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Letting my marriage fall apart

Dixie's picture

Thank you ahead of time for any advice & responses.

I've been married (2nd marriage) almost 10 yrs. I have 4 adult children, all married w/children & working full-time jobs & home mortgages. 

My husband (married 6 times) has 3 adult daughters.

Oldest daughter is married, 3 children, lives w/her husband's parents (does not pay rent, utilities, expenses, etc..).

2nd daughter single, bouncing from job to job, needs help financially often.

3rd daughter single (& child from a married man that has 4 children w/his wife). She's just gotten a job & my husband tends grandchild evenings so daughter can work.

She needs financial help on a regular basis.

History of his daughter's include: using drugs, selling drugs, shoplifting, arrest, job losses, suicide attempts (or threats of), thousands of $ spent on tattoos, false claims of rape & abuse of steparents, teachers, leaders, etc...

When we married, his daughters told me how "they got rid of the past wives before me) in detail by "going behind their dad's back & treating his new wife terribly, then claiming they never did any.

They do this to their step dads, also.

I was next when they turned that same treatment on me. 

It led to me almost leaving & the only way I was willing to stay was to keep our lives separated. 

My husband sees the youngest 2 daughters when I'm at work or away.

Oldest daughter has been tolerable until recently & has visited many times.

Her 3 children 7, 4 & 2 are "disciplined " in a manner that is terribly triggering to me. 

Daughter & her husband (tall, large 6 ft man), hold the 2 oldest children's heads back, put hot sauce or vinegar into their mouths when they "act up & talk back or say no" to their parents).

They plug their nose & hold their mouths shut (rendering their airway closed) until they "swallow ".

The children flail, their arms flying about not wanting to swallow & crying.

This is done *in my home while my husband watches & says *nothing. 

My first marriage was abusive & this behavior is toxic & triggering to me. 

My husband won't support me in not having this done in our home & won't say anything to his adult children....he says it's not my place to request anything. 

Well, after almost a decade of being married I literally begged him to stop this behavior in our home. I cried, I pled, explaining how it effects my soul & that I cannot stand by any longer watching this done to the children....especially in our home.

There are other options such as time out, talking to them,  privileges lost, etc...

Fast forward to them all coming for a visit (which BTW I am never included in, just told).

I asked my husband to please talk to them before the visit to choose an alternative discipline mode or go out of my view if they must.

He said he would...but of course wouldn't...no matter, he just wouldn't help me at all...completely refused as it might upset his daughter. 

So, as the visit crept closer I reached out in a tactful & kind text explaining how I loved them all & looked forward to seeing them, that this behavior was triggering to me personally & could they do it outside or out of my view.

That set off an immediate battle of my husband & them aligned together against me.

They were all angry w/me & they said, "they wouldn't come to the house to see my husband if I was there".

I realize most people would say "okay, don't come then", but I watched while my husband was sad & upset w/me.

I ended up leaving & couch surfing at my parents & adult son's home & hotel room.

Here's the clincher....while I was packing a cooler of food to be away for a full 10 days while they visited...my husband helped me pack the cooler for me. 

It broke my heart. 

He simply couldn't or wouldn't stand up for me. Just a simple, "Hey guys, not a big deal. I'm standing behind my wife on this. We're happy to have you, just please don't do the hot sauce & vinegar while you're here. Love ya".

Nope.... he helped me pack to leave so they would come stay.

It shattered my heart. 

This is the *first time in almost a decade of being married that I've asked them for even one thing...ever, & I learned quickly I stand alone.

I find myself withdrawing from my husband. 

I've canceled going on an upcoming vacation we had planned, because I don't feel trust or closeness with him. 

I feel like he's married to his adult daughters. 

I don't share my feelings or heart anymore with him. 

I'm tired of always taking a backseat to his adult daughters demands & wishes.

At $ going out to them & no retirement $ being saved. At having no say so in visits or how they trash our home when visiting....in essence, they are all okay w/me if I am pleasant & smile & have no wishes or opinion of any kind.

I feel invisible & not valued.

I've plead for literally years that my husband stand behind me, that my husband stand up for me....*he just won't. 

And now I find myself pulling away from him & letting the marriage fall.

We've tried marriage counseling once before, but nothing came of it. 

I met with his last 2 wives & they said the same pattern happened to them. 

I'm to a point of emotionally closing my heart, visiting my own adult children & grandchildren & friends.

Being a "couple" doesn't feel legitimate to me...it feels like, if I'm quiet & stay in my place they are all okay with me.

My husband can be attentive, give gifts, pays the bills, helps me after surgery, etc... but, when it comes to his adult daughters... I'm throw to the side to be on my own alone.

Comments

CLove's picture

Ill share my paddle with you - get thee to a lawyer. Find out what your options are. Dont mention it. Just get the finances separated so he doesnt use your money to finance them.

IDontCare3117's picture

Six failed marriages and they all have one common denominator: your husband.  Even sociopaths and serial killers can be attentive, give gifts, or help pay bills. That doesn't mean they are good people at heart or someone you would want to be married to.  This a$$hole literally helped you pack a cooler since you felt you need to leave your own house because his daughter and her family were invading.  

CLove's advice is heavy duty experience talking.  Follow it.  Get your name off any joint credit cards unless you are the card holder.  If you're the card holder, have his name removed from the account and his card canceled or frozen.If you have any sentimental items in your home, remove them.  Same goes with any valuables.  

Lillywy00's picture

Not only are they causing you emotional distress by making you watch / behave in ways that are alarming to you / make you feel uncomfortable at home (your husband especially knowing you're uncomfortable seeing that type of treatment of those kids) but also they are teetering the thresholds of consequences that can easily lean into the abusive realm.

It's you're home and you shouldn't have to be uncomfortable in your own home. 

Do what is right for you and advocate for more healthier consequences for the kids. Yeah it's tough telling adults how to parent their kids but if you see something seems like it's going or could go overboard then safely intervene if you can. 

justmakingthebest's picture

#1- Remove his name from all accounts that your money is in and get finanical statements dates for that day so you can prove how much was in there at the time he was removed.

#2- Call CPS

#3- Call an attorney

Shieldmaiden's picture

So sorry, Dixie, that you are going through this. i've been through years of this, and it sucks. This is a wound in your marriage that has been bleeding for a long time. Its time to stop the emotional, financial and spiritual bleeding - and end this marriage. I think you have every right to be happy, and this man does not have your back. You deserve better. 

Rags's picture

problem.  Right?

Make better decisions for yourself. Dump this dickhead and his entire shallow and polluted gene pool.

"History of his daughter's include: using drugs, selling drugs, shoplifting, arrest, job losses, suicide attempts (or threats of), thousands of $ spent on tattoos, false claims of rape & abuse of steparents, teachers, leaders, etc..."

Why would you tolerate the failed man, failed husband, and failed father that created this shit storm and then threw you into the middle of it for one minute much less for 10Yrs?

Good luck.

Rumplestiltskin's picture

I wonder if you could get video of this hotsauce waterboarding. That would go a long way in getting CPS to pay attention. Don't do it if it could bring harm to you, though. Obviously it doesn't even work to correct their behavior if they are having to bring the damn bottle and use it everywhere they go. 

I mean, clearly this guy is poor husband material. 6 marriages and at least 2 of them confirmed that his fk'd up relationships with his daughters was the cause? Even the daughters admit this? This is a bad situation. You don't need to learn how to be more accepting, or communicate better, or adjust your expectations. It sounds pretty cut and dry. 

CLove's picture

Record and document and dont stick around or YOU could be blamed for allowing this in your home.

Dixie's picture

I wanted to take the time to thank all of you that have made comments and given advice.

 It's meant a lot to me to see my situation through a different lens than the one I've been viewing through.

I've had an epiphany going way back from my childhood of watching my dad mistreat my mother by way of "checking out, drunken stupers and cheating & not taking any responsibility for any of it".

I think I am familiar with this behavior from childhood and it has led me to tolerate the situation I'm in now for so long & I know I need to STOP accepting this in my life.

I appreciate the caring & understanding. Its meant so much to me & I do not feel so alone anymore.