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So Krazy, your child/children are OK with plan D? No hard feelings there? I would hope those children would place the guilt for the divorce where it belongs. And where is that? Sure, the WAYWARD is guilty for the affair. But if the wayward works on recovery, then BOTH parties have to accept responsibility for the DIVORCE. Just looking at it through a kid's eyes...
Me:BW, FWH 1DD 1DS Status: Chronicled in Dr. Suess's "The Zax"
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Great thread - good conversation. Being new in the R process, I still have the 'why the hell am I doing this' days and the 'why am I doing all the work - she's the one who broke our vows' days as well as the 'I still love her and I love my kids and I will fight to save our family unit' days.
I don't know for sure if we'll be together forever. I do know for sure that I'm a better man, husband and father because of what I've learned here and from our MC and from just dealing with the after effects of D-Day. I also know that if I had gone straight to Plan D, I would have regretted it the rest of my life.
I'm sure the MB plan isn't for everyone and I'm sure the 100% success stat is skewed (you can make numbers look like you want them to look), but there no doubt in my mind that the principles are sound, and that if BOTH spouses want the marriage to work, it will. Then again, in some cases Plan D should be considered a success for some situations.
Thanks for getting this thread going - anything that generates good conversation from opposing views is worthwhile.
Me: BH 60 - Married 21 years ExW had an EA beginning 09/09 (Facebook) After a few false recoveries, I filed for D 05/11 D final 03/12
'Be Mindful of Your Many Blessings and Endeavor Daily to be Worthy of Them' Jay Severin
'Life is a gift and it offers each of us the privilege, the opportunity and the responsibility to give something back by becoming something more' Tony Robbins
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MB success stats are so skewed. 100%! It is to laugh. I'm sure the 100% success stat is skewed Where did this 100% come from? I thought the national was 30%, with actual MB board users coming in slightly higher at less than 50%
Me 34 WW 30 Abandoned Feb 17th 08, D-Day Aprl 27th 08. Returned home Jul 7th, OC born 12/30/08 The FOG is clear, and we are in recovery.
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MB success stats are so skewed. 100%! It is to laugh. I'm sure the 100% success stat is skewed Where did this 100% come from? I thought the national was 30%, with actual MB board users coming in slightly higher at less than 50% Gack, that dead horse has been kicked tooo many times! It just comes down to people opposing the idea that The MB Program has a 100% money back satisfaction guarantee!
Recovery began 10/07;
Meeting my wife's EN's is my "thank you" that refuses to be silenced.
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I do not possess the one best answer for anyone else. Apparently, you do. I guess you just got schooled Pep! (I am making a funny by the way)
Last edited by Gack1; 03/09/10 04:45 PM.
Me 34 WW 30 Abandoned Feb 17th 08, D-Day Aprl 27th 08. Returned home Jul 7th, OC born 12/30/08 The FOG is clear, and we are in recovery.
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The fact that leaving is easier than staying after infidelity is the biggest indicator that it's the correct course of action, in my opinion. By all means, ALWAYS take the "easy" road.  The fact that it is easier means it is correct.
Forget the hard, difficult road. I should have forgone college and grad school. That much education sure as hell was not the easier road. Obviously, the hard road indicates the incorrect course of action.
I'm going to needlepoint a pillow:
"The easy way is the best way"
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I get where you're coming from, however every situation is different. Now in my case, if my husband wasn't trying to work on our marriage and I was working at it alone, I would be out, gone, no where to be found by him. In that type of situation, I do think the other party should leave.
I know this may be corny, but people do make mistakes. We've all made them. It's like you're saying you get one shot and that's it. I do believe in a 2nd chance. I don't believe in a 3rd. He get's one screw up from me and that's it. If it happens again, there wont even be a discussion, I'll be ghost.
You are not perfect, none of us are. Trust me I'm not making up excuses for the WS. Some of them really just made a mistake, but then you do have some that are in Love with the OW/M, feelings are attached and they have fallen out of love with their spouse. In a case like that, I wouldn't waste my time and energy, I would take you up on you advice.
"Never get in a bed if your name isn't written on it"
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GO PEP!!!!
Me: BS/FWW: 48 BS/WH: 50 DS: 30, 27, 25 DD: 28 OC: 10 BH and I are raising my OC together.
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Writer, it just pisses me off. What the hell type of advice says:
"Take the easy road"
?????????????????????????
What if a BS thinks murder/suicide is the easy road?
Nonsense must be called out for what it is, really bad advice.
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I understand this won't be a popular opinion on this particular board, but sometimes I'll read a few topics and shake my head in disbelief. This is only my opinion, and I wish I would've taken my own advice years earlier. I understand this won't be a popular opinion on this particular board either, but sometimes I'll read a few topics and shake my head in disbelief just like you. This is only my opinion, but I think you should have cut your losses from day one as well and just walked away. You would have been spared much pain and anguish! It was impossible for you to for you to work a recovery with the mental images of walking in on your wife having sex with OM. This is no fault of yours, it's all on her! You can't really rebuild trust after being betrayed like that. Some people claim they have, but I simply don't believe them. I think they are deluding themselves out of fear of ending the marriage. They can't do better than a cheater? Really? I can. You're right, all BS'es could do better than a cheater! And you don't need anyones permission to call other BS'es liars, you're entitled to that opinion! (my opinion is that you're over the top calling other BS'es deluded liars though) These WSs deserve to be dropped like a bad habit, You're absolutely 100% correct! I deserved nothing! and every BS deserves better. Again, you're absolutely 100% correct! They deserve so much better! YOU deserved so much better! If you don't think you deserve a partner who HAS NEVER cheated on you, then you should take a hard look at your self-esteem. Unconditional love should only apply to your kids, if anyone at all. I don't think it's healthy to continue to love someone who physically, mentally, and emotionally tortured you so they could have an orgasm or an ego boost. Again, you're absolutely 100% correct! BS'es deserve so much better! and yes, even Dr. Harley agrees with you, unconditional love is not healthy in a marriage! Dump them. I walked out on my ex after trying for 3 years to get over what she did to me. It was the best move I've made in my entire life. She doesn't deserve me, and your WS/FWS doesn't deserve you, and never will. You're right, we deserve to be dumped! And your right again, I don't deserve any of the grace given to me by my wife. There is nothing I can ever do to deserve that much grace! She is the most amazing woman I know! Krazy, as I said earlier, you would have been spared much pain and anguish if you had just dumped your WW immediately! In hindsight, it's obvious that it was impossible for you to work a recovery with all the mental images of walking in on your wife having sex with OM. Again, her adultery and the divorce is no fault of yours, it's all on her! Krazy, I pray that there will come a time that you are finally able let go of your anger and hate! {{{{{{{{{{{KRAZY71}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Recovery began 10/07;
Meeting my wife's EN's is my "thank you" that refuses to be silenced.
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How should you deal with your spouse's affair(s)? You should divorce them asap. Period. No second chances, regardless of finances, kids, etc. Krazy - It's NOT your opinion I object to. I am fine with your opinion. What I find so distasteful is your intolerance for the opinions and personal choices of other betrayed spouses. **edit** I don't agree with Krazy, either, perhaps mainly because I didn't (and wouldn't) do what he suggests (he didn't either, remember?). Appy is a friend, and he didn't either, though he agrees with Krazy. I repsect their opinions, though, as I know they respect the choices I've made in my si2ation. -ol' 2long
Last edited by Revera; 03/09/10 05:28 PM. Reason: TOS - disrespectful
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MB success stats are so skewed. 100%! It is to laugh. I'm sure the 100% success stat is skewed Where did this 100% come from? I thought the national was 30%, with actual MB board users coming in slightly higher at less than 50% Gack, that dead horse has been kicked tooo many times! It just comes down to people opposing the idea that The MB Program has a 100% money back satisfaction guarantee! Please don't misinterpret me. I am not opposed to anything. I have seen more than few times where the claim has been made that people who participate in the MB Program have a near 100% success rate of saving their marriage. I do find that hard to believe, and if that's not the case then I stand corrected. I am a firm believer in the program, but nothing works 100% of the time for 100% of people
Me: BH 60 - Married 21 years ExW had an EA beginning 09/09 (Facebook) After a few false recoveries, I filed for D 05/11 D final 03/12
'Be Mindful of Your Many Blessings and Endeavor Daily to be Worthy of Them' Jay Severin
'Life is a gift and it offers each of us the privilege, the opportunity and the responsibility to give something back by becoming something more' Tony Robbins
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Krazy, I pray that there will come a time that you are finally able let go of your anger and hate!
{{{{{{{{{{{KRAZY71}}}}}}}}}}}}}} 100% agree. Krazy gets hugs and support, and then, Krazy kicks our butts, and then, Krazy gets more hugs and support .... and then STILL more hugs and support, and understanding. And well wishes.
My apologies for my sarcasm. It's not nice of me to kick a fellow BS when he's down. *shrug*
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Unconditional love should only apply to your kids, if anyone at all. I don't think it's healthy to continue to love someone who physically, mentally, and emotionally tortured you so they could have an orgasm or an ego boost. Again, you're absolutely 100% correct! BS'es deserve so much better! and yes, even Dr. Harley agrees with you, unconditional love is not healthy in a marriage! This kind of "love" has nothing 2 do with unconditional love. Dr Harley is correct that this kind of love is not healthy in a marriage. But Dr Harley doesn't really understand what unconditional love IS - but nevertheless this demonstrates how badly things can go when anything is misunders2d and thus misapplied. -ol' 2long
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I am a firm believer in the program, but nothing works 100% of the time for 100% of people Dr Harley has been terribly misquoted on this issue. Not to mention that some have taken his words about his success rate and applied it to Plan A and Plan B. In Plan A he states it works to end the affair in 15% of the cases. He never guarantees anything in the case of the affair and he never guarantees anything in the case of a spouse who won't use the program. He obviously CAN'T make someone use the program against their will. But here is what he has said about his program ["Program" in this sense meaning the implementation of his Basic Concepts] When I found that the model I've developed had helped over 90% of those I was counseling, I gave up my career as a college professor and started counseling full-time. At the time, I didn't assume that it would save all of the marriages it seemed to help, because I felt there were factors beyond a couple's control. But after 35 years of experience with this model, I'm not convinced that it works with 100% of couples who follow it. I've yet to witness one couple out of the tens of thousands I've seen, that did not experience a healthy and happy marriage by following this model. Personally, I feel it's the only answer to the question, how can a couple have a great marriage for life?
But it�s very difficult to prove that one model of marital satisfaction is superior to another. The ultimate test is to randomly assign couples to various models and to measure their marital satisfaction after the provisions of each model have been implemented.
The training of therapists is a huge problem: How can we be sure that the therapist assigned to each model was properly trained? And there�s also the problem of representation and random assignment: Does the group of volunteer couples represent the population at large? And is the assignment to treatment groups really random? There�s also the ethical problem of assigning couples to a control group where they receive no effective treatment. When they divorce, does the researcher bear any responsibility? Finally, if someone who has a stake in the outcome does the research, it usually shows that their approach is best. Shouldn�t studies of alternative models of marital satisfaction be conducted by those neutral to the outcome?
My own personal experience led me to the model I�ve been using for the past 35 years. But that�s not proof of it�s superiority over other models. What I need is objective studies conducted by those who have no bias that compare this model to others. That�s hard to find even among those who have published hundreds of articles on martial therapy.
But I can direct you to three studies that support my enthusiasm. They all deal with my book, His Needs, Her Needs, the popular application of my model, and the effect it has on couples that read it.
The readers of Marriage Partnership Magazine were asked which self-help book on marriage helped their marriages the most. In that survey, His Needs, Her Needs came out on top. I didn�t know that the survey was even being conducted, so when I called the editor after the results came in, I was curious to know more. He told me that it not only was the top choice, but it was far ahead of second place (Ron R. Lee. Best Books for a Better Marriage: Reader�s Survey . Marriage Partnership Magazine, Spring 1998).
In a national survey that I sponsored, people were asked if any self-help book on marriage solved their marital problems. Out of 57 books that were read, only three were reported to have actually solved marital problems. The three were the Bible, James Dobson�s Love for a Lifetime, and His Needs, Her Needs (Lynn Hanacek Gravel. Americans and Marriage: National Survey of US Adults. Barna Research Group, 2001).
Finally, five out of six couples that read His Needs Her Needs were found to experience significant improvement in marital satisfaction (Julie D. Braswell. The Impact of Reading a Self-Help Book on the Topic of Gender Differences on One�s Perceived Quality of Marriage. Doctoral Dissertation, 1998, Azusa Pacific University.
Granted, these findings are not conclusive evidence that the model I use is superior to every other model of marital satisfaction. But when you find one that works for every couple that actually follows it, you have to be impressed. And coming as I did from almost zero effectiveness to almost complete success, I can�t begin to tell you how convinced I am that it�s the solution to a very difficult problem we face in our society.
I hope this helps answer your question.
Best wishes, Willard F. Harley, Jr.
Last edited by MelodyLane; 03/09/10 06:01 PM. Reason: duh!
"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
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FWIW, recovery is hard and painful BUT divorce with kids is a long road of potential hell. It forever ties you to the ww who will probably never become a fww to the now ex-betrayed but you still have to deal with all their baggage and bad influences on your children. My friend would give anything to avoid traveling every other weekend 200+ miles just to share custody with a mean spirted xww.
God's goal for marriage: Become ONE! How? MBer methods. Me:husband 42 wife, 40 married 1/12/1991 3 children, 1 granddaughter
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Dr Harley has been terribly misquoted on this issue. Not to mention that some have taken his words about his success rate and applied it to Plan A and Plan B. In Plan A he states it works to end the affair in 15% of the cases. He never guarantees anything in the case of the affair and he never guarantees anything in the case of a spouse who won't use the program. He obviously make someone use the program against their will. But here is what he has said about his program ["Program" in this sense meaning the implementation of his Basic Concepts] My favorite post of yours ever, Mel! -ol' 2long
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Pepperband, I made it clear that I was only stating my opinion.
Guess what? This IS me giving support. It's tragic to watch someone go through what every BS goes through. Divorce isn't fun. It's not pleasant. But it WILL get a BS out of a situation that will likely end badly at some point, anyway.
Like I said before, there are exceptions. A small minority people do recover their marriages. What fraction of those remain happy marriages, who knows?
I understand that some people don't want to hear it. Some people SHOULD hear it. They are victims of abuse, and like many abuse victims, they adopt a "If he does it again, THEN I'm out!" mentality.
If a man beat his wife and put her in the hospital, would you encourage her to stay, too? Every BS is a victim of ABUSE. I guess that's not so obvious when bruises and broken bones aren't involved.
Divorced
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Guess what? This IS me giving support. And, I feel kicked by you.
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