Dear Naomi, your comment " I believe most women, not all, who are with abusive men like myself are truly good hearted, extremely strong, and the most giving women around and most know that no one else can love such a man but yet at the same time we unrealistically think that maybe he will change with our endless extraordinary efforts" really struck a chord in me because I have always believed that to be true.
I always told my mom, who was so loving mother, that she raised me & my brother to be too loving and too nurturing. We are both the "fixers" in our marriages. We try to fix our spouses' ugly issues. Meaning their nasty personalities.
You are correct. We are extremely good hearted and strong. We are also too forgiving and understanding. Unfortunately, the ugly spouse do not change. If like mine, it sneaks out REAL slow and would always apologize. Then one day, the apologies just stopped & his nastiness became more frequent throughout the years. Eventually, it became a way of life, for the entire family. I have been the fixer and referee for years, hoping to keep stability within the family.
Well tonight, I apologized to my son because today was really bad & I really realized I did it all wrong for these past 8 years (that's when everything stated to get worse). I should have left my husband. My son should not have gone through any of this. He deserve a father who thinks the world of him. Instead, he as to deal with this ugly abusive person for a father.
My husband is such a failure. He has driven away the only ones who truly love him, his family. I have many loose ends to wrap up and I need an exit strategy, but I hope to be free of him by mid-summer.
Please, follow my lead Naomi. We all deserve better. Life is too short to waste more of our precious time with these nasty mentally ill spouses/partners.
Good Luck💖