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    First post, needing advice, just needing to vent

    I really don't know where to start. My bf and I have been dating for almost 2 years. I'm 23 and he is 21 We had become LD after I got accepted into graduate school in a different state, after 8 months of dating CD. Last summer I lived with his family because I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible before we had to be apart. We only have to be apart for 2 years until we both finish school. Everything was great when we were together, but we started fighting while I was staying with his family. I felt like he was just doing exactly what his parents wanted and wasn't taking my opinion or wants into account.

    Well I moved 3 and half hours away and things were a little rocky at first. I am a person that needs quality time to feel loved and LDRs are not good for that. But we adjusted and I drove to see him at least once a month. I kept asking for him to come to see me, as I live alone in an one bedroom apartment and he lives in the dorms with a roommate. He refused to come, and only came twice to see me, saying that it was more convenient for me to come to him, since my classes ended up being online. So I didn't mind going to see him and he was always texting, IMing, Skyping, and calling me. We were both struggling with being apart and helping each other cope with it.

    In December, it was his 21st birthday and I wanted to plan a trip to the beach, since it would be cheaper in the off season. I planned everything out, but I knew that his parents would not be happy about us going to the beach. His mother is very controlling, manipulative, and emotionally abusive. And his father goes along with whatever she says so not to make her angry. She had already told him that she was planning a party with her friends for his birthday. He didn't want to go, so I told him about my beach plan. He said that his mother would never approve, so I emailed her my plan and asked if we could go. I asked to be respectful. The next day I got a call from my bf telling me that his mother had called him and yelled at him for me asking if we could go. He said that she said no, so we couldn't go. I was upset, I had done everything but pay for the hotel. I had everything planned out. But I still went to him for his birthday and we had a nice time.

    Then at New Years, he came to me for 3 days. We had planned for him to stay for a week and then go back to school. But his mother told him that he could not stay for a week and called him after 3 days and demanded he come home. We fought and he ended up leaving because he didn't want to upset her. The same thing happened for Spring Break. I took off work for a week and he came to me for 3 days. We had planned for him to spend his whole break here, but again what we wanted was overridden by his parent's wants. I was furious and ended up screaming at him in the parking lot as he drove away, for which he says I embarrassed him and continues to hold it over me.

    So things get bumpy and we continue to argue but can make up. We are able to talk through things and make compromises, as long as his parents are not involved. This summer I asked him to come and stay with me in my apartment for 3 months. It would have been perfect, we could have connected and worked together before our last year of school. When I asked back in May, I was told by my bf that if he moved here with me then his parents would kick him out and take away everything he owns. They would take his car, his clothes and no longer help him get the loans he needs (although they do not plan on helping him pay them back). I told him that we could work through his parent's anger together and if they really did kick him out, we could replace the things they took from him. But he would not budge on coming to stay with me. He went home for the summer and I continued to ask for him to come here. He was always too busy with his summer job and the list of chores that his mother gave him. He is always saying how much he misses me and how miserable he is at home. But I feel like I gave him another option to get out of that situation but he refuses to take it.

    I went to his parent's house over the 4th of July holiday, he hadn't even tried to come to see me. I asked him to come with me, after all he had completed all the things that he had planned for the summer. He still refused and told me that he couldn't stand the guilt of losing his family if he came with me. His father is older and shouldn't be doing much after his heart attack, but his mother doesn't care. They try to guilt both their sons by telling them that they are not good sons if they don't do what their mother tells them. And that if they don't do the yardwork and parties that his mother plans, then his father will have to do it and then will die. Its ridiculous for his mother to have that much control over him, she also does not like me because of the email about the beach. I finally ended up asking him to choose me or his family because that is how they have made it. He choose his family and told me to go home. We were able to talk and although we are both still mad, we decided to stay together.

    We have been arguing and fighting since May. I have thought about breaking up and have even told him so. Each time we talk about it, we both agree that we can work through anything and that things have to get better. When he goes home, he becomes a different person, one who is distant and only thinks of what his parents want. I don't know what to do anymore . I feel like he isn't even trying to do anything to make being apart easier and he refuses to choose what we want over his parents wants. I have been depressed and crying for 2 and a half months now. I love him very much and he says that he loves me. He says that he just needs time to get an emergency plan for when his parents do kick him out. Our plan is to move where I get a job next year and he will follow me and get a job there as well. But I no longer believe that he will actually come with me. He does not take my feelings and opinions into account and would rather hurt me then go against his parents. I do not think it is fair that we cannot compromise the way we should be able to because of his parents. He says that he wants to be with me and wants to come here to stay but that the consequences are too much for him to handle. Our communication has also dropped off, as his parents do not respect his privacy and will come into his room whenever they feel like it. He can't even text me during the day because he is always doing something for his mother.

    I have told him how I feel and he just listens and tells me to stop crying all the time. Now we are just dancing around each other and trying not to make the other mad. He is supposed to be coming here to see me this weekend, but its already been pushed back. He is coming Friday morning and leaving Sunday afternoon. Thats not a lot of time to work through our problems. Any advice would be appreciated. Can we work through all the problems we have?

    #2
    Unfortunately, the only way you're going to work through it is if he breaks away from his incredibly controlling mother (parents?). When there's so much riding on them, that prospect can be terrifying, especially when it comes to one's education. If he can't get his own loans, what's he expected to do, not go to school because he can't afford it? The unfortunate thing is that he's either going to have to accept the difficulties that would come with breaking the ties with his parents, and work through them the best he can with the knowledge he'll come out better for it, or maybe he's simply not ready to make the commitment to a relationship that involves sacrifices and compromises he's not wanting to make. I have a hard time believing if he hasn't made them yet, even in the face of snarling and a threat of a break-up, that he's going to anytime soon. He simply may be in a different place than you are due to his situation; sometimes even love isn't enough to patch up a relationship after two people grow apart like that. :/
    { Our Story on LFAD }


    Our Beginning
    Met online: February 2009
    Feelings confessed: December 2010
    Unofficially together since: January/February 2011
    Officially together since: 08 April 2011

    Our Story
    First meeting in person: 16 August - 14 September 2011
    Second visit: 17 March - 01 April 2012
    Third visit: 23 July - 13 September 2012
    Fourth visit: Looking at 23 March - 6 April 2013

    Our Happily Ever After
    to be continued...

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      #3
      He really just feels powerless to do what he wants because of his parents. And then he gets upset at me because he feels like I'm trying to be controlling and I'm only going to be happy if he does what I want. I try to be patient and wait but I'm not a very patient person unfortunately. I really don't want to lose him. I feel like we make a great team and we are deeply in love. When he isn't at home and his parents don't have a say then we can compromise and make sacrifices for each other.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by houkcs View Post
        He really just feels powerless to do what he wants because of his parents. And then he gets upset at me because he feels like I'm trying to be controlling and I'm only going to be happy if he does what I want. I try to be patient and wait but I'm not a very patient person unfortunately. I really don't want to lose him. I feel like we make a great team and we are deeply in love. When he isn't at home and his parents don't have a say then we can compromise and make sacrifices for each other.
        I guess what I'm saying is that in the end, he has to decide whether or not he even can cut his parents off completely, and you have to decide how long you're willing to wait. I know someone whose ex promised she'd do the same, and the ex still hasn't cut the ties she was convinced she would from her controlling mother. It's been about 3 years since. It really depends on the person and how long you're willing to wait for them to come around to doing it. In the end, it doesn't matter how good you guys are when he's not around his parents if he's under their influence even when he's visiting you. What matters is when he's going to actually make the move to cut ties. :/
        { Our Story on LFAD }


        Our Beginning
        Met online: February 2009
        Feelings confessed: December 2010
        Unofficially together since: January/February 2011
        Officially together since: 08 April 2011

        Our Story
        First meeting in person: 16 August - 14 September 2011
        Second visit: 17 March - 01 April 2012
        Third visit: 23 July - 13 September 2012
        Fourth visit: Looking at 23 March - 6 April 2013

        Our Happily Ever After
        to be continued...

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          #5
          If his parents are paying for everything and helping him thru school, and he cannot afford to do it on his own, then he is kind of stuck until he graduates. His other option is to move out on his own, get a job to replace everything he looses to his parents and put off school until he can afford it out of pocket.
          Realistically, he is better off to go ahead and finish school before moving out. He would be able to get a much better job and pay off the loans that he already has.
          is it a hard place for you to be in? of course. You are looking at the right now. is there still a chance he wont move away when he finishes school? yes. But forcing him to make that decision now is certainly going to psh him away if he isnt ready.
          everything happens for a reason. We may never find out what that reason is/was, but there is a reason.

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            #6
            If I were in your situation, I'd get out now. Why? How much of a future do you realistically have with this guy? What will happen when you do decide to be together, to get married, to have kids? With a mother-in-law like that? If he doesn't defend you now, do you really think he'll defend you in 5 years? 10 years? Unless he grows up and makes drastic changes, it's unlikely :\

            Met: November 19, 2010
            Tim came to Texas: April 27, 2011
            Made it official: April 29, 2011
            Lori went to England: September 21, 2011
            Mini trip to Paris: September 22, 2011
            Tim popped the question: September 22, 2011
            K-1 Visa approved!: May 21, 2012
            Closed the distance!: July 26, 2012
            Got married: September 22, 2012

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              #7
              I don't want him to be completely cut off from his parents. I just want him stand up for himself and for me. I don't want to push him into anything he is not ready for, and I certainly didn't want to push him away.

              Comment


                #8
                Wow, that sounds insane. I cannot imagine why a 21 year old would want to have a party with his mom and her friends? I can understand them(his parents) taking him out to eat. But, I see that was more of her doing than his. Sorry to say he sounds stuck, he's in a position where he doesn't want to upset either you or his parents. He knows that if he upsets his parents, and doesn't do what they ask he could become homeless and lose everything he has. If he doesn't do what you ask he upsets you and you two fight. To be honest, I understand why he's keeping the peace with his parents, he doesn't want to lose anything he has, he has everything he needs. I mean at the moment can you help with him any of that the finances I mean? They have a hold on him because they do what seems to be everything for him. It's better for him to just finish school, then try to get a job, with visits inbetween. Its up to you if you can handle it dealing with his overbearing mother along with dealing the possibility of constant arguments cause of the mother. It's up to you how much you can take. I personally couldn't stand if someone wasn't sticking up for me, that would be a huge issue for me, and over time I'd have to be done. But again all up to you.
                https://wearenottrayvonmartin.tumblr.com/
                Makes my heart feel better a tiny bit.

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                  #9
                  Sometimes it does take time for someone to stand up to their parents. I don't really have much advice to offer, but I'm sure it will help to know someone else has gone through something similar. My boyfriend's parents are "helicopter parents" and always try to tell him what to do and forbid him from doing things. He's 23 years old! Once he got a job and started making his own money last year, things changed drastically. He moved out of his house, but his mother especially is still trying to call the shots. I am coming to visit in about a month and his mother wants me to stay at her house instead of his apartment. My boyfriend is finally starting to tell her they won't always agree on everything and he's gotten to the point where he ultimately makes his own decisions. Does you SO want to make his own decisions or do you feel he relies on his parents to make them? I would say this is a huge predictor in your future together.


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                    #10
                    Originally posted by houkcs View Post
                    I don't want him to be completely cut off from his parents. I just want him stand up for himself and for me. I don't want to push him into anything he is not ready for, and I certainly didn't want to push him away.
                    Then it really is up to you to be patient with it until he takes a stand. I understand that people may be telling you what you don't want to hear, but you asked if it could work and we're giving you honest opinions, that if he doesn't stand up to his parents, this dynamic is likely to continue, and it could take him a year to stand up to them, less, or it could take him more, but ultimately, it's up to you to decide whether or not you can hang in there with him while he makes it through this trial. This really is something only he can do and only a choice that he can make. Right now, as much as it sucks, you either have to accept it and be patient with it, or move on; sometimes there's no changing that that's all you can do, decide between those two things. ><
                    { Our Story on LFAD }


                    Our Beginning
                    Met online: February 2009
                    Feelings confessed: December 2010
                    Unofficially together since: January/February 2011
                    Officially together since: 08 April 2011

                    Our Story
                    First meeting in person: 16 August - 14 September 2011
                    Second visit: 17 March - 01 April 2012
                    Third visit: 23 July - 13 September 2012
                    Fourth visit: Looking at 23 March - 6 April 2013

                    Our Happily Ever After
                    to be continued...

                    Comment


                      #11
                      So your SO's mom sounds a lot like my Dad and step mom. They are extremely manipulative and shower gifts and money on the children that do what they want. I chose to live my own life. I picked my college based on what was best for me instead of what would be cheaper for my Dad. I chose to pursue what I wanted instead of what he thought was right for me. My stepmom's favorite line when we did something they didn't like was to say that we were stressing my Dad and because of his high blood pressure, we were killing him. So this all sounds familiar. What's different is that when my parents got divorced, my Dad agreed to pay for our college. In writing. In court documents. So I didn't have to worry that if I made him mad he'd stop funding my schooling.

                      But I did have to stand up to him. It's been really hard since I did. I no longer have any relationship with him. It was really hard for me to get away from him, but since I did, I've been very happy.

                      The thing is, no one outside of me could have made that decision for me, or made me make it any faster. It was deeply personal, and I had to be completely ready for it. So you DON'T want him doing that because of you. He'll likely resent you for it. There's an even bigger problem of the money. He has to consider how his life will work once he doesn't have their support. And he has to be responsible about it. If he becomes too dependent upon you, that could make you resent him.

                      You HAVE to let him make this decision on his own. And you have to be willing to understand that until then, his mom is probably going to win. If you can't deal with that, then maybe you shouldn't be with him right now. If you can deal with it, be there for him. Support him in how he chooses to deal with his mom. Don't think about it as you against her, think about it as you supporting him. If you can be on his side, even when he chooses to do what she wants, he'll understand your love is stronger that anything, and it'll be easier for him to deal with losing the support of his parents when the time comes. If you continue to push him away about his mom, eventually he'll just leave.
                      Met online: Nov 2010 - Met in person: Nov 20, 2010
                      Closed the distance: April 27, 2011
                      Accepted to PhD program 200 miles away: March 2012
                      LD again: July 24, 2012
                      Left School and Closed the Distance for good: March 8, 2013
                      Married: November 1, 2014
                      Started job 200 miles away: February 23, 2015

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