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Mr. A, under normal circumstances when you don't have a cheating wife, I'd say it wouldn't be a problem.
But you just learned that your wife is screwing another man. This isn't the wisest thing and she is not trustworthy right now.
She should have the insight to know NOT to go and should be doing everything in her power to win you back right now.
You see, a WH is at first simply thrilled to have WW back. But after reality sets in the anger hits and it's ugly.
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I am not sure I agree with everything I have read lately, maybe it is just the wording.
I wholeheartedly agree that you should tell her what the expectations are, ie, NC, NC letter, no accounts you don't have access to, etc. You have to set boundaries and conditions and have a plan if she doesn't meet them.
I don't really think you should expect her to be doing everything in her power to win you back at this point. She will be in withdrawal a while, sounds like to me for a long while. This is the time you work on the things you need to do, try to meet her needs (not lay down to her, there is a difference), and avoid lovebusters especially. She is probably not gonna allow you to meet many needs now. When/if she starts returning, I expect it will be grudgingly.
From my experience and from a lot of what I have read on here, the immediately repentant WW that dives right into reconciliation is rare, and I am not sure if she is not completely a figment of the imagination. She will likely resist with her mind for a while, but if you keep calm, keep at it, and avoid lovebusters, it may sneak around the periphery without her realizing it. But be prepared to never hear her say she is truly sorry, because it may not happen. Women are that way.
This is why it is important to stay in your home.
The next few weeks will be frustrating, heartbreaking and very tough. But they are necessary. Do everything you can to make them as short as possible. That is why NC is so vital. Any contact starts the calendar over and voids any progress, and any ground gained is too precious to lose.
I will give you some words of wisdom given me.
From BigKahuna
Herb if you see every little thing as "giving you some hope" you will be an emotional wreck soon. You have to learn not to get your validation from her. Know who you are in Christ. Be happy.
The real vets may think I'm off base, I hope they correct me if so. But don't expect too much too soon. Just make sure to get the basics in place.
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But don't expect too much too soon. Just make sure to get the basics in place. Good post, Herb.
D-Day 2-10-2009 Fully Recovered and Better Than Ever! Thank you Marriage Builders!
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Bingo to herb. Get the basics in place. Bring the body and the mind will follow.
"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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I meant BH, now WH.
And kudos to herb.
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I scheduled an appt with a counselor for her tmo so she can talk to someone and help stabilize. She still is struggling and feeling worthless and I would not like the suicidal talk to come back again like yesterday after she read the comment comparing rape and infidelity. She thinks everyone is still out to pass judgement upon her, yet all I've heard from friends is that they are here for both of us and our children to help out and see us remain together.
I reassured her MB helps - just look at the vast amount of traffic and programs and etc. I hope you are on here perusing my dear. I would look for 2 things in a counselor if you must take her. 1) Someone who is familiar with marriage builders and is on board with it. 2) A Christian counselor who is also familiar and on board with CCEF or Noethetics. Both these approaches work very well with MB. These approaches are distinctly scriptural without the psychobable and will force her to confront her sin in a biblical method and reinforce MB principles. They will be a help to you in following the MB plan and not a hindrance.
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I am not sure I agree with everything I have read lately, maybe it is just the wording.
I wholeheartedly agree that you should tell her what the expectations are, ie, NC, NC letter, no accounts you don't have access to, etc. You have to set boundaries and conditions and have a plan if she doesn't meet them.
I don't really think you should expect her to be doing everything in her power to win you back at this point. She will be in withdrawal a while, sounds like to me for a long while. This is the time you work on the things you need to do, try to meet her needs (not lay down to her, there is a difference), and avoid lovebusters especially. She is probably not gonna allow you to meet many needs now. When/if she starts returning, I expect it will be grudgingly.
From my experience and from a lot of what I have read on here, the immediately repentant WW that dives right into reconciliation is rare, and I am not sure if she is not completely a figment of the imagination. She will likely resist with her mind for a while, but if you keep calm, keep at it, and avoid lovebusters, it may sneak around the periphery without her realizing it. But be prepared to never hear her say she is truly sorry, because it may not happen. Women are that way.
This is why it is important to stay in your home.
The next few weeks will be frustrating, heartbreaking and very tough. But they are necessary. Do everything you can to make them as short as possible. That is why NC is so vital. Any contact starts the calendar over and voids any progress, and any ground gained is too precious to lose.
I will give you some words of wisdom given me.
From BigKahuna
Herb if you see every little thing as "giving you some hope" you will be an emotional wreck soon. You have to learn not to get your validation from her. Know who you are in Christ. Be happy.
The real vets may think I'm off base, I hope they correct me if so. But don't expect too much too soon. Just make sure to get the basics in place. You aren't off-base. Dr. Harley explicitly states that while a WH will commonly come back remorseful with hat in hand, the typical WW will not. In those cases, the advice is clear and simple; do not judge her.
"An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field." - Niels Bohr
"Smart people believe weird things because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons." - Michael Shermer
"Fair speech may hide a foul heart." - Samwise Gamgee LOTR
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"
I was going to but she was in the car and wouldn't tell me where she was. She came back down after some talking about how she is still focusing about the exposure and not the rebuilding process like our Pastor advised us on Tuesday. MA, sounds like you are doing great! I would stick to your guns and let her know the NC letter is not negotiable, so it is not relevant what your pastor thinks, but what you think. ITA, The pastor's function is not to dictate every thing you do. His job is to provide spiritual guidance and oversight. This falls in the purview of you as head of your house making a decision. Stick with it.And stick to your guns about changing her phone #. Again not negotiable. Again, ITA... And change the password on her old email to something only you know.cv [/quote]
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Start as you mean to go on. Make 'no overnight trips away from each other' part of the EPs she has to agree to. She needs to show from the start she is serious about being with you, making you feel safe and in spending the time with you working towards recovery. She needs to show you that you come first, before friends, before anything.
You have made an impressive, non-negotiable show of strength and I can see from some of her comments she is already showing you more respect.
So build on that and make sure the offer of staying in the marraige is a tall order. Make it a high bar that only someone genuine and repentant could jump. You dont want a false recovery.
Insist on all your requirements being met, including the poly.
Dont make the mistake of getting her to agree with 'some' things to encourage her on board and then drip feed her the rest as and when you feel shes is being agreeable.
Give her the EPs in a lump sum and insist that is what you need to stay in the marriage. Its a really important litmus test of her sincerity - and it gives her a realistic view of what she will need to do in recovery. ITA
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I would look for 2 things in a counselor if you must take her. 1) Someone who is familiar with marriage builders and is on board with it. 2) A Christian counselor who is also familiar and on board with CCEF or Noethetics. Both these approaches work very well with MB.
These approaches are distinctly scriptural without the psychobable and will force her to confront her sin in a biblical method and reinforce MB principles. They will be a help to you in following the MB plan and not a hindrance. Yay! Christian approaches that work well with MB. How could an approach to marriage NOT be Christian anyways? Indeed good news CV
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As far as FB goes I said I don't want her having one which she said "can we do one together?" as she likes staying in touch with her friends. I said if that was the case I was not going to have certain people on there. I should just stick to my guns. Yes, you should. Having a joint account is not enough to prevent a problem on FB.
If you are serious about saving your marriage, you can't get it all on this forum. You've got to listen to the Marriage Builders Radio show, every day. Install the app! Married to my radiant trophy wife, Prisca, 19 years. Father of 8. Attended Marriage Builders weekend in May 2010 If your wife is not on board with MB, some of my posts to other men might help you.
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nothing I can do there to make us safe. Don't be so defeatist. In this case, it's a good way to leave a massive hole. Suggestions: keylogger or screen-sharing software on the work computer. New job. No job. Working together.
If you are serious about saving your marriage, you can't get it all on this forum. You've got to listen to the Marriage Builders Radio show, every day. Install the app! Married to my radiant trophy wife, Prisca, 19 years. Father of 8. Attended Marriage Builders weekend in May 2010 If your wife is not on board with MB, some of my posts to other men might help you.
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Hi, MrA. I am glad to see you online this morning. It's helpful that you let us know about your wife's other account. But I wanted to advise you from experience: from here on out, it would be best if you stay off of her thread, and post here to us. Can you do that?
If you are serious about saving your marriage, you can't get it all on this forum. You've got to listen to the Marriage Builders Radio show, every day. Install the app! Married to my radiant trophy wife, Prisca, 19 years. Father of 8. Attended Marriage Builders weekend in May 2010 If your wife is not on board with MB, some of my posts to other men might help you.
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Yes - I deleted. CV quoted me though. How can I get him to delete his without PM?
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Yes - I deleted. CV quoted me though. How can I get him to delete his without PM? I would just let it go. Meantime, can you post an update and tell us how you are doing? I have the impression you have been doing some reading.
If you are serious about saving your marriage, you can't get it all on this forum. You've got to listen to the Marriage Builders Radio show, every day. Install the app! Married to my radiant trophy wife, Prisca, 19 years. Father of 8. Attended Marriage Builders weekend in May 2010 If your wife is not on board with MB, some of my posts to other men might help you.
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I'm glad to see her on even if she is still very foggy. It means she is seeing the fog break up alittle. Now you work on LB's and EN's and the vets will work on her....LOL
Stick to your guns. She needs alot of work still.
Me -BS 40 Him - FWH 34 (dtl) 3 D-Days from 12/25/10 to 01/06/11 NC - 01/09/11 02/20/12 done beating my head on that wall.
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She is at christian counselor now. She called on the way to town saying she has read a bunch on the forum and said I didn't do Plan A. When asked which part - she said moving out. I don't remember seeing that and I would not do that anyways. My children deserve a loving mom and dad - I am convinced of that. I shouldn't have to worry about my DD6 asking me if we are getting D. Makes me ill to think she is still worried about it.
When I found out - yes, I turned back to God with more fire than ever. I truly think that was his plan to draw me near again, and I am. I don't regret that part of what happened. No I was not a model husband and yes I fell asleep on the couch a few times a week. I always tried to be RIGHT but I realized through all this that it doesn't matter. What mattered was LOVING HER THE RIGHT WAY.
Yes I started chipping in every where I could - but that was because I enjoyed doing things that pleased her. We spent a lot of time doing activities we never had done before and it was amazing. I felt so close. Yet then it all turned around again. I couldn't bear the thought of losing my wife and that is how I stumbled upon MB. I was desperate to save my family and my marriage. I wanted it over once and for all.
She had breakfast with her old friend and she inquired to her how many people know. Her friend was honest with her and said she knows it was fwd around. That has thrown her back into not wanting to save us. She has told me several times how sorry she is for her actions and I deserve better than her. She ebbs and flows right now. She doesn't think our marriage is worth saving and then tells me she is so in love with me again. She is upset that I told a lot of people and is very worried about what everyone thinks whenever she faces them next time and for the rest of time. she says that my letter saying she had an affair made her look like she was spending nites away and ignoring her children. She never spent the nite away, except the first time they met in which I was out of town at DD15 event. She did however spend a lot of time on the phone in which DD's did notice and which did take some attention away from the family. Right now I say "who cares what THEY think, I am still here and am willing to rebuild US better than ever."
It is work I am willing to do. Protecting my marriage and getting counseling. She has to want to save us and family too though.
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You wife is not showing signs of remorse for her affair, she is still blaming you and trying to find holes is the process you followed , have no doubt the affair , the exposure and the consequences are her doing.
It's about time she stopped blaming you or the advice and focused on saving the marriage.
She is a master manipulator , don't blink, don't waver and ignore her threats . The only one who decides where this marriage goes is you and it is on the terms you set.
Hang in there , this is going to get a lot rougher .
Last edited by Xau; 10/21/11 11:37 AM.
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MrA. Shame is a good thing. It always amazes me how willing people are to forgive when they can look into someone's eyes and can see their shame and remorse.
ME: BW HIM: FWH Married 18 yrs DDay 09/2008 and 12/2008
Recovered
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She's way off track with her criticisms. Plan A does not involve you moving out! Plan A is designed to end the affair -- and it involves exposure.
I think you need to let a lot of this run off you like water off a duck's back. She is the heroin addict who just had her dealer taken away, and she is going to be a little nuts for awhile.
She will be in withdrawal, and it will suck. I encourage you to read a lot about it. Unfortunately she is likely to say or do a lot of hurtful things, and unfortunately there are not a lot of good alternatives besides the two of you being together during this time. Sometimes Dr. Harley has recommended that the couple take a vacation for a week or so ... they usually don't enjoy being with each other, but at least they get some pleasant surroundings.
If you are serious about saving your marriage, you can't get it all on this forum. You've got to listen to the Marriage Builders Radio show, every day. Install the app! Married to my radiant trophy wife, Prisca, 19 years. Father of 8. Attended Marriage Builders weekend in May 2010 If your wife is not on board with MB, some of my posts to other men might help you.
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