From experience I'll give you some advice. Take it for whatever it's worth.

Also for whatever it's worth I don't buy her being the sainted one sitting home with the kids waiting for you to come home from fishing. Her unwillingness for counseling, and her willingness to mediate indicates she just wants out. That may mean there's someone else in the picture.

If you have debts such a credit cards, cars, etc, and y'all were living off just your income, you won't be able to support 2 households and maintain your current lifestyle. Your life is about to change in a big way, and you're going to have to man up more than you can imagine. Mediation instead of the lawyer enriching divorce industry our court system has become helps some.

Cash all the liabilities out, truck, boat, and anything else that's financed. Scratch up enough to get a clunker to drive, and look for a cheap apartment. Wrap your mind around the fact that your child support is your first obligation and it is not cheap. It trumps everything, your food, shelter, fishing, other women, and anything else. After my divorce I built computer networks during the day, but took the building's cleaning contract and cleaned toilets at night. Not looking down on janitorial work, just saying you may need a second job.

You may as well look up the state mandated child support formulas because that's what you'll wind up paying regardless of what comes of mediation. One visit to the court by her is all it takes. There is no accountability, she could piss away the money and the state won't do jack about it, but they'll nail your hide to the wall for non payment. You do the right thing, and hopefully she'll do the right thing.

Soon enough she'll marry someone else, and they'll probably have more than you, but that doesn't change your financial obligation to support your children a bit. He could be a millionaire, and you'll still owe the same amount. My ex and husband's cars, house, lifestyle and that of my kids were always considerably better than mine, but I was fine with that. I didn't want the bakstrad paying for my kids anyway.

Also understand that you have the RIGHT to see you kids no matter what happens financially. Use it. Don't let any other noise get in the way of being a father. That's just as important as money.