Several weeks ago, my DH and I had a major altercation. He took off and headed for the hills on a day I had something planned and needed his help. I told him it started at five and expected him to understand that he should be home earlier to pick up the house and get a few snacks since I was working all day. When I tried to call him, he refused to answer the phone. I childishly got our adult daughter involved and called her and told her to "tell your father to please answer the phone". He picked up for her, so she passed on the message, but he still wouldn't call me. Just texted saying he was busy and then he went dark for the rest of the day before rolling in happy as a lark at 5:15 while I had called my parents to help me out. To say I was furious is an understatement (see post "Wrecked"). Now, in hindsight, I fully own my part in this debacle. I waited until early afternoon to start blowing up his phone to ask him if he was headed home yet, when in his mind--IF IT STARTED AT FIVE, THEN HE HAD UNTIL FIVE!!! Before he left, I never asked him to come home early to help. There, that is my official admission of guilt. I never asked him to come home early until he was already gone, and once I started blowing up his phone, he was already in deep with the hyperfocus/happy place/nirvana he goes to when machines are involved. Since this event and the fallout, we have talked a long time about this and have each acknowledged what went wrong. I told him how I feel when he goes off and feels utterly entitled to just do his own thing regardless of what else is going on at home. He shared his frustration at being at a job that took him out of state, sometimes even the country, two weeks a month and feeling like a rat in a cage in a series of hotel rooms where he has no outlet for his crazy energy. When he gets home, he has a powerful need to MOVE and tinker and fix and putter and release that energy. It HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME. NOTHING! During this conversation, I told him that he feels like a big puppy who has gotten off the leash and is running for its life while the owner (me) is standing in the street screaming "Come back, dammit!". When I said this, suddenly, it was a lightbulb moment. He got it. I am standing there powerless while he's running for his life having a great time. He finally got my frustration, desperation, and helplessness and was willing to implement strategies to make sure this doesn't happen again. And I agreed to refrain from expecting him to be accountable for anything I have not asked for and he has agreed to. Simple, huh? Gee--it only took 21 years to figure that out. Consider me officially embarrassed at our lack of emotional awareness around ADHD management and marriage prior to finding this forum. Anyway, now he will actually call to check in and let me know what his timeframe is. When he does this, I will say, "Are you trying to get off the leash again?" and he will say "Woof" and we will both laugh and it is a "couple moment". I like that so much better than before. I am very interested in hearing what other people on this forum are doing that is working. What are some of your successes?
Off the Leash
Submitted by phatmama on 05/01/2018.
Your post is nice, and positive;) phatmama...I like it!
Submitted by c ur self on
(And I agreed to refrain from expecting him to be accountable for anything I have not asked for and he has agreed to.)
As I read your post, I was smiling, and wondering if the line above would eventually pop up;), I was happy to see that it did... This line has nothing to do w/ add or adhd, but it has every thing to do w/ respect....My wife has add, (high on the scale) and I may have adhd, (there is a good chance on some level, since one of my daughters has been diagnosed mild to moderate, she is much like myself in many ways)...
Some of our first conflict was around this principle you have listed....She will jump at opportunities, events, what ever sounds entertaining to her...Much of these things are good things, others, like I said, just her desire to entertain herself....None of this is a problem if you are going to follow through, and you don't neglect your responsibilities in your home and marriage....But, where the problems come in is when she started planning my life, without my permission....I was getting this...." I told so and so, we would help w/ this or that, or would attend this or that"...Most of this was always after the fact...LOL....So after this happened a few times....I told her this...."Never plan my life for me with out my permission" I've had to reminder her of this from time to time, but it cleared up a lot....I was a busy person w/o her, she doubled it..LOL.....
Now why did I have to do this....Here is a few reasons....1) Respect, If you want it, you must give it....2) I was already the responsible one, the one who could handle the mundane, she costs me more work than any child we have....3) She isn't a finisher, once these opportunities she so eagerly bites off gets to be to much work and to much responsibility, guess who's lap it ends up in? One guess;)....
This principle is really a nice boundary...There is just so much I will never attempt to do w/ her because of this reality....I will never agree on pets, or much of anything where it is suppose to be dual responsibility...All I would be asking for is hurt feelings, and extra work....If I do agree to something, I've already decided that I'm fine going it alone....Woof:)
c
c ur self
Submitted by phatmama on
Your dynamic sounds so much like mine, and I do see a lot of myself in your wife. Even though my husband is the one with the worst ADHD symptoms, like you, I am on the fence as to whether I have it as well. I have been to therapists in the past who also weren't sure if it was ADHD or more mood-based, but anyway, I had to chuckle at your post. It all sounds so familiar! And the last paragraph--pets! Just last night, I asked my husband to clean the guinea pig cage because it had gotten gross again. It seems like every time I turn around those darned things need their cage cleaned. And do you know what he did? That rascal flat-out REFUSED to help. I say this with a huge side of "mea culpa" because he didn't want them in the first place and I very impulsively took them from a woman at my mom's church who was seeking to rehome them. We have had conversations about getting more pets, but they were so cute and....... and what? At this point, I no longer even remember what I was thinking. I am used to talking care of almost everything in the house, so didn't think they would be a big deal. What's one more thing, right? What can I say, I'm an idiot..... I am laughing at the pet dynamic, though, because my husband is sticking to his guns and basically saying, "Not my circus, not my monkeys" and leaving me to deal with the consequences of my impulsive acquisition of two cavies I now have absolutely no desire to own. What can I say--I totally deserve that. :) It's nice that we can be relaxed and laugh about it though. There has been so much resentment and hostility that it is truly nice to see what can happen when we both agree to admit our faults and work with each other on moving forward in a healthy way with respect as much as possible. (not always possible because ADD'ers do seem to have some huge blind spots, right?). I like that he didn't freak out about me getting the guinea pigs even though he didn't want them, but he also has good enough boundaries to let me know they aren't his problem. By the way, I cleaned the cage and all is right with their little world again--LOL. It sounds like you have gotten really good at setting those boundaries in your relationship, too, and have cultivated a sense of humor about your situation as well. Your post was totally relatable and I enjoy reading about your strategies for managing the marital dynamic in a way that keeps you from being as angry and despairing as many on this thread are (even me at times, when I'm not able to laugh things off). Keep fighting the good fight!
phatmama; Yep, I read, smile & chuckle a lot on this site....:)
Submitted by c ur self on
It's a small world...Ha Ha...Yep, good boundaries really helps us to focus on the US things, that we can agree on and share in....Not recognizing our differences or placing expectations on one another to think like we do about life and the responsibility of it all....Is very unwise...I was a poster child for that behavior WAY to long...;)
I never knew anyone lived like that....OMG....
When we got married she had two cats and a dog, I didn't have any....Me and those pets got close...LOL....
Blind Spots?...It's the wiring I guess, it's kind of like tunnel vision....What make things so difficult is the denial....You seem to able to discuss your actions, and your thought processes (and his..LOL ) well, that's a huge difference w/ you and my W....She is most always defensive when behaviors come up....I guess it's just baggage...I'm sure I've not been the best medicine for her...People want to feel loved and accepted...Her main love language is affirmation...I think it's common w/ adders...(She loves for me to find things to brag on her about, or tell her the things she does well) Mine is the same as most men's Physical touch....
Yes dealing w/ those blind spots...(attempting to kindly point things out) is tricky....It can really cause a guy or gal to take on the feeling of hopelessness in the relationship....I read that here quiet a lot...Some of the non's will talk about their spouses withdrawing, very little real conversation, little to no sex....There is a reason for that....I'm not saying every ones story is the same....But when a person just feels hopeless to live up to your expectations, withdrawl is usually their first option, right behind leaving....
I am so glad, you and your husband are making progress with accepting and ownership....When we own our stuff, we can work through about anything...
blessings, and thanks for your kind post...
c