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Post by LovelyJune on Jan 17, 2011 7:33:43 GMT -8
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Post by brooklynberry on Jan 17, 2011 8:34:07 GMT -8
oh god, I am so sorry you have to deal with this. My bf's ex is insane and I was on the sidelines of her drama all weekend (they have a child together). Luckly it's not like this but it's still really hard to deal with. I understand that feeling of being beat up. I was trembling after witnessing an argument, my adrenaline was through the roof!
I do my best though and vet it all through my sponsor and have set boundaries (she does not have my contact info, I do not enter places where she is, etc.). It's still annoying. My bf is, in general, fabulous with her. She is mentally ill and all I can do is remember she is suffering and have compassion.
Excellent points about core values.
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Post by LovelyJune on Jan 17, 2011 10:41:46 GMT -8
Thanks B'berry. It's definitely a pain, but she kinda comes with the territory, as do his folks. And as long as important, value-based boundaries are kept in place, which they always have been, I'm essentially OK.
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Post by LovelyJune on Jan 17, 2011 10:48:00 GMT -8
Weird how I could draw the line so firmly with my ex and his family (and most other people) but then turn to mush with a POA and all of a sudden be so clueless with regard to my deal-breakers. Even the most recent "deal-breaker" when I found out my ex had an affair...it was a no-brainer for me. One strike and you're out. Kicked him out, filed for divorce and the rest is history. But with the POAs...I can't even count all the chances I gave them, all the hoping that they'd change, etc. Paisley, it's as if you are trying to repair the damage done in your marriage....as if standing up for yourself and maintaining your values was a bad thing that ended the marriage. I hope you know that's not true.
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Post by brooklynberry on Jan 17, 2011 10:49:06 GMT -8
Agreed. It really is always about us. My case is strangely the same and the opposite of yours. His whole family (and him) hate her and she's never around. But when they get going on how awful she is or what she did, etc. it's like I am not there and our relationship doesn't matter. So they're still focused on her, just with negativity (does it ultimately matter?). I find it really disrespectful. I actually left the room over Christmas dinner because of this and the bf has started to make it clear that this isn't ok. I was clear that it made me uncomforable and moving forward I will leave when this takes place. Firm yet clear, which is hard for us codependents.
Sigh. Nothing is ever perfect. But it's not fun. I'll take this over anything I had in my past though!
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Phoenix
Full Member
Newcomer Greeter
All pain that is not transformed is transmitted.
Posts: 234
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Post by Phoenix on Jan 17, 2011 11:16:53 GMT -8
The original post is visible only on your personal blog? Come on now Telmita, you're better than that!
Why not cut & paste if you really want to share? two fingers....two seconds of your time.
I just can't imagine what this message board would be if we all did this....
This smacks of using your position and influence on the board to drive traffic to your personal project and it doesn't feel proper to me..
Is everyone else OK with this?
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Post by LovelyJune on Jan 17, 2011 11:46:37 GMT -8
Oh my! Didn't know anyone took it that seriously. I have NO PROBLEMS cutting and pasting here. I just always figured it didn't matter where it was posted. Also, please remember, I am working on a book and don't always like the idea of reposting "articles". But no biggie...if you'd like it here...here it is:
So yesterday, D’s parents wanted to celebrate his son’s birthday out at a restaurant before they went on vacation. I’m not so sure his parents personally ever invite me to these things as much as D just “tells” them that he’s bringing me along. And of course, the ex is invited. I’m not all that great under these types of circumstances. His parents tend to treat me like the “other woman,” as if I stole their innocent son away from his loving wife. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The ex left D for another man, divorced him, got engaged to this new guy, threatened to move the kids to another state, and then suddenly broke up with the new guy after realizing it was just a crush, and had the nerve to ask D to get back together (I met D six months after his divorce; six months into our relationship, when she said she wanted him back, I said, “go back to her” and meant it, but he had no intentions of ever doing that.) Still, D’s parents invite her over for Christmas dinner (and not me) and sit him at the table beside her as if everything is just the way it used to be.
Anyway, so I go to say hello to D’s dad out in front of the restaurant, and go up to kiss him on the cheek, and he’s looking stone cold straight ahead. By that point I had entered his personal space and couldn’t back out, so I said to him, in a kind of funny way, “I’m trying to kiss you.” He awkwardly leans down and gives me his cheek and after a quick tap, I went inside, mortified.
That shook me up a little, and yet, there was no recovery in sight. At the table, I end up sitting next to D, but across the table from his ex, who, I have to say, was being friendly enough, complimenting me on my hair, etc. But really, just chattering on about superficial things like money, clothes, make-up and so on. She’s a vibrant, dramatic Italian girl, very beautiful, but, a little shallow, and I have to say it, naive for not being so grateful for D when she had him. So, she starts chattering on about D coming over and eating leftovers out of her fridge, and asking him to take pictures of her and their son, calling him by little affectionate terms like “Hey D-boy, would you pass me the salt?” At one point she mentions a couple instances when D got sick in the past, (“Did he tell you about the time when he broke out into hives from eating lobster?” and then there was, ”D doesn’t like spicy food, in fact, he’ll never eat garlic, and I put garlic on everything…” I actually felt like saying, “D actually loves food with garlic on it, as long as he doesn’t know it’s there.” But I kept my mouth shut.)
One hour later it was over, everyone said their goodbyes and we left, heading over my brother and sister-in-law’s house for yet another birthday party. But by this point, I felt completely beat up. I felt uncomfortable, awkward, unwanted, and alien. All my old insecurities came out (I don’t belong here, these people don’t like me, the ex is so much more beautiful than me, I’m a failure). I wanted to bury my head in the sand and hide. I wanted to run away. I certainly didn’t want to stay a second longer than I had to.
I was angry off that D was over his ex’s eating leftovers. Where were his boundaries? I don’t go over my ex’s house and go scavenging through his fridge. OK, so it’s still D’s house where she’s living (they haven’t been able to sell it yet), but still…
Then, I thought I might be overreacting. Not looking at the bigger picture and being grateful. Most of our life together runs smoothly and no relationship can be perfect, right? The trouble is, when you remarry, or date a divorced man with kids, part of the package is having to deal with his parents AND his ex wife. As much as I would love it to be “just us,” that will never happen. I’m in a relationship with her as well. And every kid party or family gathering, I have to deal with her whether I like it or not.
The issue of discomfort here is coming from my own level of immaturity. The kid in me is saying, “No! No! No! I don’t want to ever eat my veggies or tie my shoes or put on that party dress! I want to do what I want, when I want, with whom I want. Period! Now leave me alone.” The adult in me, however, has to have compassion and has to be able to compromise and weigh the scales and enter into a few awkward situations for the sake of her partner. A healthy relationship takes having to bite the bullet sometimes. It’s very important to D that I accompany him to these family events. He feels as though it is support for him and acceptance of his family (despite that they don’t accept me 100%). And here’s the important thing: none of my core values are being jeopardized or relinquished in this situation. I am still intact. My values are still able to come first. The problem isn’t really occurring between D and I either (although he really needs to stay out of his ex’s fridge!). So….as much as I am womaning here about having to put up with tips from the ex on what D does and doesn’t eat, and socially awkward moments between his parents and I, I DO see the bigger picture. I don’t like it, but I am willing to let it drop.
And on that note, here’s my unsolicited advice: write down an example of how you have compromised in a situation and done something you really didn’t want to do. Did you go to a party with a friend when you really didn’t want to? Did you get drunk with your PoA even though you hate to drink and it makes you feel like stuff? Did you have sex with your PoA even though you swore you wouldn’t? Examine if that “thing” you did went against your CORE VALUES or not. If it did, that’s a pretty good indicator that it was the wrong kind of compromise. If it didn’t go against your core values and YOU stayed intact, how did it make you feel? Awkward? Uncomfortable? Bitter? Angry? Do you think the “child” in you is overreacting and that maybe, like me, you simply need to tell yourself “grow up!”? Just because something feels awkward or uncomfortable doesn’t mean the entire relationship is “wrong” or bad. But knowing your values will help you recognize the difference.
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Post by Healing Ku'uipo on Jan 17, 2011 15:51:05 GMT -8
Thanks for sharing this. This Christmas Holiday was tough for me. My X husband and I split 5 years ago and continued to do all Holidays and birthdays together..tough at first but really worked for us and the kids and we are very amicable. So last year my ex sis in law had Christmas dinner at her house...me and our oldest daughter are not invited because she was "bad" in sis in laws eyes. Furious! none of us went. Mom inlaw vowed to have dinner at her house so this would never happen again...this year my exgot married and shes pregnant, I didnt think that changed things cause we all get along..well...xmom in law comes into my work,announces dinner is at her house and Im not invited. I was devestated! I took it personally. I went into 3 days of low self worth and no POA booty call or flirt to try and fill and numb myself. I thought I have been excluded and I have to recover. I ranted...I read...I talked..I processesed...I re evaluated what I needed.. So I invited ex and new wife over for christmas morning presents etc. Held my dignity and values of creating good things for my family. My oldest daughter refused to go over mom in laws for dinner, so we decided to go with my mom to Chinese food. It was fun! We can do it again next year... I went from feeling like a battered little girl to a grown woman. I adjusted. And I didnt act out... One Holiday down... (Not to say I didnt get Low about other things. New Years eve got me at the end ...) But moving further away from my ex-family...that I can do. Changing..I'm learning to do that too.
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Post by love on Jan 17, 2011 15:51:15 GMT -8
Thanks Telmita for reminding us about "core values" too. : )
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oldendances
Full Member
Newcomer Greeter
"Go Placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence"
Posts: 228
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Post by oldendances on Jan 17, 2011 18:09:23 GMT -8
Hi Healing K,
I applaud your ability to rise above and get along with your Ex-H. Especially now that new wife is pregnant...(that can be very difficult for some). You, ex-h, and new wife are showing a great example and creating a core family for your children. Too bad his family couldn't put the children first.
And I too would take it personally if ex-h's mother told me at my job that she was having a party and I was not invited. Uncool!
I too get along with my ex-h. I however am not involved with his family at all. It sounds like that may be a good thing.
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Post by reinventmyself on Jan 18, 2011 9:35:13 GMT -8
My ex H had an ex gf that haunted us throughout our 2yr courtship/16 yr marraige. For the life of me I couldn't understand why my inlaws maintained an open door policy for this person. Was it their appetite for drama or utter cluelessness?
This ex gf had ended the relationship only to want him back when I appeared. When she realized he wasn't coming back she threatened suicide and stalked us relentlessly.
10 yrs into our marriage I recall a family birthday party where the ex gf was invited. I had to endure a day of watching this cat and mouse game as she postured herself all over the back yard to get my H's attention. The day ended with my then mother inlaw playfully laughing in the laundry room as she came upon my ex H and the gf. `no no. . he's married, keep your hands to yourself' my m-inlaw was saying as the ex gf had her hands on my H's face.
What comes to mind as I read your blog Telmita, is that if the situation had been reversed I would NEVER allow my family to be so insensitive to my H. It's disrespectful to me as well if they were to invite an old stalker bf to a family function and keep this person in the `fold'.
I was always disappointed in my ex H for not saying anything or protecting me from this nonsense. I would have done the same for him in a heartbeat had the situation been reversed. But then again he was a egotistical Narcisist and got off on any or all discomfort he could throw my way.
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