chances

Aerochyck

I have been lurking for a while now...... I have two kids (DS = 4, DD = 1.5) and have been watching H go down hill since before our DD was born (she was an oops).  Just to give you a little background.....

He has been verbal and emotionally abusive to me but also to DS and starting on DD and although he only laid his hands on me once, he started to get "too rough" in his discipline of DS and occassional handling of DD. I begged for over a year for him to get help with anger management, parenting, communication, etc. but he always put the blame back on me.  Some people had made comments to me that if I didn't do something then they may need to call CAS.

CAS indicated that they had concerns and wanted to see the kids away from under the same roof until they could look into it and a situation had me taking the kids and going to my parents to get away from him.

I have a lawyer and am pursuing a separation.  My question is that he wanted a second chance and I said that I would be willing to go forward with the separation but act like a "trial" separation for the next 6 months to give him a chance to get himself some help.  I would stay in the house with the kids and he would go 5 mins away to his mom's and when he had the kids, he would move back in and I would go to my parents.

He is constantly asking me why I wrecked our family, why I think that having him live separately is beneficial for our kids..... he sends me between 20 - 50 text messages a day and calls at least twice.  He doesn't seem to be trying at all.

Most of my friends and family want me to just get rid of him because they don't think that he will ever change, I am just unsure, but I don't know why.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.