Bakindasaddle
First of all:
Learning how to pick woman all over again is not a bad idea, it's good for self actualisation.
You have 10 years relationship history, and alot in those 10 year is relevant
Things married woman say ( long relationships ) have different meanings than a woman who is involved in a 1 / 2 year relationship.
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Ok, so I am married, just doing a trial separation (initiated by the wife.) I was a stay at home Dad, it made sense financially in the beginning. I rode the situation too long, and I've owned up to that. In the mean time wifey felt like she was making all the effort in the relationship by herself. I had trouble getting a job that fit our situation, and wifey became convinced that half of it had to do with me continuing to enjoy not working. Things started to go down hill, she lost attraction to me, and demanded 'space' and a 3 week trial separation
a build of stress, the whole reason is appearant, she is not satisfied with your behaviour and that results in not being satisfied with the relationship-
this doesn't mean she doesn't love you.
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She had alterier motives, and she
started attention seeking from other men! I am an IT guy, so it wasn't hard to find out.
doesn't mean anything ..yet.... it's only relevant when this behaviour is repetitive. You said it was all at once so it's a temporary factor , not an endured behavioural pattern.
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Now I see things a bit differently... still wary of her not being totally honest, still on my toes and monitoring the situation. However, I think that ironically enough, this turn of events makes us more or less even. Neither of us can say the other person has done more to hurt the other.
This mindset won't solve anything , status quo - result quo 0-0 You want to be rational wise on the same level to solve things and emotionally to spark things but 0 = 0.
I believe there is no suck thing as good or bad , everything is a sign or a symptom. Also what you're saying is your perspective or vision , she still could perceive you have hurted her way more to justify her behaviours. Same thoughts have to come from 2 sides and that has to be confirmed before you can pull of any conclusion about where you both are in the relationship, you can only know where you stand in this relationship because even tho you know your wife you cannot always know what she thinks .
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The problem is things started out with her being in charge, and the one who had every reason to be pissed at me, and I feel my value went way down in her eyes. Basically for the first time in 10 years she is kinda wearing the pants
who is saying she's controlling the relationship ? she does't control shit because nothing is solved yet , meaning you both have no control because you are argueing about control to some degree. Perceiving her taking control automatically makes you want take control back, control isn't important here. If she had full control things would be solved an turned to her favour.
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She says she loves me, but she's not sure if she is in love with me
all temporarily , arbitrary.....nothing is gone, it's also a loving relationship and not a provider one which is a big relieve considering she was seeking attention from other guys.
im not even worried about your situation when i place myself in your shoes because you sound rational - like you got your shit together. what i do worry about it this manifestion of getting value.
A 10 year relationship has such a different structure that it's almost hard to gain back your value because you are both dependent to determine how much value you got. You have external validation( draw value from enviroment) and inner validation ( draw value from self) but when you have such a past together and you are close you can't fully rely on inner validation - you draw validation from your partner because you have to emotionally compromise to build such relationships.
you don't lose value.... you can only think you're losing value - there is just some shit going on.
Communicate... this doesn't mean you should communicate every emotion or thought in every relationship but yours is different. You are a dad... she's a mom... i mean you don't break up all sudden because you have kids. Kids are a big burden but also A BIG RELIEVER when it comes to relationship problems because it's more important to solve problems for the kids as well - problem solve multiplier.
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She has just recently started to come around and show guilt, and some compassion in the last couple days, but things are still strained. My question is how do I gain back my value? How do I stop losing value in her eyes despite feeling hurt, and like I need to talk about how she hurt me and the details of what happened? Also how do I build back attraction in this situation? I am amazed that most of the game I thought I had before I got with her 10 years ago is failing me now.
Perfect time to talk because she's vulnerable by certain emotions thus she commits, Angry people don't communicate - guilty and compassion does communicate. in marriages you build attraction by sharing emotions - emotional bands, this doesn't mean you should cry non-stop but you should express your thoughts and emotions. You don't have to take anyone back... just decide what to do after you've talked. Ignoring her emotions would be a missed chance to spark this emotional band.
don't judge and don't think about what's good or bad, just hear eachother out.
Now you have 10 years history and you have kids together.... it's hard to keep it short and it's also hard to give advice about the situation. You don't need psychology because this is a tactical matter, you need certain viewpoints to analyze and solve certain problems. The whole problem about this situation is simple however the history is long and complex and i won't give big in depth advice without hearing the full story especially because kids are involved - i don't want you to screw up because im not fully informed. Using game to re-spark attraction is not a good idea....just solve most of the problems and go on a vacation together - you are not only dad but you're also husband. Attraction isn't important at all because she already loves you LOVE IS VALUE - romance and doing things together to relieve the pressure is way more important.
What woman says is not necessarily what she thinks and this is not only true for most woman but most people on this planet including men.
In this case Value and attraction are merely lets say illusions....and not really important - you have to agree that communication is more important, get active, financialy active etc.