Husband’s texts when I was out of town

[Anonymous]

^rejection sensitivity

[Anonymous]

OMG I can't get past page two of this thread. Who the heck are you people. The kind of conversation OP had with the kids was the kind of thing that happens with normal healthy people all the time! Saying aw I was hoping to watch that with you is not damaging to kids, guilt tripping or whatever nonsense you PPs are going on about? WTF?

OP, your husband is totally wrong.

[Anonymous]

Don’t guilt your kids grow the f up.

Why are you texting so much. If my H felt the need to block my texts I’d evaluate my texting not his reaction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG I can't get past page two of this thread. Who the heck are you people. The kind of conversation OP had with the kids was the kind of thing that happens with normal healthy people all the time! Saying aw I was hoping to watch that with you is not damaging to kids, guilt tripping or whatever nonsense you PPs are going on about? WTF?

OP, your husband is totally wrong.

No it’s not normal. Oh dang catch me up is normal.

But that’s our show pick a different one to watch with dad is f’d up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG I can't get past page two of this thread. Who the heck are you people. The kind of conversation OP had with the kids was the kind of thing that happens with normal healthy people all the time! Saying aw I was hoping to watch that with you is not damaging to kids, guilt tripping or whatever nonsense you PPs are going on about? WTF?

OP, your husband is totally wrong.

No it’s not normal. Oh dang catch me up is normal.

But that’s our show pick a different one to watch with dad is f’d up.

OP here

I did not say that’s our show. I said oh, I wish you had waited to watch that with me. When they said dad said we could watch, I said why don’t you pick a different show to do with him? To which they said yeah sure! We always watch X with him. I said great show. End of conversation.

Re: context, dad has insisted that his activities with them are his and I’m not to interrupt or join in or take them to do stuff that is “his” stuff. So I started watching my own show with them.

Anyway. There are much

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG I can't get past page two of this thread. Who the heck are you people. The kind of conversation OP had with the kids was the kind of thing that happens with normal healthy people all the time! Saying aw I was hoping to watch that with you is not damaging to kids, guilt tripping or whatever nonsense you PPs are going on about? WTF?

OP, your husband is totally wrong.

I get what you are saying here, and you would be right if they were getting along, but these are two people who were recently separated and have a ton of animosity.

[Anonymous]

Get a divorce already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You were very much in the wrong.

Your husband blocking texts is immature, uncalled for and destructive. My significant other does this. It isn’t okay.

You can only control you. If you want this relationship to continue, do not tell your kids that they are bad for interacting with him. It is horribly destructive to them, to their relationship with their father and of course to your relationship with him. Grow up and catch up alone. Your comments to the kids were just asking for a divorce.

I think DH was more in the wrong. What OP said with her kids would be no big deal in a healthy relationship. However, OP should be aware that she is not in a healthy relationship and anything she says might be used against her or assumed as an attack. Given this, she does have to be very careful about anything she says to DH or the kids.

I would not want to have to go through my marriage walking on eggshells like this but hopefully you can eventually work to move past this very tense time in your marriage.

OP here

Thank you. Yes, I should be more careful.

I have tiptoed around his moods for years now and I think I am just reaching a point where I can’t take it anymore, after several recent incidents that were more like a 8/9 on the scale of tantrums (let’s call this a 1/2).

So I need to figure out how to work this out without losing myself. Other people suggest detach and just grey rock. I’ve tried that. I’ve tried also placating him and giving him everything he wants. Both result in escalation of this behavior. The only thing that has helped so far is getting a male therapist from the same background as him, and actually being quite direct with him about what behavior I won’t tolerate anymore (eg threats, harassment, shouting/screaming, all of the above in front of the kids). That has cut down a lot of the issues. So while I don’t want to be confrontational, I feel like firm boundaries in this situation are a must.

Several therapists who I showed our correspondence to suggested BPD as a possible diagnosis. Whether there is a mental health component or not is irrelevant to the boundary issue.

BPD for you or your Dh? Why are you diagnosis shopping? For another person?

No therapist should be even discussing diagnosis of husband when they have never met him? It’s you they should be looking at if you’re seeking help, perhaps for codependency. I’d run from anyone doing anything but addressing you.

The fact you’re out there doing this makes their rest of your story less credible, IMHO. Like yes, he’s doing this stuff, but for reasons not outlined or divulged
in your posts.

He lost it during COVID and became more and more volatile. After several incoherent rants and explosions including threats to call police (witnessed by my family) I became pretty concerned about him. He quit his therapy that he had been attending for over ten years. I talked with friends who are therapists to see what we were dealing with. It was actually helpful to get that possibility on the table because I was so disoriented by the behavior. Once I realized what to expect it became more manageable in my head.

However I don’t believe it is BPD, I think there is unresolved PTSD (and one friend said BPD is actually a controversial diagnosis and it may just be trauma — I don’t know, I’m not a doctor). All I know is the most volatile behavior has resolved with starting with this male couples therapist. The others who are women he ranted and yelled over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG I can't get past page two of this thread. Who the heck are you people. The kind of conversation OP had with the kids was the kind of thing that happens with normal healthy people all the time! Saying aw I was hoping to watch that with you is not damaging to kids, guilt tripping or whatever nonsense you PPs are going on about? WTF?

OP, your husband is totally wrong.

I had the same reaction but I think we have to remember that they are not in a healthy happy marriage where positive intent is assumed and everyone can relax around each other. If someone is looking for a way to be offended they will find one.

In any case I would be deeply unhappy in this marriage and I guess would just minimize contact as much as possible until I could get out, living this way sounds hellish

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG I can't get past page two of this thread. Who the heck are you people. The kind of conversation OP had with the kids was the kind of thing that happens with normal healthy people all the time! Saying aw I was hoping to watch that with you is not damaging to kids, guilt tripping or whatever nonsense you PPs are going on about? WTF?

OP, your husband is totally wrong.

I had the same reaction but I think we have to remember that they are not in a healthy happy marriage where positive intent is assumed and everyone can relax around each other. If someone is looking for a way to be offended they will find one.

In any case I would be deeply unhappy in this marriage and I guess would just minimize contact as much as possible until I could get out, living this way sounds hellish

OP here.

Yes this is what it is. I’m so tired of living with someone who assumes bad intent. This was what the therapists who I showed the correspondence flagged as a sign of BPD (splitting). It was much more extreme before. Like very innocuous things would result in paranoid outbursts and threats to call police.

I set up the parenting schedule as a way to minimize contact. I tried to get a ground rules agreement on communication for the same reason but haven’t been successful yet.

I know it’s awful. I am trying to buy time to figure out the best way out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP above. Just to clarify, I think his blocking you was an overreaction, I think his text was fine.

Agreed. You were sort of puttting the kids in the middle. Making them feel guilty about doing something with the parent who they were with. Not a great instinct on your part.

(But he should not block or yell).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You were very much in the wrong.

Your husband blocking texts is immature, uncalled for and destructive. My significant other does this. It isn’t okay.

You can only control you. If you want this relationship to continue, do not tell your kids that they are bad for interacting with him. It is horribly destructive to them, to their relationship with their father and of course to your relationship with him. Grow up and catch up alone. Your comments to the kids were just asking for a divorce.

I think DH was more in the wrong. What OP said with her kids would be no big deal in a healthy relationship. However, OP should be aware that she is not in a healthy relationship and anything she says might be used against her or assumed as an attack. Given this, she does have to be very careful about anything she says to DH or the kids.

I would not want to have to go through my marriage walking on eggshells like this but hopefully you can eventually work to move past this very tense time in your marriage.

OP here

Thank you. Yes, I should be more careful.

I have tiptoed around his moods for years now and I think I am just reaching a point where I can’t take it anymore, after several recent incidents that were more like a 8/9 on the scale of tantrums (let’s call this a 1/2).

So I need to figure out how to work this out without losing myself. Other people suggest detach and just grey rock. I’ve tried that. I’ve tried also placating him and giving him everything he wants. Both result in escalation of this behavior. The only thing that has helped so far is getting a male therapist from the same background as him, and actually being quite direct with him about what behavior I won’t tolerate anymore (eg threats, harassment, shouting/screaming, all of the above in front of the kids). That has cut down a lot of the issues. So while I don’t want to be confrontational, I feel like firm boundaries in this situation are a must.

Several therapists who I showed our correspondence to suggested BPD as a possible diagnosis. Whether there is a mental health component or not is irrelevant to the boundary issue.

BPD for you or your Dh? Why are you diagnosis shopping? For another person?

No therapist should be even discussing diagnosis of husband when they have never met him? It’s you they should be looking at if you’re seeking help, perhaps for codependency. I’d run from anyone doing anything but addressing you.

The fact you’re out there doing this makes their rest of your story less credible, IMHO. Like yes, he’s doing this stuff, but for reasons not outlined or divulged
in your posts.

He lost it during COVID and became more and more volatile. After several incoherent rants and explosions including threats to call police (witnessed by my family) I became pretty concerned about him. He quit his therapy that he had been attending for over ten years. I talked with friends who are therapists to see what we were dealing with. It was actually helpful to get that possibility on the table because I was so disoriented by the behavior. Once I realized what to expect it became more manageable in my head.

However I don’t believe it is BPD, I think there is unresolved PTSD (and one friend said BPD is actually a controversial diagnosis and it may just be trauma — I don’t know, I’m not a doctor). All I know is the most volatile behavior has resolved with starting with this male couples therapist. The others who are women he ranted and yelled over.

Difficult situation with an unhealthy, dysfunctional spouse always angry and exploding.

He could have one or more if the following and many are comorbid: bipolar, high functioning autism, borderline, narcissism, misogyny.

Unmasking in front of your extended family is the next step. He won’t in front of his, needs his fake ego and image preserved.

His final step is to play the victim and file for divorce because *he* is miserable. Nevermind how he mistreated and verbally abused everyone for years.

[Anonymous]

Everyone is catching on to him, he will exit stage left soon.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like an overreaction until you learn about the million other annoying things OP does.

[Anonymous]

I think your husband is an AH, but I also think your conversation with the kids was inappropriate for elementary kids.

Kids - we watched X show with Daddy!
You to kids - How fun! I’ll have to catch to you, don’t tell me what happens!
You to spouse - Hey, kids said they watched X show. I was watching that with them. Can you hold off on watching any more episodes before I get home? Sorry I didn’t tell you that be fire I left.