Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have been married for 16 years and have 3 kids, ranging in age from 9 to 15. I recently started going to therapy to deal with ongoing issues in my marriage. DH will only go to couple's counseling if I drag him so I decided to go on my own. My therapist calls DH's behavior toward the kids and particularly me, emotionally and verbally abusive. I have been processing it all and am trying to determine how I've put up with it for so long, is it really emotional abuse, are my kids going to be ok, and should I leave now or try to wait until the kids are out of the hodcuse.
Here are some examples of DH's behavior- mocks/mimics the kids; if I bring up a serious topic he doesn't want to discuss, he'll accuse me of 'liking drama', or he'll accuse me of trying to ruin his night, or he'll get up and leave the room. He has also left me at restaurants multiple times, has shushed me if I bring up an emotional issue, and does a barking sound (in front of the kids) if he thinks I'm nagging. He's also emotionally shut off in general and takes his work stress out on us. We walk on eggshells. After reading other's experiences on here, I do think he has ASD but that is another topic. Right now I would just appreciate feedback from others who have been in a similar situation with a spouse who was emotionally/verbally abusive and what did you do?
Do you think you are more drama than most people? Did you marry him because you thought he was stoic? I just think it's hard to figure this stuff out if you haven't made any changes yourself. How would we know if you should divorce? It's a huge decision. Especially with children. This seems small potatoes compared to other people's issues. I'd work on the issues first. Both of you.
I have a friend I love dearly but she is full of drama naturally and the husband bears a lot of her anxiety. Luckily, they both want to make it work and have worked hard on the marriage together.