• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
  • We hope the site problems here are now solved, however, if you still have any issues, please start a ticket in Contact Us

Communication

anewday

This girl is on fire.
Apr 24, 2010
3,589
705
Golden Coast
✟45,823.00
Country
United States
Gender
Female
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
I know this is a common issue in marriage, but I'll ask anyway. How do you communicate to a spouse who doesn't always hear you? And how do you talk about the hard stuff without bringing in everything else that is bothering, has bothered, continues to bother you? I have a really hard time with this. I've been told I'm not very clear in what I say all the time, and he has admitted to being a terrible listener. Definitely not a match made in heaven, to say the least lol.
 

tampasteve

Free state of Florida
Christian Forums Staff
Administrator
Site Supporter
May 15, 2017
27,870
8,068
Tampa
✟990,610.00
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Constitution
Ideally maybe see a marriage and family counselor, they can manage a conversation and keep it going in a productive way.
  • Keep it simple
  • Try and discuss one matter at a time
  • Try not to "unload" all at once
  • Do not use accusatory words ("you always", "why don't you", etc.)
  • Try and use feelings: "I feel like....."
  • Balance out the issues with things you like. Make a list of issues, but then make a list of things you like, ideally the same number of things - or even better, more likes than dislikes.
 
Upvote 0

anewday

This girl is on fire.
Apr 24, 2010
3,589
705
Golden Coast
✟45,823.00
Country
United States
Gender
Female
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
I have a hard time keeping things simple when I have so much to say and the hurt is so deep. I miss having girlfriends around where I could say anything and they would nod, letting me know they understand, even if not completely. At least they listened to me, even if I didn't make sense. My husband is not much of a talker and we don't have many friends nearby. We go to a small church but its been hard to make friends there. I'll try to keep things simple though, I need to work on that.
 
Upvote 0

ValleyGal

Well-Known Member
Dec 19, 2012
5,775
1,823
✟129,255.00
Country
Canada
Gender
Female
Faith
Anabaptist
Marital Status
Divorced
Even though you live away from your friends, doesn't mean you lose them. Call them and talk to them, chat on video chat, etc. There are a lot of ways to stay in touch.

But talking to your husband... here's what I saw in your post: that you have a lot of hurt about something, and it continues to hurt you, and you bring it up when you talk with him. This means you have not forgiven him for the hurt. Forgiveness means letting go of the perceived debt. You bring it up because you feel like he owes you an apology, a change in behaviour to make it stop, or even an explanation. My question is, DO you forgive him? Has he ever asked you to forgive him? What happens when you bring it up?

As for regular communication, it might help to let him talk about his perspective first while you really listen. When you listen, make sure you paraphrase back to him what you think he said, and then guess at how he feels about it. He will either confirm how he feels or he will say no, and possibly elaborate on what he's really feeling. Then dig down deep and empathize with his feelings - not necessarily his feelings coming from his perspective of the situation, but the feeling itself. Iow and for example, you might not know the pain he's in because he just got fired for no reason, but you can probably identify with pain coming from a false accusation. Use that to empathize with his pain.

Once you have sought to understand him and his feelings, then you can talk about your own. It sounds like he's the kind of guy that needs you to be brief and concise. It also helps to have a good sense of boundaries - know what you are responsible for, and take ownership of it. Know how you contribute to the relationship. Not that that always works because if he's not much of a talker, you likely don't know a lot of how HE thinks you contribute to the relationship. You only know from your perspective. And that is important to share with him, no matter whether he listens or how he interprets... talk to him. He is then responsible for how he interprets, and that could be as simple as asking for clarification... this is what I heard you say, did I understand correctly.

Most importantly, for both of you, always interpret what your partner says with a positive mindset - assume your partner is not hurting you deliberately, assume your partner wants the best for you, assume your partner believes in you - interpret with a bias towards the positive. Also, do not hold onto past stuff or bring it up in the future. If he has a behaviour that you've already discussed because it hurts you, then you might have to accept that he's not going to change it. Do not expect him to change anything. All you can do is change how you respond to it.

All the best to you and your husband as you navigate your communications.
 
Upvote 0