How can I fix this? Help me save my relationship.
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How do I make this better? Eroded partnerâs trust to a dismal point. Iâm headed out on a business trip and yes, heâll be there when I get back, but unless I come up with something spectacular, his continued presence in our relationship will have to do more with our commingled financial interests than any desire to keep things together romantically. What do I do to make this up? the screwup: once again, misleading my love about our plans + schedule + business, with the brunt end falling all on his lap. Backstory: For years, Iâve really deteriorated our relationship by not paying bills, not planning or even communicating business trips I need to take for work, bailing out on planning house moves, not dealing with scheduling critical travel, vet, doctorâs appointments, grocery trips, you name it. Iâve never cheated/abused or done any of the major relationship non-starters but years of spectacularly bad planning and really weak communication has just really gutted a lot of his trust in me. Basically, plan is a four-letter word to me. Iâm a really hard worker and will do whatever is required of me but I utterly fail at planning ahead and communicating work schedules that impact us both, day after day, year after year. Now, during a critical time in our relationship and our business, I have to take off on a out-of-state trip for my day job that will last a few days. Knew about it for a couple months ahead of time but only told him two weeks ahead of time. (Weâre starting to run a boarding businessâso me being physically present is crucial) Perhaps if I had communicated earlier, things could have worked out and schedules coordinated and outside help/friends brought in. But I didnât. Again. For what weâll call charitably, the 227th time. While Iâm away and heâs pissed that I once again have the freedom to travel while heâs stuck grinding out our business, staying up late and picking up my slack---what can I do to make it up to him? To make him feel better. To make him feel that Iâve grasped that this is the end of the line and I want to make this better and not ever screw anything up again. To make him feel I will make a sacrifice on my part that for once puts him first. I love him dearly. But Iâm bad at romance and bad at planning. What can I do?
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Answer:
Maybe its just the way you've worded it but it sounds like your focus is on getting his forgiveness rather than actually changing or addressing the problem. The whole business trip isn't a bad planning thing - the trip was planned months in advance, you just didn't tell him about it, I've got to ask "why the hell not?" - "I'm bad at planning" is not an answer, its a cop out. Maybe you should stop thinking of this as you being "bad at planning" and reframe it as what it really is - you're (for some reason) incredibly inconsiderate. There was no reason to not tell him about the trip as soon as you found out. Maybe this is a symptom of a larger pattern of self destructive behaviour and something you should analyse (either by yourself or with the help of a professional) In the short term, if he has the desire to travel but can't because of your joint business then by way of apology you should make that happen for him. Give him a week off to do whatever he wants and you take care of the business by yourself. Prove to him that you do care about his feelings and you can be trusted to take care of the business.
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Other answers
Get some therapy and show him you are working on fixing this problem. Seriously. He is not only your relationship partner, but your business partner too, and this is how you treat him? You've been very disrespectful of him and you need to understand why and how to change it with some outside help. If you are lucky, he will remain patient while you do this (so long as you make demonstrable improvements). But that is only if you are lucky. If you are unlucky, you still need to get this sorted out to find out why you would continually do this to someone whom you supposedly love.
Halo in reverse
-what can I do to make it up to him? To make him feel better. To make him feel that Iâve grasped that this is the end of the line and I want to make this better and not ever screw anything up again. To make him feel I will make a sacrifice on my part that for once puts him first. He's been telling you want he wants and you *know* what he wants. He wants you to keep your promises. He wants consistency. He wants you to be present in both mind and body. He wants the safety net of knowing if he doesn't do something, you will take care of it, that the entire burden of all the scutwork that is part and parcel of daily living doesn't fall solely upon his shoulders. He wants to be an adult in an equal partnership working together as a team, not someone in a relationship with a child in an adult's body. I've been in this relationship you have, on the other side, and I'll tell you that it's just soul destroying. Fix it or have the good grace to go away.
jamaro
But Iâm bad at romance and bad at planning. I don't have any life-changing ideas, but I want to head you off at the pass here: a big rom-com display of affection WILL NOT HELP. It will make things worse. I promise. In terms of concrete steps, you're better off making a google calendar, sharing it with him, and actually using the damn thing (adding events as soon as you know about them and asking him to do the same). This might help. Therapy (how can you be so insanely disrespectful to someone you "love dearly"?) would be better, but it sounds like it's too late and you need to do something solid, too.
AmandaA
Show him you mean it. Words will be meaningless at this point.
irishcoffee
What is it that keeps you from doing the simple, every-day tasks the we all must do to function in the world? What is the payoff for not doing these things? Once you figure that out, you can alter your behaviors and get that payoff from something positive. You must know that you come off sounding a bit entitled, "I'm so flakey and so special that the world will catch me as I fall, la-de-da! I don't like to plan, it's an EVIL word! *giggle* So I just go around doing what I do and fuck anyone who gets hurt by it, or has to pick up my slack." If your SO weren't in the picture what would your life be like? Would you be sitting in the dark because you didn't pay the power bill? Would your dog be dead because you didn't take him to the vet? Would you be unemployed because you failed to communicate and plan at your day job? Oh wait...you don't have this problem at your day job, do you? It's only with the person you claim to love that you mess up, that you make him responsible for all the stuff you're too-special, creative, lovely, to do. I'm not trying to slam you, I'm trying to get you to see how maddening this must be for him. I'm sure he's special, creative and lovely too, but you're the one that gets to float through life, and he's the one that has to do all the work so you can do it. When I put it that way, it doesn't sound fair. You may need a time management App, or course or book. You may need reminders. Whatever it is you need, to get you to do your share, get it. Actions speak louder than words. So stop making excuses and start being a person who does PLAN. It's not a four letter word, it's the difference between peace and chaos. So why exactly is it that you choose chaos?
Ruthless Bunny
Yeah, I'm also not getting why you felt the need to hide this business trip from him unless there's more going on here than you're telling us. Knowing about something for months and not telling your partner isn't "bad planning", it's "deceit". Do you have trouble saying no in general? Are you afraid of his reaction? Would you rather go on the trip than be at home? What's behind this? I'm a terrible planner. This is not that.
windykites
To make him feel I will make a sacrifice on my part that for once puts him first. In a situation like this, "I will" is meaningless. The only way you convince him that you have changed is by actually changing. It's very unlikely that he will trust that change is forthcoming, and there's probably not much you can do to sway him on that. Just accept that you have to rebuild his trust with actions, not words.
KathrynT
Seems like you guys shouldn't be in business together. Might be better to minimize the opportunities for your lack of forethought to hurt him.
crazy with stars
I agree with the others that say you should get outside help for this, whether through therapy or some other (probably professional) means. This isn't new. This is a constant pattern of showing your partner that your time and your needs and your spontaneity is more important than him, his time, or his feelings. For years. This is so unfair to him. I know this sounds harsh, but that is fucked up. If your partner were the one writing this AskMe, I would expect just about every answer here to be some version of "break up with your partner, who obviously doesn't care about you, which they have demonstrated clearly over and over again." If you don't make some serious, ACTIVE changes, now, then I don't predict anything good for your relationship (or your business).
phunniemee
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