Originally Posted by Grandmere
Hi there, I've been married 31-years to a man with anger management problems. It never occured to me that I was being verbally and emotionally abused by him until recently. I know, pretty pathetic of me not to have figured it out before. But he had me so convinced that I was wrong or bad all the time, and I believed him. I thought I was the cause, that's why he gets so angry with me.
To make matters worse, his mother lives with us now and he takes her side over me all the time. I can't even cook a meal in the kitchen without her interference and he tells me to put up with it. He scolds me on a regular basis, curses me, and the last time I tried to talk to him about his behavior, he really lost it. He would not let me leave the room, he grabbed my arms so tightly that I suffered damage to one of them. My arms were so bruised for days it made me feel ill and ashamed.
I've always treated him with respect and tried to understand his behavior, but lately I can't stand to be in the same room with him. He's hurt me so much over the years and he continues to do so. He refuses to admit that he has anger issues, and if I try to talk to him about it, I really get it then. I've always treated him with respect, but he says that I don't deserve respect, that is why he has to keep me in line.
A part of me wants to leave, the other part is terrified. Can you suggest something I could do to give me the courage to leave this hell I'm living? I'm scared of being alone out there, but I'm even more scared of staying here. Thank you for any advice you can give me. Sincerely, Joeann