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John Doe

Avenger
Jan 24, 2018
3,443
Be prepared for a bunch of posts from people saying to leave her or it's over, etc.

Ignore them. A lot of them probably haven't had a long term marriage themselves to really know what they are talking about. Some of them may and are only speaking from there own experience. But you clearly don't want your marriage to end and there are ways to get your marriage help that you haven't done yet. If you want to fight for it, fight for it. So many couple's just give up today because they think that because it's broken it cannot be fixed, or have to much stupid pride to fix it.

What you need to do is open communication back up with your wife. Communication is essential to a lasting marriage. See if she wants to go to marriage counseling. Make the marriage counseling be about you and your issues if she refusing to acknowledge she has anything to do with the pain, but just make sure she goes too. If she won't, see a therapist yourself to help stear you through this mess.

And so what if she cheated? Yea it sucks. Probably is the biggest and most heart wrenching betrayal a person can do to another. But there is always a reason for cheating, sometimes those reasons do not mean the marriage has to end. This is where marriage counseling comes in. It is possible to come back from infidelity. The percentage of marriages that have one partner or another that haven't struggled with infidelity at some point are extremely low.

Something you (and really every young married couple in America) need to realize is that marriage is not all sunshine. And the hard times are not the times where you are broke or lost, but at least you have each other. The hard times, the darkest times, are when one or both of you are broken and you don't (or at least feel you don't) have the support of your partner.

Almost every long term successful marriage will go through these types of dark periods. We are only human and humans are incredibly flawed creatures. If you WANT to make the marriage work, then you need to set aside "deal breakers". If every marriage ended in divorce for cheating, 99% of marriages would never last. Now obviously if the cheating continues and doesn't stop then that's a different story. Also if there is abuse you need to address that quickly and if that means ending the marriage, that could be the best thing for everyone involved.

Now, if you absolutely cannot deal anymore and don't want to fight for your marriage, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

But it seems like you don't want it to end, which means you have a hard time ahead of you and you'll need to leave your "deal breakers" at the door. Trust me though, if it works, you two will likely be stronger for it when it's all over.

Edit: Even if she agrees to marriage counseling, you should also see someone by yourself as well. As a few others have pointed out, you seem to have some low self-esteem and talking to someone to help you sort through your own personal thoughts can be extremely beneficial whether or not you decide to fight for your marriage.

What is this? 99% of married couples are not cheating

Also, too many times people stay in toxic and unhealthy relationships purely because of this type of logic, "fighting it through the hard times" "Marriage isn't perfect" "Dark times"

There is acknowledging humans are flawed and then there is potentially, constantly cheating on your partner for seven years. The behavior described in the OP goes far beyond simply being flawed.

To the OP, don't stay for your son. My parents stayed together for my sake and as soon as I was old enough to realize it, it made me miserable to see them miserable and I ended up blaming myself for it.
 

Camwi

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
6,375
Holy shit, I'm glad I didn't ask for advice on here when my girlfriend cheated on me 9ish years ago. I wouldn't be in a happy marriage with two adorable kids if I had read some of the comments here.
 

Whales

"This guy are sick"
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,234
And so what if she cheated? Yea it sucks. Probably is the biggest and most heart wrenching betrayal a person can do to another. But there is always a reason for cheating, sometimes those reasons do not mean the marriage has to end. This is where marriage counseling comes in. It is possible to come back from infidelity. The percentage of marriages that have one partner or another that haven't struggled with infidelity at some point are extremely low.

wow what an absolute rubbish post

"theres always a reason for cheating"

yes, there is always a reason for betraying your life partner, stabbing them in the heart and shattering any kind of trust they can have with you or any future partners because of you

good job on trying to make cheating something that is ok
 

Deleted member 17092

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
20,360
I sort of had a similar marriage that ended in divorce OP. Wife had health issues that she blamed for not wanting to have sex, despite previously having a healthy sex life. She had started talking about this dude she was working with a strange amount. Turned out she was cheating. I didn't have any kids though so it was pretty easy to nope the fuck out.
 

Mido

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,688
Holy shit, I'm glad I didn't ask for advice on here when my girlfriend cheated on me 9ish years ago. I wouldn't be in a happy marriage with two adorable kids if I had read some of the comments here.
How did you get over it? Cheating is just about the worst thing partners can do to each other.
 

echoshifting

very salt heavy
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
14,919
The Negative Zone
Holy shit, I'm glad I didn't ask for advice on here when my girlfriend cheated on me 9ish years ago. I wouldn't be in a happy marriage with two adorable kids if I had read some of the comments here.

I do think it can be overblown in some threads, after all relationships can and do recover from cheating all the time. But it's not like this is an isolated incident we are talking about, it looks like a pattern of cheating and lying and emotional abandonment that has been going on for years.
 

Camwi

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
6,375
How did you get over it? Cheating is just about the worst thing partners can do to each other.
Time, I guess. Had huge trust issues for years after that. The signs of her cheating (constant texting) had stopped though, and I did believe she was remorseful after it came out, so that helped.
 

Deleted member 4413

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,238
7 years of OP being treated like dirt is a "dark time"?

"But there is always a reason for cheating"?

I swear to god, an OP could say he walked in on his wife riding some dude cowgirl and there would still be people at this place trying to convince them to stay lol.

7 years ago the OP had a cheating scare, he said nothing about the last 7 years being treated like dirt.

What is this? 99% of married couples are not cheating

Also, too many times people stay in toxic and unhealthy relationships purely because of this type of logic, "fighting it through the hard times" "Marriage isn't perfect" "Dark times"

There is acknowledging humans are flawed and then there is potentially, constantly cheating on your partner for seven years. The behavior described in the OP goes far beyond simply being flawed.

To the OP, don't stay for your son. My parents stayed together for my sake and as soon as I was old enough to realize it, it made me miserable to see them miserable and I ended up blaming myself for it.

Which is why I specifically stated abusive relationships may be best to go their separate ways. No where did I say the OP MUST stay in the relationship. And yes, the percentage of marriages affected by infidelity is very high. 99% is an exaggeration but it works for the point I was making.

wow what an absolute rubbish post

"theres always a reason for cheating"

yes, there is always a reason for betraying your life partner, stabbing them in the heart and shattering any kind of trust they can have with you or any future partners because of you

good job on trying to make cheating something that is ok

Good job reading my post. Cheating is not okay. Nowhere did I say it was.

Speaking of rubbish posts, if you actually want to engadge me in a conversation instead of a hot take you are welcome too.
 

julia crawford

Took the red AND the blue pills
Member
Oct 27, 2017
35,464
wow what an absolute rubbish post

"theres always a reason for cheating"

yes, there is always a reason for betraying your life partner, stabbing them in the heart and shattering any kind of trust they can have with you or any future partners because of you

good job on trying to make cheating something that is ok

This is such a weird position to take. Of course people cheat for a reason, whichever specific reason may have led any specific person to do it. Doesn't make it ok or acceptable, it only means that something isn't being addressed that should have been addressed.
 

Camwi

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
6,375
I do think it can be overblown in some threads, after all relationships can and do recover from cheating all the time. But it's not like this is an isolated incident we are talking about, it looks like a pattern of cheating and lying and emotional abandonment that has been going on for years.
It looks like it to me too, but the fact of the matter is we only know one side of the story, and we're not professionals.

We know OP wants to make it work though, so the least they can do is see a marriage counselor and go from there. Maybe it will work out, maybe it won't, but at least they will have tried. Communication is obviously severely lacking right now, which is the key, and a counselor can help with that.
 

Akira86

Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,605
Holy shit, I'm glad I didn't ask for advice on here when my girlfriend cheated on me 9ish years ago. I wouldn't be in a happy marriage with two adorable kids if I had read some of the comments here.
worked out for you, maybe. may not work out for others.


OP, counseling. one of you has got to see the writing on the wall. be it the message that says i'm unhappy with you, i'm unhappy with us, or i've found somebody else. If she's so disconnected from you that she doesn't feel like you can even meet her needs anymore, that leads to strange places.
 

Skelepuzzle

Member
Apr 17, 2018
6,119
Holy shit, I'm glad I didn't ask for advice on here when my girlfriend cheated on me 9ish years ago. I wouldn't be in a happy marriage with two adorable kids if I had read some of the comments here.

I left my girlfriend of 5 years who cheated on me and am now with my wife who I have been with for 10 years with no cheating. Glad that worked out for you but that argument definitely can go the other way.
 

Kirblar

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
30,744
Holy shit, I'm glad I didn't ask for advice on here when my girlfriend cheated on me 9ish years ago. I wouldn't be in a happy marriage with two adorable kids if I had read some of the comments here.
Deep into a relationship as part of a pattern of problem behavior that's been happening for nearly the entire relationship is vastly different than early on in one as a one-off event.
 

Skelepuzzle

Member
Apr 17, 2018
6,119
Which is why I specifically stated abusive relationships may be best to go their separate ways. No where did I say the OP MUST stay in the relationship. And yes, the percentage of marriages affected by infidelity is very high. 99% is an exaggeration but it works for the point I was making.

Could you please cite your source? I don't recall ever seeing very high numbers for infidelity in studies I have come across. Perhaps my memory is fuzzy on it.
 

Camwi

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
6,375
I left my girlfriend of 5 years who cheated on me and am now with my wife for 10 years who has never cheated on me. Glad that worked out for you but that argument definitely can go the other way.
Good lord people, I'm not saying that cheating issues can 100% be resolved. I'm sure the vast majority of the time it's a big sign that things are not going to work out. I was just responding to all the "she cheated, leave her" posts which completely ignore both the OP's desire and the fact that some relationships survive after it.
 

Camwi

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
6,375
Deep into a relationship as part of a pattern of problem behavior that's been happening for nearly the entire relationship is vastly different than early on in one as a one-off event.
You say that like you know for a fact the dude's wife has been cheating on him for years.
 

SpecX

The Fallen
Oct 30, 2017
1,817
I don't tolerate cheating but that's just me.
Everyone has their own boundaries. I read or heard a quote once, a person cheating on you 1 time doesn't necessarily make them a cheater, It was a mistake/sign of weakness they gave into. Now if you forgive them and they do it again or they do it multiple times before you find out with other people, then the person earned the title cheater. We're human and make mistakes, it's what you decide to do after that mistake that can define you.
 

Deleted member 4413

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,238
Could you please cite your source? I don't recall ever seeing very high numbers for infidelity in studies I have come across. Perhaps my memory is fuzzy on it.

This is the top Google result which cites some studies done in the 90s and early 00s. There is tons of research out there though. I personally read it in a book from a phycologist friend, can't remember the name though, will have to ask him.

Like I said, 99% is an exaggeration. It is more like between 1/3 to 2/3 of married couples. The stats are different for men and women. Other factors effect it as well.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-cheating/2012/02/08/gIQANGdaBR_story.html
 

AcidCat

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,410
Bellingham WA
It's not just the cheating, OP describes a marriage where his spouse has clearly emotionally checked out and isn't interested in him. OP needs to rethink his stance on divorce, it can be a good thing. Counseling isn't some magic bullet that is going to change deep seated issues.
 

TaterTots

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,985
You found a half naked picture of your wife to another dude and she said it was to show what he can't have.
A friend of hers says she cheated and no point in coming to the wedding
Her family says she is probably cheating on you
She has a 16 year old friend she hangs out with who has a gay roommate

She is absolutely cheating on you. You can try marriage counseling, but it seems like she doesn't even have the courage to be mildly honest with you. You might not want a divorce, but it could be the best thing for you both. Seek counseling if you must.
 

Kirblar

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
30,744
You say that like you know for a fact the dude's wife has been cheating on him for years.
The first incident was 7 years ago. It's also much more than just cheating at this point, it's two people living in the same house who are barely interacting with each other and where any overtures from the OP are being deliberately shot down.
 

Deleted member 4413

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,238
It's not just the cheating, OP describes a marriage where his spouse has clearly emotionally checked out and isn't interested in him. OP needs to rethink his stance on divorce, it can be a good thing. Counseling isn't some magic bullet that is going to change deep seated issues.

Counseling is not a magic bullet, your right.

Being emotionally checked out is actually pretty common amoung couples who haven't been communicating well.

Like I said, it may work, it may not. Depends on how the OP wants to proceed. It wouldn't hurt to try counseling for a little bit if the OP would like to try and keep the marriage together. What is there to lose? He's already been with her for 12 years, what's another couple months. Again, if the OP is wanting to try and salvage it.
 

SpecX

The Fallen
Oct 30, 2017
1,817
It's not just the cheating, OP describes a marriage where his spouse has clearly emotionally checked out and isn't interested in him. OP needs to rethink his stance on divorce, it can be a good thing. Counseling isn't some magic bullet that is going to change deep seated issues.
No, but it can help bring to surface what the issue is and where it's coming from. It can help both parties understand what went wrong and help them in the aftermath in their next relationships.

My ex still to this day cannot tell me why or what lead to our breakup and it's an awful thing to have on your mind not knowing, but you move on from it.
 

Skelepuzzle

Member
Apr 17, 2018
6,119
This is the top Google result which cites some studies done in the 90s and early 00s. There is tons of research out there though. I personally read it in a book from a phycologist friend, can't remember the name though, will have to ask him.

Like I said, 99% is an exaggeration. It is more like between 1/3 to 2/3 of married couples. The stats are different for men and women. Other factors effect it as well.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-cheating/2012/02/08/gIQANGdaBR_story.html

Thanks.

From the article:
Estimates today find married men cheating at rates between 25 percent and 72 percent.

Poking around at other studies, the rates vary wildly and around in that range. Perhaps this is one of those things that is difficult to honestly quantify, so people will probably take from this what they want to believe. As for myself, I'll admit that I have no idea now lol.
 

John Doe

Avenger
Jan 24, 2018
3,443
This is the top Google result which cites some studies done in the 90s and early 00s. There is tons of research out there though. I personally read it in a book from a phycologist friend, can't remember the name though, will have to ask him.

Like I said, 99% is an exaggeration. It is more like between 1/3 to 2/3 of married couples. The stats are different for men and women. Other factors effect it as well.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-cheating/2012/02/08/gIQANGdaBR_story.html

cheating2new-w640.png


https://ifstudies.org/blog/who-cheats-more-the-demographics-of-cheating-in-america

According to this site, its nowhere near that much
 
Oct 31, 2017
2,424
Dude talk to her, see where she is. Sometimes people shut down when they don't feel heard/loved.
Also marriage counseling if you want to save the marriage.
 
Oct 28, 2017
1,958
My goodness this just sounds like a living hell for all of you. I wouldn't even know where to begin with advice. I think all of you need to be in marriage counseling or therapy but it sounds like that may not be an option financially if you're having to live with in-laws. Best of luck to you all. It sounds like you're going to need it.
 

Camwi

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
6,375
The first incident was 7 years ago. It's also much more than just cheating at this point, it's two people living in the same house who are barely interacting with each other and where any overtures from the OP are being deliberately shot down.
1. Unless I misread something, we still don't know that she cheated, just that people are guessing so.
2. She said she would do counseling, even though she doesn't want to.
3. You're correct that the lack of communication is a huge issue. As Mystic said above me, marriage counseling isn't a magic bullet, but it can definitely help with communication, and could bring out actual facts that might expedite the path towards divorce, or make the relationship stronger.
 

gdt

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,539
Doesn't seem like there is much left here. Might be time to just work towards an ending, or therapy or something.
 

Eros

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,701
Holy shit, I'm glad I didn't ask for advice on here when my girlfriend cheated on me 9ish years ago. I wouldn't be in a happy marriage with two adorable kids if I had read some of the comments here.

Holy shit, I wish I would have asked this forum for advice when my ex cheated on me. They would have been absolutely right.

It's good that you worked through your relationship, though. They're all different.
 

Hex

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,415
At the risk of being sniped for "victim blaming" can I ask what you do for a living OP? (I looked through the thread and could not find any of this information.)
Do you work full time?
I would honestly have been red flagged at the incident 7 years ago, and depending what I knew about the person I would have ended it there or not. In fact I have ended a live in relationship for something similar.
You live with your in-laws, and have a child so I am assuming there is alot of financial stress on the marriage .
How long ago did you move in with the in-laws?
 

fanniszabo

Banned
May 28, 2018
3
Maybe he's afraid if he loses her it'll be hard for him to find someone else? He mentioned he's overweight and doesn't sound like he's a catch or anything.
 

Rogote

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,606
It's not even the possible cheating that is the biggest red flag for me. It's all the emotional checking out. You propably won't come back after that and for god's sake DO NOT STAY TOGETHER "for your kid". I'ts not for your kid. Like many hundreds of millions of other kids, my parents divorced when they weren't happy together anymore and thank god for that. It's scary and painful at first but I got over it, but I would have propably been exposed to a toxic relationship model for years on years if they stayed together for me.
 

Deleted member 4452

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,377
She was showing me some emails and I noticed one to some guy she knew back in the day that was my wife half naked in our apartment. She said she was just showing him what he couldn't have anymore.
Let me get this straight. So the other guy couldn't have her anymore because he was getting married. If we follow her defense to its logical conclusion, BEFORE he got married, he had access to her - your wife?
 

SonicXtreme

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,713
start exercising and losing some weight, regardless of how you carry on. you need self improvement no matter what road you go down because all the roads will be hard. you need to feel good about yourself no matter the outcome. put yourself #1 (well kid first but you know what i mean)
 

Rayne

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,634
Yeah OP I'd focus on getting yourself in a good place. Losing the weight you gained, moving out of your in-laws place. Those all seem like things that'd get you in a much better headspace than the one you're currently in.

That said a divorce isn't automatically something negative.
 

Hassel

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,363
I'm still reading of the responses. I will answer some of the questions when I can. I was at work and on lunch break and just need to get it off my chest. I'm not fishing for anyone to tell me something I don't already know, I'm at the period where I want counseling or I'm going to leave. I just need to know other people who had similar issues and think of ways that I could possibly fix things. Because I still do love her very very much. And I'm going to be completely honest with you, I will never get a girl as good as she is. At least as good as she was.

What she was is in the past and you can never go back.

You are a lot more valuable and lovable than you think. Be strong, you can weather this storm.