Marriage issues

A not so quick intro. Been married for 20yrs, have children, have a good job. I seemly make friends quite easily. I have a life that a many of austistic men would be quite satisfied with.

Apparently I wrong about most of the above.  After several conversations with my wife (which we both discovered I was austistic after being married for a decade) my evaluation of myself and my life appears to wrong. 

My wife feels unloved, and unable to speak with me. Essentially emotionally abandoned.  My kids are afraid of me or don't "like" being around me. And I really only have 1 close friend,  who I can't bring myself to talk too honestly about my situation,  so how close of a friend could he be?

Not sure why I'm writing this. Maybe I'm looking for suggestions regarding how I can draw closer to my wife and kids and how can I deal with this crushing realization that my life isn't what I think it is?

Parents
  • If everyone is still talking, that's a good sign. In a horror film it's always communication that goes which leads to all kinds of doom and gloom. 

    All humans have good qualities which need drawing out. We can have talent which has been overlooked and difficulty which hasn't been sorted out. We all need help growing and to acknowledge how much we don't know. 

    In our modern world, mental health is this strange trend which might be used as a nuance to say "I can't change", when the reality is, there might be a loss in translation, but we can keep working out how to best communicate! As someone who's also dyslexic, I might never have the same ability to organise, but it doesn't mean I can't be kind, these are such different things. I might actually possess an ability others don't have, such as spacial relations and a keen ability for geometry. 

    As an adult with kids, they have to be a priority. And barring economic responsibility, my needs and intense interests can be put aside for the sake of someone I am responsible to. 

    I went through a similar awakening in my late 20's and it took about 10 years to configure myself after a massive breakdown. Single mum, little help, but managed. However, I've always read philosophy, have had a series of spiritual awakenings (of sort), sought out mentorships, listened to podcasts, joined church groups, found accountability and so on. 

    My dad is slowly realising these things as well and he's much older. But it's so easy to forgive someone who is honest about their humanness and limits. Who wants to connect. I can hear your heart in the matter and that's really crucial to our becoming. When in doubt, just ask. Asking your kids to help you be better - one thing at a time as to not overwhelm, involving them in your process, will actually set them up to be better humans overall. 

Reply
  • If everyone is still talking, that's a good sign. In a horror film it's always communication that goes which leads to all kinds of doom and gloom. 

    All humans have good qualities which need drawing out. We can have talent which has been overlooked and difficulty which hasn't been sorted out. We all need help growing and to acknowledge how much we don't know. 

    In our modern world, mental health is this strange trend which might be used as a nuance to say "I can't change", when the reality is, there might be a loss in translation, but we can keep working out how to best communicate! As someone who's also dyslexic, I might never have the same ability to organise, but it doesn't mean I can't be kind, these are such different things. I might actually possess an ability others don't have, such as spacial relations and a keen ability for geometry. 

    As an adult with kids, they have to be a priority. And barring economic responsibility, my needs and intense interests can be put aside for the sake of someone I am responsible to. 

    I went through a similar awakening in my late 20's and it took about 10 years to configure myself after a massive breakdown. Single mum, little help, but managed. However, I've always read philosophy, have had a series of spiritual awakenings (of sort), sought out mentorships, listened to podcasts, joined church groups, found accountability and so on. 

    My dad is slowly realising these things as well and he's much older. But it's so easy to forgive someone who is honest about their humanness and limits. Who wants to connect. I can hear your heart in the matter and that's really crucial to our becoming. When in doubt, just ask. Asking your kids to help you be better - one thing at a time as to not overwhelm, involving them in your process, will actually set them up to be better humans overall. 

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