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
Page 47 of 72 1 2 45 46 47 48 49 71 72
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,018
P
Member
Offline
Member
P
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,018


VST... take a DEEEEP breath....Change your focus... He's asking for a FAMILY weekend... could have just as easily asked to see DD...
Nows not a time to think of the past...GO.. do something..TOGETHER... HAVE FUN... you wanted a chance to Plan "A" other than exposure.. HERE IT IS....

Then....

Reevaluate after the weekend... Don't give up just before the miracle happens....you could have a BREAKTHROUGH weekend....

The enemy is working on you... don't listen.....you must be close....

GOoD Luck and Prayers... Frank

Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 92,985
Likes: 1
M
Member
Offline
Member
M
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 92,985
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by verysadtime
IWhat can I say to him? Anything asking about what is going on? Or only try to meet his EN.....?

I would be asking him hard questions. Why are you avoiding the subject??? vst, this is not the time for more CONFLICT AVOIDANCE!

And I guess I am going to have to be a broken record here. Plan B, Plan B, Plan B. Living in a state of limbo with a unrepentant serial cheater is doing nothing to help your mental health.


"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.." Theodore Roosevelt

Exposure 101


Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
O
Member
OP Offline
Member
O
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
Thanks PH, You're right, I'm just so angry......and so sad. I'm lonely too. Funny, I was lonely when he was living here. What does that tell you? This is a different kind of lonely though. The kind where you don't know if this is permanent or not. I'm just so tired and I still have such a long way to go.



Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,018
P
Member
Offline
Member
P
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,018
Quote
I have no idea what is going on in his mind. We have not talked in a while now. He's been so mad at me that he's stayed away.


Evidently , he doesn't hate you after all...he's had time to THINK... remember we told you when they are quiet they are thinking...

He didn't mention he missed YOU that's what hurts RIGHT? He won't because he's still confused.... CONFUSE HIM MORE.... be AWESOME this weekend...show him what he's missing!!!

He may drop to his knees and beg you to forgive him...(of course he probably won't BUT... he COULD!!) they are WACKED...they never give a clear sign that they want to come home... they BLURT it OUT!!



Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
O
Member
OP Offline
Member
O
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
Originally Posted by MelodyLane
Originally Posted by verysadtime
IWhat can I say to him? Anything asking about what is going on? Or only try to meet his EN.....?

I would be asking him hard questions. Why are you avoiding the subject??? vst, this is not the time for more CONFLICT AVOIDANCE!

And I guess I am going to have to be a broken record here. Plan B, Plan B, Plan B. Living in a state of limbo with a unrepentant serial cheater is doing nothing to help your mental health.


Really? I mean is what PH saying not what I'm supposed to be doing for whatever period of time I give it? I know if I go there it will end his desire to have any family time. That's the only problem with that. I know it's conflict avoidance but really, until somebody leave their job, what kind of questions can I really ask? All I know is that absolutely SUCKS!



Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,018
P
Member
Offline
Member
P
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,018
Quote
I'm just so tired and I still have such a long way to go.


Rest... only think of today... in a few hours...in a few minutes...seconds.... COPE with whatever time frame you can handle..
Look forward to something... a favorite TV show.. book... take a hot steamy bath... distract your thoughts.

I think you are closer than you think......
wink

Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 92,985
Likes: 1
M
Member
Offline
Member
M
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 92,985
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by verysadtime
I mean, I want to ask him "are you still involved with OW?" and "do you still want to try to work out our marriage?"

"What is your plan to salvage our marriage? I am willing to work on the marriage as long as you are willing to end all contact with your mistress." <-----that is a conversation you should be having. Avoiding the subject does not help, vst.

Your H did not have an affair because of unmet needs, but becasue he is a serial cheater who can GET AWAY WITH IT. Unless something changes this time, you are going to have a future of more of the same.

Plan A is not supposed to be a way of life, but a SHORT PLAN that lasts no longer than 3-4 weeks. If your H will not leave his job with the OW, then Plan B is warranted.

Maybe you could spend a family weekend with him and then go to Plan B. But sitting around twiddling your thumbs in a state of limbo is going to avail you nothing, I assure you.


"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.." Theodore Roosevelt

Exposure 101


Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,018
P
Member
Offline
Member
P
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,018

Mel... can't she go this weekend to make some deposits... it has been a lot of stick... maybe some carrot?


Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
O
Member
OP Offline
Member
O
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
Originally Posted by MelodyLane
Originally Posted by verysadtime
I mean, I want to ask him "are you still involved with OW?" and "do you still want to try to work out our marriage?"

"What is your plan to salvage our marriage? I am willing to work on the marriage as long as you are willing to end all contact with your mistress." <-----that is a conversation you should be having. Avoiding the subject does not help, vst.

Your H did not have an affair because of unmet needs, but becasue he is a serial cheater who can GET AWAY WITH IT. Unless something changes this time, you are going to have a future of more of the same.

Plan A is not supposed to be a way of life, but a SHORT PLAN that lasts no longer than 3-4 weeks. If your H will not leave his job with the OW, then Plan B is warranted.

Maybe you could spend a family weekend with him and then go to Plan B. But sitting around twiddling your thumbs in a state of limbo is going to avail you nothing, I assure you.


Thanks Mel, you're right. I've been thinking about what my life will be between now and whenever.....whenever I realize that no one is leaving and I have to go to Plan B.....but I do think I need to try to be in Plan A this weekend just to leave a good memory in place before the big blow up.



Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,018
P
Member
Offline
Member
P
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,018
Quote
Your H did not have an affair because of unmet needs, but becasue he is a serial cheater who can GET AWAY WITH IT. Unless something changes this time, you are going to have a future of more of the same.


Yeah... good point Mel...maybe just this weekend and then Plan B if she is still this angry....

(Please note that I am learning to respect Plan B...and this is a record time for me even TYPING B in a post :D)






Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
O
Member
OP Offline
Member
O
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
It's weird to be calling him a serial cheater.....Until now I wouldn't have put that label on him. And I know he would never ever admit to that! But I believe he is. He's good at leading a duplicious life. (is that a word?)



Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 92,985
Likes: 1
M
Member
Offline
Member
M
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 92,985
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by verysadtime
Really? I mean is what PH saying not what I'm supposed to be doing for whatever period of time I give it? I know if I go there it will end his desire to have any family time. That's the only problem with that. I know it's conflict avoidance but really, until somebody leave their job, what kind of questions can I really ask? All I know is that absolutely SUCKS!

vst, the purpose of Plan A is to negotiate an end to the affair. How does that happen if you avoid any and all discussion of your marriage? How will this problem be solved if you SWEEP it under the rug?


"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.." Theodore Roosevelt

Exposure 101


Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
O
Member
OP Offline
Member
O
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
Here's another sticking point for me. Remember the boat? Where he is living now and where they had their special times together? At some point (I assume) he's going to want me to go back there. I cringe at that....knowing what they did there. ON MY BOAT! He always tried to tell me that they never went there, that they went to a hotel but I think that is because it would kill my desire for being on the boat. Well it has and that is his biggest RR!



Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 92,985
Likes: 1
M
Member
Offline
Member
M
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 92,985
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by PLEASE HELP
Quote
Your H did not have an affair because of unmet needs, but becasue he is a serial cheater who can GET AWAY WITH IT. Unless something changes this time, you are going to have a future of more of the same.


Yeah... good point Mel...maybe just this weekend and then Plan B if she is still this angry....

Frank, my concern is what this is doing to her mental health. The more tore down she becomes the less likely her marriage is to EVER reconcile. Check these quotes out from Dr Harley:

Quote
When a WS refuses to leave the lover, there are no good options for the BS. At first, plan A is recommended because there is a slim hope (15%) that, with encouragement, a WS will make the decision to leave the lover. But 85% don't do that, even when plan A is implemented perfectly. That leaves two other choices which are both bad. The first is to continue plan A indefinitely, trying to encourage the WS to leave the lover, and the second is to initiate plan B, which is to completely separate from the WS. The problem with a continuation of plan A is that it usually leads to severe emotional symptoms, including years of post-traumatic stress disorder, even when the WS eventually returns. Many women that I've counseled actually have nervous breakdowns in their effort to draw their WS back to them. Instead of making the BS attractive to the WS, plan A actually makes these poor women so unattractive that it completely eliminates all hope of reconciliation. And 95% of all affairs eventually "die a natural death." If you do absolutely nothing, they usually end.

So I've recommended plan B rather early in the effort to separate the WS from his lover.

and this:

Quote
MelodyLane:

The primary reason for abandoning plan A for plan B is protection. The stress experienced in plan A (trying to care for someone too long who is hurting you more deeply than you ever have, or ever will, experience) can leave you physically and emotionally damaged. So the question each person must ask themselves is, "how tough am I?"

My experience is that men are tougher mentally and physically than women. By that, I mean that women seem to start falling apart emotionally and physically after just a few months, or even a few weeks, of plan A. Men, on the other hand, seem to be able to keep it up for years before experiencing health problems.

If I don't know a person too well, I tend to lean to the safe side by recommending 3-4 weeks of plan A for women, and 6 months for men. But if a woman is no worse for wear after a few weeks, or a man is feeling okay after 6 months, there's no reason to end plan A at that point. As you can see, it's inexact, and depends on how the person is doing. A good support system (like the support people often receive on the Forum) can often keep a person in plan A much longer.

Best wishes
Willard F. Harley, Jr.


"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.." Theodore Roosevelt

Exposure 101


Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 92,985
Likes: 1
M
Member
Offline
Member
M
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 92,985
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by verysadtime
Here's another sticking point for me. Remember the boat? Where he is living now and where they had their special times together? At some point (I assume) he's going to want me to go back there. I cringe at that....knowing what they did there. ON MY BOAT! He always tried to tell me that they never went there, that they went to a hotel but I think that is because it would kill my desire for being on the boat. Well it has and that is his biggest RR!

SELL the boat.


"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.." Theodore Roosevelt

Exposure 101


Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
O
Member
OP Offline
Member
O
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
So it's considered him not leaving the OW when he or she hasn't left their job? What if they've really ended the A because of all this?

I guess my thinking is, even though I just had a hissy fit earlier, that I should Plan A for a few more weeks and using that time as Mel says to pressure him for a decision. If after a few weeks have passed and nothing has changed, then I would go to Plan B.




Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
O
Member
OP Offline
Member
O
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
Originally Posted by MelodyLane
Originally Posted by verysadtime
Here's another sticking point for me. Remember the boat? Where he is living now and where they had their special times together? At some point (I assume) he's going to want me to go back there. I cringe at that....knowing what they did there. ON MY BOAT! He always tried to tell me that they never went there, that they went to a hotel but I think that is because it would kill my desire for being on the boat. Well it has and that is his biggest RR!

SELL the boat.

Mel, that is the same as asking him to leave his job! I don't see it happening.....Unless there is something in him to comes out and surprises me that is.....



Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,018
P
Member
Offline
Member
P
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,018


SELL the boat. [/quote]

rotflmao Mel.... JUST GET TO THE POINT!! rotflmao



About the other post Mel.. we must be posting at the same time...Go back and I am in agreement on Plan B (did he just say that? dontknow)
But she is right....

Unless plan A leaves the wayward spouse with the impression that returning home is an attractive choice, separation can become permanent. So before implementing plan B, you want to be sure that the last thing your spouse remembers about you is the care and thoughtfulness you offered in plan A. That way, the separation can help create, "absence makes the heart grow fonder." .....Harley

But... it may be time for "B" now if you think this is more than a rant..



Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,018
P
Member
Offline
Member
P
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 1,018

Don't worry now... you're putting the boat in front of the horse.

Focus....you could also "Re-Claim" it too...making GREAT NEW memories on it after his return...with the FAMILY....

Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
O
Member
OP Offline
Member
O
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 716
Originally Posted by PLEASE HELP
But... it may be time for "B" now if you think this is more than a rant..

No, I'm ok I was just letting of some major steam. I don't consider my mental health at risk right now. I mean, after what I've been thru for the past year, I would greatly disappoint myself if I crashed now.

It's just given my personality, it's going to be very hard to Plan A.

Last edited by verysadtime; 04/22/09 07:00 PM.


Page 47 of 72 1 2 45 46 47 48 49 71 72

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Search
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 260 guests, and 69 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
annonymous, Robert Robertson, Myramillan, rufaia1231, esenlee
71,888 Registered Users
Latest Posts
20 appointments and $1000’s later…
by IrishGreen - 10/30/24 07:20 PM
Happening again
by jah - 10/29/24 11:00 AM
I grounded my wife - am I proceeding correctly?
by Mature - 10/27/24 03:05 PM
How Do I Tell Him I Don’t Love the engagement ring
by BrainHurts - 10/22/24 10:30 AM
Children
by BrainHurts - 10/19/24 04:02 PM
Can I become attracted to anyone?
by phinnino1 - 10/11/24 08:57 AM
MBRadio show discussing electric fence pers.
by phinnino1 - 10/11/24 08:55 AM
Forum Statistics
Forums67
Topics133,614
Posts2,323,458
Members71,888
Most Online3,185
Jan 27th, 2020
Building Marriages That Last A Lifetime
Copyright © 2024, Marriage Builders, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Site Navigation
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5