Welcome to the
Marriage Builders® Discussion Forum

This is a community where people come in search of marriage related support, answers, or encouragement. Also, information about the Marriage Builders principles can be found in the books available for sale in the Marriage Builders® Bookstore.
If you would like to join our guidance forum, please read the Announcement Forum for instructions, rules, & guidelines.
The members of this community are peers and not professionals. Professional coaching is available by clicking on the link titled Coaching Center at the top of this page.
We trust that you will find the Marriage Builders® Discussion Forum to be a helpful resource for you. We look forward to your participation.
Once you have reviewed all the FAQ, tech support and announcement information, if you still have problems that are not addressed, please e-mail the administrators at mbrestored@gmail.com
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
#1904625 07/06/07 12:38 AM
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 491
S
Member
Member
S Offline
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 491
My husband and I are in the middle of reconclilation. Actually, it's more like brushing his past behavior under the rug and forget that he hurted me by trying to leave me. We rarely talk about it and I am supposed to just be happy that he didn't divorce me and not "******" anymore.

We fought a couple of times and here's what he told me during the fights. That he didn't come back to me because he loved me he did it because he was tired of me saying no I won't divorce you. So he did it to shut me up, he says. And that he doesn't really care if my feelings are hurt. I know he could just be saying that to hurt me, or that's how he really feels. At the time when we were getting back on track he did say he loved me. The way I see it, if he really wanted to divorce me he really would have, and there would really be no stopping him.

I brought up a past incident that still hurts me to this day. It was about Valentine's Day, and how he didn't get me anything yet he still had time the day before to go with somebody to buy a Valentine's present for his fiance. The only thing is they used our credit. It came up to be over 1000 dollars all together. And he got the kids something from Walmart but not me. I brought that up (yes I know it is July so who cares but I just know that for every Valentine's day that's what I will think about) and how hurt I was that I didn't get anything and he said he didn't care because he doesn't see himself doing anything wrong. I asked him to see it from my side and he said were we at a good point in our relationship that he would buy me something? The truth is no, so I should get over it but the fact of the matter is we are still paying for that other purchase so that pain won't just go away so quickly.

Another thing that really hurts is the fact that he will not bring me to join him when he hangs out with his friends. Most of his friends are single, with kids or none at all. All they do is drink and drink, so it's not my type of thing or whatever but I've told him before I don't mind that and since all I ever am is a stay at home mom I would love to have some adult time too. I asked him yesterday if he was invited to anything since it was fourth of July and he said of course he was but he didn't go. I asked him if any of his friends have kids so that we can all go. He said even if they did he wouldn't bring me anyways. We went to a party once together with the kids and he just hung out with the guys while I was in the corner by myself so of course I tried to stay with him. There was just one other female there,who was the host so I tried to stay with her but I really wanted to be with him. So I basically clung to him, telling him to pay attention to me too. Ever since that day, he says he doesn't want to take me because all I'm going to do is ****** that he doesn't hang out with me. I really don't see how he doesn't see my point. What person would want to be a wallflower at a party while her spouse is in the spotlight? The point is if anybody invites him anywhere he will not bring me. He did say last week that he will since I don't go out, and so we will see about that. But just yesterday he said he wouldn't. So I don't know.

What bothers me is the fact that we've never had couple friends, or mutual friends. We did have one before but he didn't like the wife so that friendship fell through. I wish it didn't because she was the one who brought me roses on Valentine's day when she knew I wasn't going to get anything. And if I do find friends with husbands, he says he doesnt want to meet them, has no care to meet them ever.

I am not crazy to feel down about this, am I?

The other day he got reconnected with a couple of his high school buddies over the phone. He was with the wild and crazy crowd back in the day. So when he told them (jokingly he told me) that he was trying to divorce me but I wouldn't let him, he told me that they were like yea get divorced and come over here so we can party! He told me that and I felt devasted. These people don't even know me and they say stuff like that! I know I shouldn't take it so hard when he said it jokingly but still.

My good friend pointed out that if he feels that he didn't come back in the relationship for love, that he did it just to shut me up then why does it make sense for me to meet his friends.

I've met his friends once but I don't know them. I hate feeling left out from his life. This was one of our problems in the first place, before all of the divorce talk - when I felt insecure, left out, isolated, no friends, just stay at home. I still feel that way, except I am trying to make friends this time.

I've felt jealous of my daughter for the love that he shows her. I know it is a different type of love so I shouldn't feel this way but I do. He tells me he doesn't show his feelings like the way I need him to (with hugs and kisses, and tellimg me he loves me) but how am I supposed to feel when he tells her he loves her and hugs her? I put this back in the emotional needs section once and someone told me to post this question here. Am I wrong to feel this way? And he told me yesterday that he has told a couple of people that I feel jealous of our daughter and they think I"m weird. I'm not sure if he is joking or if he really told people that.

He is deploying before the end of the year and I want to spend as much time with him as possible. I know I need to reread everything that this site has to offer but I am just trying to see if there is anything else I can do to make our love stronger.

Should I just drop the whole friends thing?


I was just reading an article on arrogance in a marriage and how it just basically destroys a marriage. I am suprised how much it describes my husband. Here's an excerpt

"Arrogance is, by its nature, mean spirited because it gets its stature by putting others down. Deliberate meanness flows easily from the distance and superiority it provides. To maintain superiority, the other must be put down, blamed, ignored, disdained, or ridiculed. A very cruel twist of the bond of love. If the rejected one pleads, cries, screams, or rants and raves, and it is received by arrogantly cold indifference and/or cutting remarks, it creates a climate of total powerlessness"

(link http://www.mtoomey.com/commentaries/abusive_betrayal.html)

He is just like that. He puts people down but yet they still like him. Even admire him. I guess he does it in a joking way or a smart alecky way that they can't tell if he's serious. All throughout my marriage he's been like that and I try to say it back to him as a joke, when things were good they don't bother me as much. But when things are bad or when we are in a fight, it really really hurts.

How do I cope with my arrogant husband and make him realize not to treat me this way?

On a good note, my love tank is not on zero. He is being considerate, calling me a lot, texting me, saying I love you back when I say it, and wanted to go to another Wendys when the first one that I went to didn't have any more Vanilla frostys. He's always told me even when we were on the brink of divorce he loved me. So I know he does. He is great with my kids. We spend a lot of time watching movies together. We like to shop and he basically gets me whatever I want. I love him and I want to make us work and be stronger before he deploys. Any advice out there? How do I get past the hurt that was caused when we were on the way to divorce so that we can heal again? Marriage counselling is not an option with him because he feels there is nothing wrong with him. And since we are doing okay, we don't need to go. I won't force it upon him and I do plan on going next week for myself.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 17,837
O
Member
Member
O Offline
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 17,837
His reasons are not enough to make the M work. You are already feeling the effects of it.

Think about plan B and see when it can be implemented. If you allow him to treat you like trash the WS in him will.

Then he will do it to your daughter. Don't think he won't. Right now you are her buffer.

Do NOT enable his WS attitude. Identify your personal and M boundaries. Can you give a call to Steve H @ MB for some phone counseling? Read SAA & HNHN 1st. Take the En questionnaire once as you and if he won't take it, take it as him. Let him know you expect t/b treated like a real spouse not a pretend one. Remember the WS teaches the BS and family to live without them. Remind him he has to prove he is worth having around NOT visa versa.

JMHO,
L.

Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 5,906
A
Member
Member
A Offline
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 5,906
It was about Valentine's Day, and how he didn't get me anything yet he still had time the day before to go with somebody to buy a Valentine's present for his fiance.

let this issue go...it does no good for you or the marriage...
until and unless you two work together to rebuild a marriage values each person....then you can build a marriage with plenty of valentines days in it in the future and the past is past....

nothing no one can do about it....

let it go....

What bothers me is the fact that we've never had couple friends, or mutual friends.

this is an issue you need to change and address....

you need to seek out couples that would be pretty compatable with you and him and create the social circles you desire

also is he isolating you from friends....
does he "like" you having no friends...

do you have friends you go out with to do stuff now and then

was your husband kissy feely with you..or has your marriage always been this way


ARK

Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 491
S
Member
Member
S Offline
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 491
Plan B - how would that work into this? I thought that meant no communication with your spouse.

I am currently reading His needs her needs. A lot of great stuff in there.

Yes I do need to let the Valentine's issue go, as well as his past stuff. I just need to move on.

Yes I do need to fix the not having any mutual friends thing. I don't know how though.

He isn't exactly isolating me from my friends. There are just 2 of them he doesn't like - 1 he never liked from the start. I just happened to become a close friend to her as she was going through her marriage bump. The other one he doesn't like because she told me to keep a record of everything he's done and I told him about it (dumb move on my part I know, I wanted to be open and honest though) so now he doesn't like her.

He doesn't like me having no friends.

I feel like he is in 2 seperate realities. One reality is when he is home with me and the kids. The second one is when he is at work. He has 2 jobs, took on a second job late last year. So I feel like I don't know his other half of his life because I dont know those people, the people he works with and hangs out with. If I ask him questions it is like I"m prying. He will tell me stories about them, but I have met them once. He enjoys to hang out and drink and I want to be a part of that but he associates me with not having fun so he doesn't want me there. He actually says I can't drink with you around. And to him, drinking is fun (more like social drinking, because he is being more social not the actual drinking part because he doesn't drink by himself at home) and guess what me and fun don't mix.

I am TRYING to find something we could do together, something we used to do that was fun. But to tell you the truth we really rushed into this marriage thing like lovecrazy fools and we didn't really know each other. So we didn't have a lot of reacreational time together, other than going out to movies and going out to dinner. We haven't gone to the movies in a long time because the last time we did I got upset that he didn't put his arm around me or be more affectionate towards me. So ever since then he doesn't want to take me. In fact, he said we are married we are not dating. And Every time we go to dinner it's always with the kids.

I know my husband needs to read this book too to understand me more but I know he won't.


Moderated by  Fordude 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Search
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 431 guests, and 99 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Toothsome, IO Games, IronMaverick, Gregory Robinson, Limkao
72,038 Registered Users
Latest Posts
Three Times A Charm
by Vallation - 07/24/25 11:54 PM
How important is it to get the whole story?
by still seeking - 07/24/25 01:29 AM
Annulment reconsideration help
by abrrba - 07/21/25 03:05 PM
Help: I Don't Like Being Around My Wife
by abrrba - 07/21/25 03:01 PM
Following Ex-Wifes Nursing Schedule?
by Roger Beach - 07/16/25 04:21 AM
My wife wants a separation
by Roger Beach - 07/16/25 04:20 AM
Forum Statistics
Forums67
Topics133,625
Posts2,323,524
Members72,039
Most Online6,102
Jul 3rd, 2025
Building Marriages That Last A Lifetime
Copyright © 2025, Marriage Builders, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Site Navigation
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 8.0.0