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Trying so hard to understand, but struggling.

"During marital engagements, when weddings is almost every conversation every day... let me just tell you from the other side: it sucks for most men."

I would add that it sucks for a lot of women too! :D Maybe it's an autism thing, but I've never understood the near psychotic mania that women experience planning huge, expensive weddings. It just seems like a 12 month corporate event management role that you're not even paid for at the end! I was closely involved in planning my sister's wedding and that was enough stress. These days people put all their energy into the wedding itself rather than the actual relationship and they wonder why they end up broke and unhappy.

There is a negative relationship between the long term success of a marriage and the cost of the wedding, even if neither bride nor groom pay a penny of it. The more the wedding costs, the more likely and the sooner it will end in tears.
Registry office and 2 witnesses is all anybody needs :)
 
Yep. I remember reading a study on that a few years back. The average wedding costs about £20k now (just under $30k in the US). I'd rather save/invest that money and go down the pub, get everyone outside for a picnic in the woods or something similar (free)!

Edit: I was wrong! It's apparently even higher now (and that's based on a study a few years old)!

How much does a wedding really cost and who should pay? | This is Money

poshnumptybird - Call off the wedding, invest the money and you'll be far happier in 10 years!
 
I too must agree with the others that this is a one sided relationship. However I disagree with seeking counseling as most honest marriage counselors will tell you "If you need counseling before you get married then it is already over." So it would most likely be a waste of time and money to go that route.
Sorry if I seem too blunt, It is just the way I am.
 
Hi All,
Im new to this site, and im desperately looking for some advice from people who may understand, rather than friends who just think im crazy for staying in my relationship. .
Ive been with my partner for 3 years on the 5th Febuary this year, and i absolutely love him to bits, we are getting married in 5 months time.
I just find myself constantly wondering if im doing the right thing, as im finding that his aspergers traits are only extremely bad when he is with me. I can not discuss anything at all with him, without him taking offence to it, he shouts constantly at me, covers his ears so he cant hear me and then ends up slaming doors and walking off. I work away alot, so really look forward to coming home to spend time with him, but within half an hour, he has fallen out with me.
He rolls his eys if i mention anything to do with the wedding, and if i ask if its definatley what he wants, the shouting starts again.
I see him with his children, having conversations with them, and he never loses his temper, even if they disagree with him about something, he just explains to them... why can he not do this with me??
He says im not the same any more and i dont try like i used too, and if he didnt want to marry me id know about it.
I work with children and young adults with aspergers, so i thought i would be perfect for him, i feel like im so understanding with him, but now its like i dont have an opinion or voice in this relationship. Im struggling so much, i really dont want to walk away, as i love the times that we do spend together when we are happy, although these are becoming less frequent. I feel like im constantly tip toeing around him to make sure he is ok, whilst im not. :-(

Thank you
Relationships take work and he must be willing to put in the amount of work to meet you half way. Going through with the marriage without laying the groundwork for communication means that you will be ultimately miserable. In fact, I would probably advise you to break it off with him because it's not going to be healthy for you.
 
Here is the thing with "marriage counseling".

It is contraindicated in domestic violence situations. Source: the hotline dot org

https://www.thehotline.org/2014/08/...couples-counseling-for-abusive-relationships/

Domestic violence IS progressive. It gets worse over time.

If they are making jokes at your expense [a favorite with my ex], rolling their eyes at you [someone else here said it, contempt], shouting at you, shutting you down by not wanting to talk about a disagreement over what kind of food you do and do not want to feed your snakes [my passion is frogs so i am a herp cousin], the verbal and emotional abuse will progress into physical.

Took mine 21 and a half years to progress but he did get there.

Just before it gets physical, he may or may not begin to physically crowd you or invade your space. Maybe usurp your chair or the television station when you get up to go to the bathroom, maybe 'playfully pushing you into the wall as you pass by, etc.

How long are you willing to wait before you have to flee for your own self-protection, as I did?

I do salute you for getting out of your prior 16 year abusive relationship.
Part of how perps operate [all perps, not just batterers] is that they look for your vulnerabilities.
I really hope you can get yourself out of this one soon.

Waiting and hoping for others to change does not work.
Promises are just words unless followed up by action.
Love isn't enough. You are with someone who [so far] is able to control himself around his children but not willing or able to control himself around YOU.
 
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He seems pretty abusive to me. People with autism have the capability to be abusive. This doesn't look like a relationship that can be saved.
 
I am worried that the abuse you endured, previously, has lead you to develop "fawny" behaviour.
The frantically trying to fix things and over apologising is a clear tell. I think you need to focus on you. Developing healthy communication, clear boundaries and self esteem and assertiveness is something you will need to do, regardless of whether you stick with this guy or not.

You might find councelling to support you to learn how to get past these codependent and unhealthy coping ploys. I know what I'm talking about. I was in abusive situations all my life, up until less than a decade ago.

My relationship with my children's father lead me to develop fawning behaviours and let me tell you, no one, yes, no one can respect you, if you keep that up. You need to learn to stand up for yourself and stand your ground and exercise healthy, protective boundaries, so that you can command the respect you deserve.

If you look into interpersonal trauma recovery you will, likely, come across the work of Pete Walker. He wrote "Complex PTSD from surviving to thriving" and has numerous online articles and a web site. He talks about the four responses to this kind of trauma and abuse. Fight (your partner sounds like he is in fight mode when he yells at you ) Flight (again, this is your partner blocking his ears, trying to get away from what is triggering or stressing him, walking away, avoiding etc) Freeze (collapsing, shut ins and dissociating are some examples of the freeze response and Fawn - this is you trying oh so hard to make it work, apologizing for everything, trying to avoid upsetting him and the like. Not healthy, well adapted behaviour.

It is likely that you are both triggering each other.

You may need some support to work through your trauma/abuse related responses, because it is very unhealthy to go into marriage with these sorts of habitual responses.

Occasional fights, and a certain level of keep-the-peace concessions and accommodations are ok and normal, but this level of stress and triggered responses really needs attention to support you to break through into healthy, mature and interactive, rather than REactive responses. If you know what I mean.

I can't stand people flapping around me, appeasing, fawning and over apologizing, which is pretty hypocritical, as I have been known to grovelingly apologize for some perceived deficit, as I'm serving up a beautiful meal (many a night!) so, yeah, I'm guilty of excessive fawning and appeasing behaviours and I can't stand it about myself.

My partner and children pull me up about it and I'm much better, since I am now with a beautiful, warm and non abusive (Aspie like myself) man. I've also been very intensively in trauma recovery therapy for quite some years, now, that has helped, a lot.


It's possible that your anxious fawny behaviour is partially responsible for the reaction you are seeing with the "eye rolls".

Don't overload him with information, this could be why he is trying to shut you out with the "blocking ears". Slow down. Talk calmly, stop and listen to him.

I have been in trouble, plenty, with my guy, for talking too much, and not listening well enough and sometimes, my guy will shout at me, and he is NO WAY an abusive person, but he gets overloaded and frustrated if I don't listen to him, which, I think, is fair enough. He also has a brain injury and trauma issues (as do I) and he loses his train of thought and conversation if I interrupt him.

I do ask him to stop shouting at me though and we are making progress, on this front.

I hope this helps. Us Aspies/Auties can get overloaded pretty easily, sometimes and then our behaviour is not our best. So slow down, take some breaths, respond calmly, don't take it personally, listen, and you will learn much more and maybe, just maybe, you will work through these communication and emotional stress response patterns and have a chance to marry and enjoy a life with your Aspie man
 
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