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
#2726396 05/10/13 04:29 PM
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 8
G
Junior Member
Junior Member
G Offline
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 8
My wife and I have read Dr. Harleys books and my wife will agree to follow POJA and how to handle complaints but once it comes time to do it she will not follow what she has agreed to. We can even discuss and agree to something and she will change her mind and do what she wants.
At this point I don't even want to discuss anything since even if we work it out she will do what she wants in the end. I am basically staying till our kids grow up.
Guess I am looking for any ideas of how to stick it out.

Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 15,818
Likes: 7
M
Member
Member
M Offline
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 15,818
Likes: 7
Originally Posted by givnup
Guess I am looking for any ideas of how to stick it out.

See your doctor and ask him to prescribe antidepressants.

Start listening to Marriage Builders radio daily:
http://www.marriagebuilders.com/mb3.cfm?recno=12
You will discover what you are missing and why it's not working, and what to do until it works.


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.
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 15,818
Likes: 7
M
Member
Member
M Offline
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 15,818
Likes: 7
Originally Posted by givnup
My wife and I have read Dr. Harleys books and my wife will agree to follow POJA and how to handle complaints but once it comes time to do it she will not follow what she has agreed to.

Dr. Harley says that when people agree to something but don't follow through, it's a sign they weren't really enthusiastic about the agreement in the first place. So in that case, you need to negotiate again and find a DIFFERENT solution, one that your wife is enthusiastic about.

What is it that you are wanting your wife to do?


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.
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 15,818
Likes: 7
M
Member
Member
M Offline
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 15,818
Likes: 7
Are you dating your wife? You need to be dating her for a minimum of fifteen hours a week. Dr. Harley will not even counsel couples who want to skip this step; Marriage Builders does not work without it.

http://www.marriagebuilders.com/graphic/mbi3350_attn.html
link 2


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.
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 8
G
Junior Member
Junior Member
G Offline
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 8
Typically we don't have the opportunity to renegotiate because she goes ahead and does what she had decided. I usually find out after she has already done something else.
Her most important EN was Financial Security and I have worked hard to provide that. She has been a stay at home Mom for 13 years while I worked to provide the house and lifestyle she wanted. He other major EN was recreational companionship but she would not work to make time for that.
As far as what I want her to follow through. She has agreed to follow Harley 8 or 9 times but as soon as she doesn't follow through on POJA and I point it out, she says she wants to quit. One time she said she would only agree to follow the parts that she wanted to do and not POJA.
I am really at a loss.

Joined: May 2013
Posts: 8
G
Junior Member
Junior Member
G Offline
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 8
When I am working we only have nights and weekends. Our children are early teens and I assigned them tasks such as dishes and cleaning up the table so we could spend time together at night. She agreed but then felt it was too much to ask them to do so it makes it difficult to spend time together.

Last edited by givnup; 05/10/13 05:35 PM.
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 8
G
Junior Member
Junior Member
G Offline
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 8
Originally Posted by markos
Originally Posted by givnup
Guess I am looking for any ideas of how to stick it out.

See your doctor and ask him to prescribe antidepressants.

Start listening to Marriage Builders radio daily:
http://www.marriagebuilders.com/mb3.cfm?recno=12
You will discover what you are missing and why it's not working, and what to do until it works.

We listened to MB radio and had a subscription. If it was related to something she needed to work on we would end up arguing about it. I suggested we both pick ones to have the other one listen to that we thought were areas they needed to address; that didn't work since she would disagree that she needed to work on those areas or that she was trying.

Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 20,479
Likes: 6
B
Member
Member
B Offline
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 20,479
Likes: 6
Originally Posted by givnup
Typically we don't have the opportunity to renegotiate because she goes ahead and does what she had decided. I usually find out after she has already done something else.
Her most important EN was Financial Security and I have worked hard to provide that. She has been a stay at home Mom for 13 years while I worked to provide the house and lifestyle she wanted. He other major EN was recreational companionship but she would not work to make time for that.
As far as what I want her to follow through. She has agreed to follow Harley 8 or 9 times but as soon as she doesn't follow through on POJA and I point it out, she says she wants to quit. One time she said she would only agree to follow the parts that she wanted to do and not POJA.
I am really at a loss.
Can you do the online program? So you could have a coach to guide you?

Or call the MB coaching center?


FWW/BW (me)
WH
2nd M for both
Blended Family with 7 kids between us
Too much hurt and pain on both sides that my brain hurts just thinking about it all.



Joined: May 2013
Posts: 8
G
Junior Member
Junior Member
G Offline
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 8
Originally Posted by BrainHurts
Originally Posted by givnup
Typically we don't have the opportunity to renegotiate because she goes ahead and does what she had decided. I usually find out after she has already done something else.
Her most important EN was Financial Security and I have worked hard to provide that. She has been a stay at home Mom for 13 years while I worked to provide the house and lifestyle she wanted. He other major EN was recreational companionship but she would not work to make time for that.
As far as what I want her to follow through. She has agreed to follow Harley 8 or 9 times but as soon as she doesn't follow through on POJA and I point it out, she says she wants to quit. One time she said she would only agree to follow the parts that she wanted to do and not POJA.
I am really at a loss.
Can you do the online program? So you could have a coach to guide you?

Or call the MB coaching center?

Does the coaching really help? My wife knows what to do but just won't do it.

Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 20,479
Likes: 6
B
Member
Member
B Offline
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 20,479
Likes: 6
Originally Posted by givnup
Originally Posted by BrainHurts
Originally Posted by givnup
Typically we don't have the opportunity to renegotiate because she goes ahead and does what she had decided. I usually find out after she has already done something else.
Her most important EN was Financial Security and I have worked hard to provide that. She has been a stay at home Mom for 13 years while I worked to provide the house and lifestyle she wanted. He other major EN was recreational companionship but she would not work to make time for that.
As far as what I want her to follow through. She has agreed to follow Harley 8 or 9 times but as soon as she doesn't follow through on POJA and I point it out, she says she wants to quit. One time she said she would only agree to follow the parts that she wanted to do and not POJA.
I am really at a loss.
Can you do the online program? So you could have a coach to guide you?

Or call the MB coaching center?

Does the coaching really help? My wife knows what to do but just won't do it.
Yes it does.

Steve is known to be very good to get reluctant spouses involved.


FWW/BW (me)
WH
2nd M for both
Blended Family with 7 kids between us
Too much hurt and pain on both sides that my brain hurts just thinking about it all.



Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,492
M
Member
Member
M Offline
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,492
Coaching gives you someone to keep you accountable. So next time u talk to them you can update them on your homework progress.

Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 92,985
Likes: 1
M
Member
Member
M Offline
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 92,985
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by givnup
Does the coaching really help? My wife knows what to do but just won't do it.

The coaching can make all the difference sometimes. I would get an appointment with Dr Harley's daughter, Dr Jennifer Chalmers and see if she can get through to your wife. The problem is that your wife sees no point in all this because she does not understand how it would benefit her. People buy things when they see a perceived benefit. Dr Chalmers could sell the prospect of having a happy, passionate marriage to your wife. She was able to get through to MrAlias' wife after his 10 years of do-it-yourself didn't work.

I think Dr Chalmers charges $200 a session and it is worth every penny.

If you can just motivate your wife, you could implement the program on your own.


"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
Member
M Offline
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 92,985
Likes: 1
Since his wife is the reluctant one, he should probably ask for Dr Chalmers since she is a woman.


"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: Nov 2010
Posts: 20,479
Likes: 6
B
Member
Member
B Offline
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 20,479
Likes: 6
Originally Posted by MelodyLane
Since his wife is the reluctant one, he should probably ask for Dr Chalmers since she is a woman.
True that.

I would go with Dr. Chalmers.


FWW/BW (me)
WH
2nd M for both
Blended Family with 7 kids between us
Too much hurt and pain on both sides that my brain hurts just thinking about it all.



Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2,589
A
Member
Member
A Offline
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2,589
I agree. Having a coach enabled my H and I to get "un-stuck". Having an outside expert look and comment on what we were doing made all the difference.

AM


BW - 70
WH - 65
M - 35 years
D-day - 17 Apr 08
H broke contact 11/1/09
Back in love after the worst thing that every happened to us.
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,294
M
Member
Member
M Offline
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,294
One of the biggest explanations my W received from Dr J was the differences in the two types of resentment. It was something she must have really never understood or thought of. Yet in a 30 second conversation with Dr J it rang true for my W. She got it and now believes it.

givnup you seem to have a passive aggressive wife or one that doesn't understand what IB does to a M. An accountability coach and a coach that helps explain why all the pieces of this program are essential will be EXTREMELY helpful for you and your M.

Last week Dr. Harley had a great broadcast on passive agressive people and why they do what they do. If someone could post a link to the broadcast for this poster I think it would prove quite helpful.

Last edited by MrAlias; 05/13/13 08:18 AM.

Me: 57 Her: 54
M: 31 years
Kids(DS23, DD20, DS18)
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,294
M
Member
Member
M Offline
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,294
givnup,

It's been a very long time since you've posted. I empathize that you haven't been able to turn things around in your M. Can you tell us what, if anything, you've done in the last 3+ years to change the dynamics of your R?


Me: 57 Her: 54
M: 31 years
Kids(DS23, DD20, DS18)

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Search
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 1,100 guests, and 68 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Newest Members
Zion9038xe, renki, Gocroswell, Allen Inverson, Logan bauer
72,026 Registered Users
Latest Posts
Help: I Don't Like Being Around My Wife
by rossini - 07/20/25 10:36 AM
How important is it to get the whole story?
by leemc - 07/18/25 10:58 AM
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
Spying husband arrested
by coooper - 06/24/25 09:19 AM
Forum Statistics
Forums67
Topics133,624
Posts2,323,520
Members72,026
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