Latest / She Rises with Ashy & Tijana / 238. Am I Crazy… Or Is This Control? Forced to Choose Between Love And My Kids
Transcript
- 0:05Speaker 1: Apoche production. Quick little favor from us. If you've been
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- 0:33Speaker 2: A easier advice.
- 0:35Speaker 1: Are you okay what happened?
- 0:37Speaker 2: Promise it won't be too much.
- 0:39Speaker 1: Bring it in.
- 0:41Speaker 2: Welcome to our Bestie Segment.
- 0:48Speaker 1: This is the place for you. Welcome back to our
- 0:51Speaker 1: Bestie Segment. Thanks for joining us today. If you're new here,
- 0:54Speaker 1: this is where we have an anonymous submission. We have
- 0:57Speaker 1: no idea who's written in, but they're coming in with
- 0:58Speaker 1: little sticky situation or maybe they just want some outside advice.
- 1:01Speaker 1: We find a lot of women that write in. They've
- 1:04Speaker 1: got great friends around them, but they also don't want
- 1:06Speaker 1: their friends knowing the iddy gritty details. It might be
- 1:08Speaker 1: about another friend or about their husband or about their
- 1:10Speaker 1: family members. So just nice to get some outside advice.
- 1:14Speaker 1: Take it with a grain of salt. This is just
- 1:15Speaker 1: the advice that we would give each other if we
- 1:17Speaker 1: were going through this scenario. What you got for us today?
- 1:20Speaker 2: Oh, we have a big submission here.
- 1:21Speaker 1: Read away ready, ladies.
- 1:23Speaker 2: I'm widowed for almost five years, two boys and I
- 1:26Speaker 2: have their last name for marriage. I've been re partnered
- 1:29Speaker 2: for four years. Given my whole life and commitment to
- 1:32Speaker 2: the relationship and his two kids, who have both had
- 1:34Speaker 2: high needs, I go a bob and beyond in every
- 1:37Speaker 2: area of my life and sacrifice so much for our family,
- 1:40Speaker 2: as does my partner. Our relationship has suffered so much
- 1:44Speaker 2: over this time, with his insecurities, separations, traumas, mental battles,
- 1:49Speaker 2: and then my grief and trauma on top of that.
- 1:51Speaker 2: It has really been a roller coaster, to say the least,
- 1:54Speaker 2: triggering one another with our anxious patterns and abandonment. But
- 1:57Speaker 2: we got through it well. So I thought. We separated
- 2:00Speaker 2: for a short term last year after getting to crossroads
- 2:02Speaker 2: of him refusing to listen his way or no way
- 2:05Speaker 2: and completely shutting off and easily triggered to the point
- 2:08Speaker 2: that I cannot show a single sign of expression or
- 2:10Speaker 2: hand movement. My late husband's father and wife had paid
- 2:13Speaker 2: for all of us to go to Darwin for a
- 2:14Speaker 2: family trip last year. The holiday was organized for at
- 2:17Speaker 2: least eight months. They've been so accepting of him and
- 2:20Speaker 2: our new family and just want to be a part
- 2:22Speaker 2: of their grandchildren's lives. With my family being bad, influence
- 2:26Speaker 2: and rough, this is my best option for support with
- 2:28Speaker 2: the kids, which my partner understood and agreed. My partner
- 2:31Speaker 2: didn't want to go on the trip as it was
- 2:33Speaker 2: really awkward for him, and trust me, I understand, I
- 2:36Speaker 2: really do. I was still taking the boys as it
- 2:38Speaker 2: was a paid holiday, and he didn't stop arguing about
- 2:41Speaker 2: me going. We couldn't bring up the holiday at all
- 2:44Speaker 2: without arguing and in affecting the household or claiming that
- 2:47Speaker 2: I'm choosing. My ex's family doesn't want them around and
- 2:50Speaker 2: outright wanted us not to go. I wasn't sacrificing what
- 2:53Speaker 2: was best for the boys, let alone an all paid
- 2:55Speaker 2: holiday where we were broke at the time. I just
- 2:57Speaker 2: finished recovering from a hysterectomy after tumors and endo removed.
- 3:02Speaker 2: I went I had enough of dealing with the insecure
- 3:05Speaker 2: and refusing to listen and shut down, and he gets
- 3:07Speaker 2: a thought in his head and it's that nothing else.
- 3:10Speaker 2: I was so upset on the troop that it made
- 3:12Speaker 2: me so hard to enjoy without daily crying, But it
- 3:14Speaker 2: really was the best choice for the boys. We worked
- 3:17Speaker 2: on everything since and things have been amazing for close
- 3:19Speaker 2: to a year now. With many talks over the years
- 3:22Speaker 2: about marriage. We want to get married and had so
- 3:24Speaker 2: many in depth conversations about it. Then this week I'm
- 3:28Speaker 2: told that we won't be married if late husband's name
- 3:30Speaker 2: isn't lasered off for tattoo. No problem, it was getting
- 3:33Speaker 2: done anyway, But I would have to drop my children's
- 3:36Speaker 2: last name, when I have made it very clear the
- 3:38Speaker 2: whole time that I could not do that to them.
- 3:40Speaker 2: My children have one living parent left, and that's his terms.
- 3:44Speaker 2: My children's welfare wouldn't be okay if I dropped their
- 3:46Speaker 2: last name when they already lost their father to suicide.
- 3:49Speaker 2: His insecurities of never being enough for anyone and claiming
- 3:52Speaker 2: to give everything to everyone else and not himself spiked
- 3:55Speaker 2: and changed. Plus he doesn't want my late husband's family around,
- 3:59Speaker 2: and I have to avoid any conversations around it. I
- 4:01Speaker 2: really just don't see our relationship the same after that
- 4:04Speaker 2: and asking me to choose to in him or my
- 4:05Speaker 2: kids well being, Well, this isn't just a once conversation.
- 4:09Speaker 2: The marriage concept and forever meant a lot to me,
- 4:11Speaker 2: and commitment that I was his only and he was mine.
- 4:14Speaker 2: What we have is an amazing story and it was
- 4:17Speaker 2: my fairy tale. And now after him saying all of that,
- 4:20Speaker 2: I just don't see the relationship the same. Now I'll
- 4:23Speaker 2: be forever my late husband's wife, which will spike his
- 4:25Speaker 2: insecurities even worse. I feel like I'm being punished for
- 4:29Speaker 2: my circumstances and doing what is best for my kids.
- 4:32Speaker 2: Am I going crazy? I can't talk to anyone or
- 4:34Speaker 2: he gets triggered. I can't talk to family, as they've
- 4:37Speaker 2: already heard too much from the last breakup and judged
- 4:39Speaker 2: him for which I get. Gosh, goodness, oh.
- 4:45Speaker 1: That's a lot. Firstly, I'm so sorry about your late
- 4:48Speaker 1: husband and the suicide. I cannot even begin to imagine
- 4:51Speaker 1: going through that and not only like you're grieving him
- 4:55Speaker 1: and your relationship, but watching your kids go through that
- 4:57Speaker 1: and having to explain like where Dad's gone, Like they'd
- 5:00Speaker 1: be forever carrying that. That's so hard in itself, and
- 5:04Speaker 1: it is beautiful how much you guys have supported each
- 5:06Speaker 1: other through all of that. But I don't know, there's
- 5:09Speaker 1: something in me that just feels he is also not
- 5:12Speaker 1: supporting you in that it does sound like it's his way,
- 5:15Speaker 1: all the highway, not acknowledging how this feels for you
- 5:18Speaker 1: and what it means for you to have that last
- 5:20Speaker 1: name and for your children. I can really see your
- 5:23Speaker 1: point and the support of your late husband's family. Your
- 5:26Speaker 1: late husband's past doesn't mean your relationship with them has
- 5:29Speaker 1: passed and there ours support for you. And they're also
- 5:31Speaker 1: the grandma and grandpa off your two kids, which they
- 5:34Speaker 1: have a relationship with, which they should, you know. I
- 5:37Speaker 1: don't think he should be trying to take that away
- 5:39Speaker 1: from you. I don't think that you're crazy. No, now,
- 5:43Speaker 1: I think that he's being unfair. I agree if to
- 5:46Speaker 1: put it bluntly.
- 5:47Speaker 2: To put it bluntly, I don't think that he fully
- 5:50Speaker 2: grasps the concept of you having to deal with your
- 5:52Speaker 2: husband committing suicide and you having to now solo parent
- 5:56Speaker 2: your children and take the weight not only of parenting
- 6:00Speaker 2: but showing up in this world and also carrying the
- 6:02Speaker 2: grief that you carry. I don't think that he understands,
- 6:05Speaker 2: and I don't think that he ever will, given he
- 6:06Speaker 2: hasn't ever gone through something like that, which is really sad,
- 6:10Speaker 2: because I would love for you to be able to
- 6:12Speaker 2: be obviously don't know who you are, but I would
- 6:14Speaker 2: love for you to be with a partner who can
- 6:15Speaker 2: support you in your grief and support you in what
- 6:19Speaker 2: you had to go through and having to move through
- 6:21Speaker 2: that and everything that I'm sure you went through on
- 6:23Speaker 2: that journey of grief, even.
- 6:24Speaker 1: Like I know you said you're already getting the laser
- 6:26Speaker 1: tattooed off, but like, what if you wanted to keep that?
- 6:29Speaker 1: What if you still wanted to like have love for
- 6:31Speaker 1: your late husband, and so you should. I think you
- 6:33Speaker 1: should too. It's like honoring him, honoring his life, honoring
- 6:37Speaker 1: your children, the father of your children, honoring what you
- 6:39Speaker 1: guys went through, the relationship you had. You don't just
- 6:42Speaker 1: have to erase that because he's insecure, not at all.
- 6:45Speaker 2: And you know, this is one of those things I
- 6:47Speaker 2: think you should push back on because this is something
- 6:50Speaker 2: that is important to you. Having the same last name
- 6:52Speaker 2: as your children and that being something that you are
- 6:54Speaker 2: immovable on you need to stand behind. And I know
- 6:58Speaker 2: it may cause a little bit of conflict, but at
- 7:00Speaker 2: the end of the day, like this is something that
- 7:02Speaker 2: you know, he's not even around, you know, but you're
- 7:06Speaker 2: allowed to leave his legacy and have his name and
- 7:08Speaker 2: be attached to that as well as for the children. Absolutely,
- 7:11Speaker 2: And if it would be a different story if he
- 7:13Speaker 2: was coming to you and being like, look, I hear you,
- 7:15Speaker 2: I see you, I know your grief, but I'm also
- 7:17Speaker 2: having my own experience and I don't know how to
- 7:19Speaker 2: deal with it. Can we talk about it?
- 7:21Speaker 1: You know?
- 7:21Speaker 2: But he's obviously doesn't know how to deal with it,
- 7:24Speaker 2: and he's trying to control and control the outcome of
- 7:26Speaker 2: the situation. And I just think that's an unfair way
- 7:29Speaker 2: to go about it. And I just I really think
- 7:31Speaker 2: that you should be really firm on this. I agree.
- 7:34Speaker 1: And even the family holiday, Like I get that he
- 7:36Speaker 1: doesn't want to go. It's okay if he doesn't want
- 7:37Speaker 1: to have a close relationship with the family, I reckon
- 7:40Speaker 1: I'd feel a little bit icky too, But also I
- 7:43Speaker 1: think he should be like you, guys, go the kids
- 7:45Speaker 1: need to see their grandparents, like you go have a
- 7:47Speaker 1: good time. I've got it here, call me if you
- 7:49Speaker 1: need anything. I think you should be so supportive of
- 7:51Speaker 1: that and hold that. Yeah, and so you can respect
- 7:53Speaker 1: that he doesn't want to go, but to try and
- 7:55Speaker 1: make you feel bad for going and enjoying that time
- 7:57Speaker 1: and the.
- 7:57Speaker 2: Holiday, I don't think that's fair.
- 7:59Speaker 1: I don't know. I feel like this relationship sounds like
- 8:03Speaker 1: it's more just one way. And even you kind of
- 8:05Speaker 1: said it's his way all the highway. It just doesn't
- 8:07Speaker 1: feel like a teamwork, fair dynamic. It's not a dynamic
- 8:10Speaker 1: that I want to be in. I don't think.
- 8:11Speaker 2: Sounds very double standard as well.
- 8:13Speaker 1: Yeah, like you shut down.
- 8:15Speaker 2: Yeah, but he's doing the thing that he's saying that
- 8:17Speaker 2: you're not allowed to do, but then showing up in
- 8:19Speaker 2: that way. And what was mainly in all of that,
- 8:22Speaker 2: it's like it's his way or the highway, and he's
- 8:23Speaker 2: very firm on what he wants and he's obviously allowed
- 8:26Speaker 2: to raise his voice and have his opinion, but you're
- 8:28Speaker 2: not allowed to have that. Yeah. Absolutely not, absolutely not. Sorry,
- 8:31Speaker 2: I feel spicy today.
- 8:33Speaker 1: No, it's it's good because if you're bringing advice and
- 8:36Speaker 1: you know that we're not going to sugarcoat things because
- 8:37Speaker 1: if we were going we always say this. If you're
- 8:39Speaker 1: a longtime follower, we will continue to say it in
- 8:42Speaker 1: cases anyone knew, like this is the advice that we
- 8:43Speaker 1: would give each other if one of us was in
- 8:45Speaker 1: your situation, Like if Tianna was in the situation, I'd
- 8:47Speaker 1: be like, absolutely fucking not. You can keep that tatoo, babe, Like,
- 8:50Speaker 1: he doesn't get to decide that's your body, late husband's legacy.
- 8:53Speaker 1: It's you still want to grow your boys up knowing
- 8:56Speaker 1: who their fucking father was, Like they need to know
- 8:58Speaker 1: who their dad was. That's okay, And there shouldn't be
- 9:01Speaker 1: anyone in your life telling you that that's wrong. Can't
- 9:03Speaker 1: just erase someone that's been such to be part of
- 9:05Speaker 1: your life, and it shouldn't have to.
- 9:06Speaker 2: And especially to go through something some level of grief
- 9:08Speaker 2: in the way that you have to lose someone to suicide,
- 9:11Speaker 2: there has to be an immeasurable amount of compassion and
- 9:15Speaker 2: understanding for something like that. Mm hmm. No one knows
- 9:19Speaker 2: what somebody who's gone through for that level of grief, Yeah,
- 9:21Speaker 2: and what that would feel like to carry and then
- 9:23Speaker 2: to still have to parent and everything else I mentioned
- 9:25Speaker 2: this before. I just think like, if it were you,
- 9:28Speaker 2: I'd be like, babe, like you deserve somebody who's going
- 9:30Speaker 2: to understand what you've been through and not make you
- 9:32Speaker 2: feel guilty. Try to understand, try to understand, not make
- 9:35Speaker 2: you feel guilty for something that was out of your control.
- 9:38Speaker 2: Imagine making somebody feel guilty for their husband committing suicide.
- 9:42Speaker 2: Absolutely not.
- 9:43Speaker 1: And I have spoken to someone who's lost their punch
- 9:45Speaker 1: to suicide before they had children. I remember her so
- 9:48Speaker 1: vividly saying to me, and I'm not putting things in
- 9:50Speaker 1: your head, but I remember her saying to me like
- 9:52Speaker 1: I will forever live my life and my children will
- 9:55Speaker 1: forever live their life. Wondering why we weren't enough for
- 9:58Speaker 1: him to stay that alone for children to carry, like
- 10:02Speaker 1: we weren't enough for daddy to stay And then like the
- 10:04Speaker 1: kids take that is like, oh, maybe if I wasn't
- 10:06Speaker 1: so naughty, or like maybe if we didn't fight, or
- 10:08Speaker 1: maybe if I was more good, or maybe if I
- 10:10Speaker 1: got better grades, Like why did it?
- 10:12Speaker 2: You know?
- 10:13Speaker 1: And the wife's like should I have done more? Did
- 10:14Speaker 1: I not take it seriously? Did I not put him
- 10:16Speaker 1: into counseling? Like was my last fight? The thing that
- 10:19Speaker 1: tipped him over the edge, or like did I not support?
- 10:21Speaker 1: Was I not? You know, all those thoughts run through
- 10:23Speaker 1: your head. You're already carrying all of that. You need
- 10:25Speaker 1: someone to hold you in all of that. Not to
- 10:28Speaker 1: fucking maybe feel guilty makes me angry.
- 10:30Speaker 2: Actually, yeah, I feel quite activated for you because I
- 10:35Speaker 2: have for what you've been through. Yeah, and you deserve
- 10:38Speaker 2: somebody who's going to be soft with you and allow
- 10:41Speaker 2: someone to hold the container for you to grumble. Where
- 10:45Speaker 2: do you crumble?
- 10:46Speaker 1: Yeah, make some emotional it's really sad. I No, you
- 10:49Speaker 1: don't deserve that. I think you need to stand on
- 10:51Speaker 1: your own two feet and like really sent up for
- 10:53Speaker 1: what you want. And if he's not willing to not
- 10:55Speaker 1: willing to try to understand and let you have your
- 10:58Speaker 1: say and do what it's right for you, I think
- 11:00Speaker 1: i'd be encouraging you to leave if you're in this situation, babe,
- 11:03Speaker 1: I wouldn't want that for you. So, if your friend
- 11:06Speaker 1: was going through this, we always asked this, like what
- 11:08Speaker 1: would you tell them to do? Yeah? Would you be like, no,
- 11:10Speaker 1: stay babe, Like this is the right move for you.
- 11:12Speaker 1: Would you be like absolutely not? You give that up
- 11:15Speaker 1: to yourself absolutely. Yeah, my sending is so much love.
- 11:19Speaker 1: You already know that you're such an incredible human for
- 11:21Speaker 1: what you're going through and what you have had to
- 11:23Speaker 1: hold up until now. Yeah, and also you said that
- 11:26Speaker 1: your family don't want to hear anything about it because
- 11:28Speaker 1: of the breakout, like you know how they separated and
- 11:30Speaker 1: they got back together. So I'm guessing you're too scared
- 11:32Speaker 1: to go to your family because I'd be like, oh,
- 11:34Speaker 1: he's at it again, or you know, oh, well you
- 11:36Speaker 1: should have learned this the first time. Like, I'm hoping
- 11:38Speaker 1: that kind of energy and language isn't what you're getting
- 11:40Speaker 1: from them, but I'm guessing it might be. I just
- 11:42Speaker 1: hope you've got some good friends around you, someone that
- 11:44Speaker 1: you can talk to and can lean on. He doesn't
- 11:46Speaker 1: need to know everything you're saying, but you need your outlet. Yeah,
- 11:49Speaker 1: you need someone you can talk to. I hope something
- 11:51Speaker 1: we've said to Tay can help, and you can always
- 11:52Speaker 1: bring it in here or give us an update. But
- 11:54Speaker 1: just know you're worth and you're allowed to have his legacy. Yeah,
- 11:57Speaker 1: you don't have to do something because he's insecure. And
- 11:59Speaker 1: it's not just you, it's your boys too. Yeah, they
- 12:02Speaker 1: deserve to know who their dad was. Absolutely, their dad
- 12:04Speaker 1: was important to you. You know, I must be hard
- 12:07Speaker 1: to even think about having to explain to you beculds Oh,
- 12:09Speaker 1: why did you get daddy's name removed off you? Why
- 12:12Speaker 1: do you have a different last name?
- 12:13Speaker 2: To ask?
- 12:13Speaker 1: Like, that's all the stuff she's navigating. Yeah, it's not
- 12:16Speaker 1: fun to explain to two little boys. And at the
- 12:18Speaker 1: end of the day, but it's something you want. I
- 12:19Speaker 1: think that you get to have it. Definitely, your body,
- 12:22Speaker 1: your choice.
- 12:22Speaker 2: That's right. And I'm sure that you would be an
- 12:25Speaker 2: understanding person in general. So it's not like you're sitting
- 12:27Speaker 2: here going I'm going to do this, this, this, and this,
- 12:29Speaker 2: and it's unfair and there's double standards and expectations and
- 12:32Speaker 2: you're just moving through your relationship only wanting what you want.
- 12:35Speaker 2: You don't sound like that kind of person. You sound
- 12:37Speaker 2: like somebody who would be considerate, caring, you know, understanding, understanding.
- 12:41Speaker 2: So I don't think that you're asking for too much.
- 12:43Speaker 2: I think you're asking for what's fair.
- 12:44Speaker 1: Definitely I agree. Oh, sending you so much love, big
- 12:48Speaker 1: virtual hug. Yeah, I hope you're okay, sending you love.
- 12:51Speaker 1: We'll see you guys on Monday, Bye Love,