Abuse Hides in the Dark. Turn on Your Light.

You’re A Wife and Mom First

portrait of author on left, mid-section red tints, on the right there's an excerpt from "My Abusive Marriage...and what i'm doing in it"

“Improving our own attitudes and our own state of mind takes time. Haste and impatience can only defeat our purpose.”

Al-Anon

Right now, while I am trying new things to improve my life, I can’t be too hard on myself.

I am trying to develop some control in my life, but in doing so, I overdo it a lot. I wonder if that’s why I’ve failed before. Not because I lost interest, but because I am not perfect from the beginning.

Where did I get the idea that I have to be good or perfect at everything?

I cannot study when Will is here. He acts like a four-year-old, demanding my attention for, excuse me, stupid things. Watch this commercial, let me tell you a joke, where is the toilet paper, and on and on and on. Ridiculous.

Eddie gives me more peace to do my work, so I’ll study during the day when Will isn’t here.


NOTE MAY 30, 2012

When I went back to school I didn’t consult Will. I just did it. He said, “Well, all right. But I hope you don’t forget you’re a wife and mother first.” As if I could forget that.

Perhaps one of the reasons I stayed in my abusive marriage was because I wanted to get it right. Before Will, I hadn’t failed at anything important to me. My marriage was important to me. I put pressure on myself to make it work. Failure, I thought, would kill me.

See also:

Advice from My Guardian Angel
Underlying Anger
No Choice In The Matter