"Not In Love Anymore" - another update

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Irish_Becca

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I think some of you might remember my previous posts, and I just wanted to tell you the outcome of my situation with my husband. He went from holding it together, trying to live for God and his family, doing well in the military and school, to not caring about work, drinking like a fish, spending all day sleeping and all night partying with his friends, leaving me to handle the kids and the house alone, and wanting to cross-dress. He had a terrible childhood, and has used that all throughout our relationship to get his way, or guilt me into excusing his bad behavior and choices. In the beginning of our relationsip, we were both drinking a lot and had fallen away from the Church. After our first son was born, we both made a new commitment to our faith, grew together in our marriage, made some great Christian friends, listened to wonderful Catholic music together, were very involved in our parish - taught RCIA together, for instance. Then he quit going to Church, and everything changed.

This last Christmas, I found a stash of devices he had purchased from a porn shop off base, and that he had been looking up information about sex changes. I also found an email he had received from a woman we knew, who was married to my husband’s best friend. In it, she was begging him to come to her house that night and hold her all night long, talking about how much she loved him, etc. This resulted in both of them denying anything was going on, that she had “accidentally” fallen in love with my husband, and wrote that email one night when she was drunk. As usual, I chose to believe my husband, even though things didn’t add up. I decided to once again, take my boys and get the heck out of the painful situation. But, my husband quit drinking, and I told him that I could accept limited crossdressing, and that I never, ever wanted the boys to find out, and that I never, ever wanted things to go public. He wholeheartedly agreed.

I still came back to my parents house, worked on my education, and we talked on the phone almost every day. I was maintaining hope, pushing the email from the woman out of my head, and looking forward to a fresh start at a new base. But when he got here, he was wearing mascara and womens’ jewelry. Also, he had gotten some tattoos, and piercings in his private parts. It was very disturbing to me, but again, I am trying to keep a family together, trying to hold true to my vow to him. The marriage really felt “over” that night, but I tried to reason it away. Then while at my parents Catholic home, he was leaving his dirty womens’ underwear laying around the house - once in my parents’ bedroom. Twice I had to pick it up and put it away. Then he was wearing nighties to bed, and our three-year-old son came running into our bedroom in the morning, as children do, and I had to hurry up and cover my husband up so my son didn’t see.

I gave him an ultimatum - limit the crossdressing to two or three times a month in the privacy of our bedroom, or this marriage wasn’t going to work. After taking a couple of days to think about it, he asked me how I would like to suppress an important part of my personality to a few hours a month, and that he wouldn’t be happy with that. He couldn’t do that for us.

In addition, I found pictures of himself he had taken, dressed up and posing, set to fashion-type music. I also found a letter he had written to someone in March or April, talking about all this deep emotional stuff, how he was in love with this person, how he missed this person even when they were together because it was all going to end, and how it killed him that he had to leave them behind when he left Japan. This was written while he was in Japan, and I here in Ohio, waiting to go to our next base together. He keeps insisting that the letter was meant for me and that he thought he sent it to me. He keeps insisting that he has always been faithful to me. But it just doesn’t add up, and this is not the first time stories about his fidelity - or lack of - haven’t added up.

So, we are filing for a legal separation. I told him last night that he really let me down and I was incredibly disappointed. How we could have gone from wanting 5 kids and me homeschooling them to this is just beyond me. I gave him every opportunity, every benefit of the doubt, every encouragement - I have always been faithful, done the wifely things, held it together while he left us to go drinking and hang out with his buddies. I have put the rearing of the kids before my needs, and happily so. For eight years, I stood by his side and believed in him when no one else did. I put up with his abandoning what was important, drinking, spending tons of money we didn’t have (our credit cards, which we were paying off, have been maxed out again in the few months I’ve been in Ohio), being kind and trying to be the Proverbial wife. I did what God called me to do - but one dedicated person does not a marriage make, and I can’t risk my kids seeing him dressed up in womens’ clothes, nor can I continue to risk my health with someone who I am 99% sure has been unfaithful to me.

I am asking for your continued prayers for all of us. I know some of you on here will think that I should still stay with him. I am opened to reconciling if he can somehow pull it together, but I just plain think he doesn’t want to. He’s going to be happy with his freedom to do what he wants when he wants, without worrying about what I think, or taking care of a family. I need to get on with my life. I never wanted this and I promise you, there is no one on this planet who wanted this to work more than I did.

I would love to form some nice friendships with good Catholics here on this board. The last two years, especially, have been consumed with these issues, and I haven’t had time for anything else. Please, please pray for us, and thank you for taking the time to read this. God bless.
 
I think you’ve done the right thing, Becca… there comes a point when it’s best to get away from this man for the sake of your children’s well being. I’m so sorry he put you in this situation. 😦

You’ve got my prayers, and I’m sure the prayers of others here. 🙂
 
I apologize for this personal question, but, is your husband, by any chance, named Raziel? Again, I apologize for such a personal question.
 
I know that you are reeling from the pain of this situation and I commend you for sticking with this so long and trying to make it work. Many, many couples struggle through alcoholism (and some even make it to happier times), but the cross-dressing issue is NOT NORMAL. I hope that you have already picked up the paperwork for an annulment.

Praying for you…

Kathy
 
I’m praying for your and your children, and even for your husband too. I am so sorry it ended up this way. But I agree with what others have said, at this point your kids need to be protected from your husband’s behavior and I think you deserve a husband who will love you and make all your sacrafice worth it.
 
I apologize for this personal question, but, is your husband, by any chance, named Raziel? Again, I apologize for such a personal question.
Maybe you had good intention, but I think you should’ve consider the sensitivity of this situation. She has come here to help and it is better to leave her family’s identity unknown to us.

Bottom line, if you insist on asking, ask in private message…don’t mention anybody’s name to this public forum.

Thanks!
 
Becca,

From my previous posts, if you did a search, you would see that I’m almost always the person who says it can work out, that even the occasional failure of will to the view of pornography is easily dealt with etc…

However in your case, in the situation you described, it sounds to me like you have done all that you can. As you said you must protect your children and yourself. I believe you are doing the right thing.

Prayerfully,
Joe
 
I agree with the other posters–I think you have done all you can do and now should protect your children from your husband’s behavior.

You are in my prayers.

KG
 
What a devastating situation to be in, especially with a child. Trust in God and lean on Him through this difficult time. You’ve made some heart-wrenching decisions, but have peace knowing there was nothing else YOU could have done.

You have my prayers!
 
I’m so sorry hun :console:

It sounds like you did your absolute best to stick it out and try to make it work. Offering the compromise you did on the crossdressing was more than fair.

Even disregarding that, it sounds like there were enough other issues going on with him personally that (and I don’t mean to be condescending when I say this) you were really in over your head as far as what you could do to help him.

In the end, perhaps seperating and taking the kids is the kindest thing you could do not only for yourself and your children but for him as well.

God willing, through your actions he will begin to recognize his self destructive behaviors have very real and negative consequences, and maybe begin to try to turn them around.

You did everything you could to make it work, now you have to let him try to work things out for himself and focus on your children, who can’t help themselves or do anything to alter the behavior of adults.
 
I think you’ve done the right thing, Becca… there comes a point when it’s best to get away from this man for the sake of your children’s well being. I’m so sorry he put you in this situation. 😦

You’ve got my prayers, and I’m sure the prayers of others here. 🙂
Thank you so much. That means so much to me!!!
 
I apologize for this personal question, but, is your husband, by any chance, named Raziel? Again, I apologize for such a personal question.
That’s ok - no, unless he’s going by a name I don’t know about.
 
I know that you are reeling from the pain of this situation and I commend you for sticking with this so long and trying to make it work. Many, many couples struggle through alcoholism (and some even make it to happier times), but the cross-dressing issue is NOT NORMAL. I hope that you have already picked up the paperwork for an annulment.

Praying for you…

Kathy
Thank you, Kathy… I would gladly and lovingly help an addict through to recovery. I have tried to help my husband over and over, but I have finally come to the conclusion that there’s something wrong, not normal. Also, I think he is just happy to be in the constant victim role. I haven’t picked up the annullement paperwork yet - I am just taking things one step at a time, trying not to become overwhelmed.
 
Maybe you had good intention, but I think you should’ve consider the sensitivity of this situation. She has come here to help and it is better to leave her family’s identity unknown to us.

Bottom line, if you insist on asking, ask in private message…don’t mention anybody’s name to this public forum.

Thanks!
Thank you for your concern, With. 🙂
 
*I am sorry, I also think you’re doing the right thing. You have exhausted your options. Marriage takes two to keep it together, and one to dismantle it…

Your husband does have a responsibilty to helping to support your children, financially though…I would not struggle in that way, while he blows his money on fun and parties. No, if he wants to live like that, it’s his choice, and while I feel sorry for him to a degree, as his childhood sounds like it’s really affected his adultlife, he needs to be responsibile for his children, at least financially. I pray that you find peace. *
 
TO: IRISH BECCA
Your fortitude is to be admired. You have been tested time and time again. You have tried and apparently kept trying. My reading is that you put your children first which is also admirable. These situations have to be more than most of us could tolerate. When I look at my relationship problems, they pale in comparison. Mine is of a loved one letting friends come between our relationship and giving me a lower priority in their life. I’ll certainly pray for you. Here’s hoping somehow and someway you make it through this crisis spiritually, emotionally, physically and financially.
 
Becca,

From my previous posts, if you did a search, you would see that I’m almost always the person who says it can work out, that even the occasional failure of will to the view of pornography is easily dealt with etc…

However in your case, in the situation you described, it sounds to me like you have done all that you can. As you said you must protect your children and yourself. I believe you are doing the right thing.

Prayerfully,
Joe
Joe,

Thank you for your encouragement. I also am one who believes that the vast majority of marriages can be worked out. I would give anything for my husband to do what’s right for his wife and kids - ANYTHING. Even put up with limited crossdressing - something that caused me moral difficulty. Many women wouldn’t do the same thing. I would forgive infidelity, work through addiction, be a shoulder to lean on while dealing with the aftermath of an abusive childhood. I have begun to martyr myself to my husband, and underneath it all, I know that he just doesn’t want the responsibility of us. Please pray for us. Thank you so much.
 
Joe,

Thank you for your encouragement. I also am one who believes that the vast majority of marriages can be worked out. I would give anything for my husband to do what’s right for his wife and kids - ANYTHING. Even put up with limited crossdressing - something that caused me moral difficulty. Many women wouldn’t do the same thing. I would forgive infidelity, work through addiction, be a shoulder to lean on while dealing with the aftermath of an abusive childhood. I have begun to martyr myself to my husband, and underneath it all, I know that he just doesn’t want the responsibility of us. Please pray for us. Thank you so much.
Becca, I will!
 
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