Carlize,
Thanks for sharing with us on this board. I can relate to the feelings of being overwhelmed and frustrated, and though I have not experienced anything like what you're going through with your husband, (I'm only 21) I'm sure there are others out there with similar experiences.
I hope that maybe having this diagnosis will help point you in the right direction for making the changes you want to see in your life. That said, it seems like your husband is putting a lot of pressure on you, and you've only recently realized what has been going on with you these past 13 years!
Its really ultimately your husband's decision whether to be proud or not, I'm sure you've met people whom are nearly impossible to please. By focusing on your behaviors that you do not like, you and your husband are both putting you in a really hard spot.
I don't know if you have to forgive yourself for what you've done in the past, but you can accept that it did happen and accept who you are now, even if you'd like it to change. Acceptance (to me) doesn't mean being happy with the situation, but it does mean not beating yourself up about it. You can't change the past. All you can do is make a commitment to doing your best and continuing to try.
I think you need to let your husband know that while he doesn't have to forgive you for what has happened, it is not acceptable for him to pout indefinitely. He needs to be clear about what specific behaviors he wants to see, and he needs to be able to accept that change does not happen overnight. At the same time, I think it is fair that you make a few requests of him, so that he can support you and make things easier.
If possible, I would bring him into a therapy session with you so that you can discuss what would be an amendable compromise, so that, if true peace cannot be made, at least you can live together as respectful adults.
-Bewilderness
_________________ Where are we going, and why am I in this hand basket? This road is paved with good intentions because intent is irrelevant. Not all who burn are witches. Sometimes the best way to get out is to keep going through. Be wild: accept it as it is, for its a bewilderness out there!
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