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Asking Eric: Husband’s Childhood Friends Pull Him Away From Family
The husband spends most of his time with childhood friends, causing family activities to cease; a counselor suggests scheduling, communication, and counseling to restore balance.
- Recently, an unnamed letter writer says she and her husband, together 10 years, stopped doing things as a family after he reconnected with childhood friends, affecting their children.
- The husband prioritizes old friendships, spending nearly all his free time with childhood friends and responding defensively when the wife raises concerns about balancing time.
- She proposed concrete fixes, including calendaring shared time, and expressed how she felt to rebalance family life with her significant other.
- The advice column recommended counseling as an alternative to separation, advising `Short of walking away, counseling is an option.` The columnist cautioned she shouldn't have to beg for attention and stressed her husband's family responsibilities.
- The columnist framed time use as reflecting a couple's values and urged addressing it, noting a counselor may break through if her significant other remains defensive.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Asking Eric: My partner reconnected with childhood friends, now we’ve stopped doing things together
Dear Eric: My significant other and I have been together 10 years now. Lately, since he reconnected with childhood friends, we stopped doing things together. We stopped doing things as a family (we have children).
Asking Eric: Boyfriend reconnects with old friends; suddenly it’s like the kids and I don’t matter
Dear Eric: My significant other and I have been together 10 years now. Lately, since he reconnected with childhood friends, we stopped doing things together. We stopped doing things as a family (we have children). He is with them all of the time. I expressed how I felt and gave suggestions on how we can balance and improve, but he only gets defensive. I feel like I should walk away at this point. He is 48, I’m 37. How should I deal with this?
Asking Eric: My partner prioritizes friends over family time
Dear Eric: My significant other and I have been together 10 years now. Lately, since he reconnected with childhood friends, we stopped doing things together. We stopped doing things as a family (we have children). He is with them all of the time. I expressed how I felt and gave suggestions on how we can balance and improve, but he only gets defensive. I feel like I should walk away at this point. He is 48, I’m 37. How should I deal with this?
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