ComputerHunter.org

 

Misplaced Allegiance


Direct Answers - Column for the week of June 23, 2003

I am male, 30, married for seven years. I have two small children. The past several years of married life have been trying. My wife and I fight a lot, always about money, work, or sex.

We used to be very passionate, in a shy sort of way, but that has all but vanished. My wife attributes it to my work ethic. If I was home more, she says, she would be more romantic. I am not sure I agree. It seems the more I am around the more bored I become with her. I still love her, but there is a giant void.

Now the bigger problem. I hired a recent college grad at work, a smart beautiful 23-year-old woman. She sparked something in me that has been missing. There was an obvious physical attraction on my part from the first day. I work long hours, and she worked alongside me.

We spent many evenings talking to each other and just hanging out. She knows I am married and unhappy. I found myself thinking of this girl constantly on the weekends, and at night while being intimate with my wife. Unfortunately, she recently turned in her resignation. Over lunch she explained she is leaving for legitimate career reasons.

She was very emotional about her career change. I was devastated. We went out with co-workers the next night to drink, have fun, and say farewell. We spent most of the night in each other's arms, dancing closely and whispering into each other's ear. When we left, we started with a hug, moved to a peck on the lips, and ended in a deep passionate kiss.

This girl left on a trip for three weeks overseas, but when she gets back we need to talk things out. I have been thinking of separation or even divorce for over a year, but my biggest fear is my kids. I don't want them to be without a father, nor do I want to be unhappy anymore. I am so torn I don't know what to do.

Oscar

Oscar, one of the most common letters we receive starts with a litany of problems in the marriage and ends with a new person coming into the writer's life. In these letters there are two questions, independent of each other, but the letter writer invariably sees it as a single question.

The first question is, Should I leave my wife because I don't love her and don't want to continue the marriage? The second question is, Will my relationship with my new love work out?

If your marriage is bad enough to end, it should be bad enough to end without another person coming into your life. A year ago talks with your wife might have led to separation and both of you feeling your way back into the world while adjusting to the fact of divorce.

Now your wife will feel there weren't issues between the two of you. It was another woman. Your wife will feel you have your next fish on the line, and she doesn't even have a line in the water. Your wife will be hurt, angry, and contentious.

You, on the other hand, will know your new love is a woman who can become involved with a married man. How much cleaner and more honest it would have been to have separated from your wife a year ago. For you, your wife, and this new woman, everything would have been less complicated.

We hear your concern for your children and the other woman, but not for your wife. Don't firm up the new relationship before talking with your wife. Talking with your wife, not the other woman, is the most important thing now.

The first question to resolve is whether you and your wife love each other and want to remain married.

Wayne and Tamara

About The Author

Authors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at www.WayneAndTamara.com.

Send letters to: Direct Answers, PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com.







Google News - Top Stories

Boston Globe

Fed to Purchase US Commercial Paper to Ease Crunch (Update5)
Bloomberg - 36 minutes ago
By Craig Torres Oct. 7 (Bloomberg) -- The Federal Reserve will create a special fund to buy US commercial paper, seeking to unblock the financing tool that drives everyday commerce for American businesses.
Fed's new tool: Business loan bailout CNNMoney.com
Markets Slide After Bernanke Remarks New York Times
MarketWatch - BusinessWeek - Forbes - guardian.co.uk
all 1,967 news articles


USA Today

McCain, Obama prep for debate
USA Today - 39 minutes ago
By David Jackson, USA TODAY WASHINGTON - Against a background of more aggressive attacks in recent days, John McCain and Barack Obama debate again Tuesday night, with audience members and Internet participants asking the questions.
Sleuth's Presidential Debate Watch Game Washington Post
'Aggressive' debate expected between McCain, Obama CNN
Reuters - The Associated Press - NPR - Boston Herald
all 1,392 news articles


BBC News

Two dead, hundreds injured in Thai protests
ABC Online - 34 minutes ago
By South-East Asia correspondent Karen Percy and wire A Thai woman has died in Bangkok from wounds sustained in clashes between police and anti-government protesters.
Video: Raw Video: Tear Gas Fired at Thai Protestors AssociatedPress
Thai Army Sends Troops to Help Police Keep Peace Washington Post
Reuters - AFP - Reuters UK - Hindu
all 1,339 news articles


NEWS.com.au

Qantas Involved in Another Air Incident
New York Times - 1 hour ago
By Liz Robbins It has been 20 years since Dustin Hoffman’s character Raymond Babbitt in “Rain Man” made Qantas synonymous with air safety, claiming he would only fly the Australian airline because it had never crashed.
Dozens hurt as Qantas jet drops Sydney Morning Herald
Qantas passengers arrive in Perth after mid-air ordeal ABC Online
The Standard - NEWS.com.au - The Canberra Times - Reuters
all 384 news articles


Canada.com

Guantanamo Uighurs 'to be freed'
BBC News - 54 minutes ago
A US judge has ordered that 17 Chinese Muslims held at Guantanamo Bay be released into the United States. In a landmark ruling, US District Judge Ricardo Urbina said Washington could not detain the 17 because they were no longer considered enemy ...
A Victory for the Uighurs at Guantanamo...but Now What? Washington Post
Federal Judge Orders Release of Chinese Muslims New York Times
CNN International - The Associated Press - Bloomberg - The Miami Herald
all 542 news articles

Google
 

Copyright 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base