So I just need to level with someone. I need help

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BUDDYBUDDY25

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So here I am …feeling lost.
I’ve been married 12 years. One child. We didn’t have a second because our marriage has been a bit like a roller coaster AND he didn’t want to tempt fate…concerned that we’d have a child with a disability. (we have no risk of that)… I am 38 and WANT another child before it’s too late.
We’ve gone to counseling. LOTS of drama filled history. But, today - we sit - rarely have s*x. I don’t really initiate anymore, because it just seems like it will be more robotic stuff. Our physical history is not good… both victims of previous abuse. (Yes, we’ve gone to therapy, but I think it still bothers me).
Husband quit his job (I’m the breadwinner) and is trying to do freelance work (starting his own business from home). Wants to work from home…is doing that now, but still wants a nanny to help out now. Initially, it was to save us on childcare…even though our son is 8 and gets out of school at 3pm.
We are broke. He asked me to file for bankruptcy last year …since most of the debt was in my name. He wanted to save his credit…so we could get cars etc and wouldn’t both be burdened with the bad credit. Well, the bankruptcy was dismissed. I make far too much money…well over 6 figures. Now, I just have outstanding debt…loads of it. And it’s mostly been charged off. I have ZERO credit.
Years ago, he suggested I sue my mother for my father’s life insurance …my Mother does not have a job (never has) and she was living off of it. I said no…
He wants to sue for everything lately. We moved into a house that had mold last summer. We had a mold test done – it showed positive, but the landlord thought my husband was such pain in the arse that he told us he would refund our security deposit and he wanted us to move instead of fixing it. My husband filed suit against him and that’s still pending.
Then, we moved into another house (lease) and it had bad plumbing – sewage leaking from ceiling – and while they fixed it – he filed suit against them. That’s also still pending.
He called a news reporter on that story and begged that they do a report. The reporter said he would need to name me (I have a public job) and I said no. Husband is upset that I won’t do the story. I said my bankruptcy etc could get out in the media and I can’t risk that. He just doesn’t seem to get it.
So, now I sit angry, resentful. He’s home all day “doing accounting” even though our home office looks like a kindergartener did the filings. It’s a mess. He’s lost the business checkbook…
and last night, I asked him to do me one favor. The deadline was last night at midnight. He “forgot” and the whole thing ended up without my entry…
I have talked to him about this and he seems to let it go in one ear and out the other. He makes me dinners often… when I get home from work, but that’s about it. After our son falls asleep, he usually drinks wine and falls asleep too.
I wanted to bring an organizer in to get the bills and paperwork set up properly and he said no…he’d handle it. Yet, he spent the weekend scrubbing the driveway to make it look cleaner. I sometimes want to strangle him.
Am I out of bounds? Or would this make someone want to run for the hills?

I have been advised several times to file for divorce – and I have always tried to hold out.
 
You’re not ‘out of bounds’. You are quite reasonable in feeling upset and betrayed in this very unequal marriage.
I can’t stay to give a full answer as we’re going to help my son, but I’ll be praying for you.
Please don’t allow your husband to persudae you of anything against your better judgement.

How will you protect your child against your husband’s poor modeling. Believe me, it does affect the children even if you try to counter it. The child sees more than you think and it helps to form the child’s worldview, and approach to relationships.

Have you spoken to a wise priest about everything?
God bless you dear soul.
 
thanks so much.

Yes we went to a priest a few months ago and the priest told us we needed to have s*x more often and that would help everything…he said it all starts with physical intimacy.

Let me tell you that made me very angry…and hurt.

As for my husband…here’s my concern.

He has changed me…I am not the daughter my father raised. I too find myself acting and thinking like him.

And I have become spineless …I have no real fight left in me to do what’s right. For example, I was raised to be a person who paid their bills and didn’t skate out of anything… and all of this has really changed me.

I have changed. I don’t know how to go back to the person I used to be…It’s so much easier just going along with everything.

My husband doesn’t really spend much anymore…he just is… and all of our debts are just hanging there.

He doesn’t want me to pay them back…but when it comes to HIM…he wants a spotless credit history and no debt in his name.

It’s hard…because…I don’t think he’s a bad guy …per say. But, I think I’ve lost my objectivity. We have a son…who asked me the other day when I was suing ___ __. I thought WTF are we doing…he thinks we are going to SUE EVERYONE.

A child should not hear this stuff…imo. Am I wrong? Divorce won’t necessarily solve this though because my husband would still be around our son… I am the only one with full time work…so he’d probably get more time with HIM!
 
thanks so much.

Yes we went to a priest a few months ago and the priest told us we needed to have s*x more often and that would help everything…he said it all starts with physical intimacy.

Let me tell you that made me very angry…and hurt.

As for my husband…here’s my concern.

He has changed me…I am not the daughter my father raised. I too find myself acting and thinking like him.

And I have become spineless …I have no real fight left in me to do what’s right. For example, I was raised to be a person who paid their bills and didn’t skate out of anything… and all of this has really changed me.

I have changed. I don’t know how to go back to the person I used to be…It’s so much easier just going along with everything.

My husband doesn’t really spend much anymore…he just is… and all of our debts are just hanging there.

He doesn’t want me to pay them back…but when it comes to HIM…he wants a spotless credit history and no debt in his name.

It’s hard…because…I don’t think he’s a bad guy …per say. But, I think I’ve lost my objectivity. We have a son…who asked me the other day when I was suing ___ __. I thought WTF are we doing…he thinks we are going to SUE EVERYONE.

A child should not hear this stuff…imo. Am I wrong? Divorce won’t necessarily solve this though because my husband would still be around our son… I am the only one with full time work…so he’d probably get more time with HIM!
i’m sorry to say this but i don’t think the advice your priest gave you was the best honestly, there is way more going on here than just lack of physical intimacy. in fact, i feel like just the opposite happened, you don’t feel like being intimate because of all these problems.

maybe you can try and make a list of all the things you need to get sorted out and start from there? or perhaps convince your husband to go to marriage counselling?

i will also pray for you.
 
Oh man. This story is MY story. My late husband was identical in temperament, crazy debt-reducing schemes, wanting to raid the relatives, falsifying info to get credit cards, took out many lines of credit in MY name…all the while preserving “his” good name. At one point I was carrying the family on 3 jobs while he was a “consultant” at home.
He would go on interviews and I would ask “how did it go?” His response was often…“can you believe those ------'s wanted me to work for 45 grand? I told them where to stick it!”
Meanwhile, I was bringing in far less with 3 jobs. But that was OK for me. 😦

Dear one.
Don’t put up with it anymore. Seek help. Confide in people that can help you. No need to be embarrassed at work. When everything blew up in my life I can’t tell you how many people said “Why didn’t you say something? We would have helped!”

I always thought it would be worse if everybody knew.
It would have been better because it would have forced his hand. He would have had to straighten up and fly right.

By the time I finally left, (at the urging of the police) he finally admitted he had a drinking and money problem. He begged me to come back, and I realized it was a chance to do right by my daughters. I left. He threatened to kill us all.

You will be ok on your own. Really. Nobody wants you to live like this. Dishonesty will get you into more trouble. Tell him to get help OR ELSE.
And stick to it.

PM me if you wish.
I’ll be sure to pray for you…ask Our Lady for strength.
It won’t get better until you make a move.
I don’t know if your situation will end up better.
But I do know it will likely only get worse.
I’m not saying this to hurt you, but I feel deeply your pain.
God bless you…
 
BUDDYBUDDY25 said:

“He’s lost the business checkbook…
and last night, I asked him to do me one favor. The deadline was last night at midnight. He “forgot” and the whole thing ended up without my entry…”

You’ve posted your story before under a different user name or different user names, I believe.

As before, don’t involve your husband in your work life at all. Keep those two things totally separate.

When you have time, take your husband to a personal finance class, for instance Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace University.” Go to every single class. Here are the basic Baby Steps from the program:

daveramsey.com/new/baby-steps/

If you can’t do the class, DR’s book “The Total Money Makeover” will be the best $10-15 you ever spend. If you work through the Baby Steps, you will find your life getting better and better and you’ll find yourself again. Whether or not your husband will be coming along with you is a different question.

Tell your husband that if he sues anybody else without your permission or makes any large expenditures without your agreement, you will file for legal separation.
 
Well, in all honesty, I don’t believe my husband would ever falsify documents. In fact, I have had to apply for credit in HIS name before… Because he would not help me and my credit is ruined.

He doesn’t gamble or anything but I keep thinking I’m stuck in a bad trap.

Not sure if it’s my mental state but I feel like all we do is get up. Get kiddo to school. I work. He doesn’t. He texts me all day with negativity or bad commentary about whatever he sees that he can complain about. Then he drinks 3 to 4 glasses of wine (as do I now ) and we fall asleep. I wake up feeling like hell and as if I’m trapped in ground hog day.

He has gotten some freelance work but my husband did the same as yours… He interviewed for jobs and complained about the interview and the low ball offers. He just did that last week and turned down the job.

Yes he MAY make more but who knows!
 
I’m concerned about his mental health. He’s not behaving quite rationally, and perhaps as time has gone by, it’s gradually gotten worse and it’s not evident to you since you are with him so closely day after day. I might suggest a break of some sort, and/or a chance for him to have a full physical including some discussion about his schemes and irrational expectations. It’s possible that some medication will help adjust his brain chemistry and he’ll think clearer and things will improve.
in the meantime, pray, and put your son’s well being first.
 
Can you tell me specifically which actions sound mentally unstable?

I have grown close to the situation and have trouble sometimes seeing the problems.

He won’t go back to therapy again.

The housing stuff is a mess. But it may be normal?

First house has mold. He complains a lot to landlord. Landlord gets ticked and tells us we have to move. He hates us. He refunds security deposit. And husband sues.

Then second house. It had new renovations and major plumbing problems. The city shut the house down for repairs but landlord put us up in temporary housing. We move out because lady said more long term work needed to be done. We move and he sues that lady for retaliation. (She did lock us out during repairs).

He calls reporter in town to try to get pressure on landlord to pay us our security deposit back. I say no to media coverage. He is still trying to get me to consider it…

He is working from home. But really only gets a couple jobs a month. He is making decent money. But it’s cash. So I’ve been insisting on an accountant.
 
Well, in all honesty, I don’t believe my husband would ever falsify documents. In fact, I have had to apply for credit in HIS name before… Because he would not help me and my credit is ruined.

He doesn’t gamble or anything but I keep thinking I’m stuck in a bad trap.

Not sure if it’s my mental state but I feel like all we do is get up. Get kiddo to school. I work. He doesn’t. He texts me all day with negativity or bad commentary about whatever he sees that he can complain about. Then he drinks 3 to 4 glasses of wine (as do I now ) and we fall asleep. I wake up feeling like hell and as if I’m trapped in ground hog day.

**He has gotten some freelance work but my husband did the same as yours… He interviewed for jobs and complained about the interview and the low ball offers. He just did that last week and turned down the job. **

Yes he MAY make more but who knows!
Stop excusing him. He turned down the offers because he doesn’t want to deal with his problems, and you are more than willing to carry the load yourself.
Expect nothing to change unless you force the issue.
He is hiding from the truth. Hiding in excuses and a bottle.
The way to feel un-trapped is to extricate yourself.
You know this. You’re hoping someone will tell you otherwise, because you too, want an easier answer.
At some point, it boils down to protecting your son. What is his image of a good husband, do you think?
He does not want his mother to suffer, that’s for sure. He is looking to you for protection and a solution. Because children know where it will surely not come from.
 
This is all very true. But the reality is our son will suffer if I force separation. I can’t afford our house and child are on my own. We are barely getting by.

I love my son so much… And I know my husband loves him too. But it’s all dysfunftional. I now sort of understand why some people just pick up and leave and move across the country and start a whole new life. I’ve thought about it… As crazy as it sounds.

I have no support though. My family is a wreck and my mother is of no help mainly because my husband told her bad things about me (some true ) long ago. We were in a tough place after our son was born and instead of complaining directly to me he called her. Even though they NEVER speak. He was trying to alienate my support system. Then, after he suggested I sue her for my dad’s estate …, she became extremely guarded and never really confides in me.

She’s very religious and judgmental. She has told me divorce is a mortal sin. I know it’s not, but that is her belief.
 
She’s very religious and judgmental. She has told me divorce is a mortal sin. I know it’s not, but that is her belief.
You know who else is “very religious and judgmental” and who else thinks “divorce is a mortal sin”? Jesus Christ, aka GOD. But maybe that’s just His “belief”?
 
You know who else is “very religious and judgmental” and who else thinks “divorce is a mortal sin”? Jesus Christ, aka GOD. But maybe that’s just His “belief”?
What Christ said and what the Church condemns is divorce *and remarriage *without annullment.

The Churc h realizes that sometimes couples need to be separate and sometimes that requires legal protection.
 
You can get a lot of feedback and support here, but honestly what you need (besides prayer) is counseling for you (regardless of what your husband decides). You really need to do this for you…your dignity and mental health is a stake. How can we be positive role models for our kids when we’re sinking? Your son needs at least one grounded parent and looks like you are the one. Perhaps your priest could recommend a good Christian counselor.

I’ll be praying for you and your family. There is absolutely hope!
 
Lori,
You have written here many times about your problems and received a lot of similar answers: your husband will continue to take advantage of you for as long as you will let him. If you do not want him to take advantage of you anymore, you must take some steps to make him stop.

Right now, why should he change? He doesn’t have to work much, he can rely on your income, he can spend thousands with lawyers “suing” people, what a life!

He’s figured out exactlt how to get you to do what he wants: he fixes you dinner when things get tight. He acts all pouty and mad when he doesn’t get what he wants or thinks that you might actually put your foot down.

You make 6 figures: you should be able to support your son and yourself on that.

Go to a lawyer and find out what you need to do to get control of your money and your credit so your husband can’t abuse it any more. Because this will never get better until you do that. You will never get out of debt until you make it so he can’t run up *your *debt while keeping his history clean.
 
So you write about all this dysfunctional stuff and yet you think your son is better off in that environment?

OK. I’m out.

Divorce is not a mortal sin, by the way. Taking up with another man before getting an annulment is.
 
What Christ said and what the Church condemns is divorce *and remarriage *without annullment.

The Churc h realizes that sometimes couples need to be separate and sometimes that requires legal protection.
Not exactly. Christ, in Mark 10, says, "But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. "For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh; consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

Divorce is impossible. Plain and simple. Marrying a “divorced” person is gravely sinful because they are still married, divorce being impossible.

The Church recognizes the unfortunate necessity that some couple under certain conditions might not be able to live together, but they are not divorced.
 
Not exactly. Christ, in Mark 10, says, "But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. "For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh; consequently they are no longer two, but one flesh. “What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.”

Divorce is impossible. Plain and simple. Marrying a “divorced” person is gravely sinful because they are still married, divorce being impossible.

The Church recognizes the unfortunate necessity that some couple under certain conditions might not be able to live together, but they are not divorced.
Here’s what Apologist Fr. Grodin has to say about Divorce and the Catholic person:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=11064773&highlight=Divorce#post11064773
 
I understand that it may seem cut and dry…to some. But, when you are IN it…and you know that your spouse isn’t ALL bad…you question your own beliefs and judgment.

And I don’t know if it would be best for me to take our son from his father…

Here’s what I CAN tell you…my husband would get split custody. I’d lose my son half the time… and we’d all live a far less comfortable life…because we’d be struggling even MORE financially.

Do I want that? No… But, if it sounds to others like I am being a bad person/parent for “staying” in this… then I will need to reevaluate my thoughts and beliefs.

My son said to me this morning…“Mom I wish there was a school for Daddy to go to so he wouldn’t be so mad all the time…”…

THAT scared me. Many times my son isn’t listening and he deserves the constant nagging he’s receiving…but it sounds like he’s noticing it more and more…

I don’t know what to do… other than to begin realizing I need more help than I think I do…
So you write about all this dysfunctional stuff and yet you think your son is better off in that environment?

OK. I’m out.

Divorce is not a mortal sin, by the way. Taking up with another man before getting an annulment is.
 
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