Monday, September 30, 2013

Q&A #6 How Did You Tell Your Husband?

Hello everyone!  After a few weeks of utter chaos (yet again, lol) I'm finally able to sit down, breathe and collect my thoughts. I am sorry that it does take me a while sometimes to answer.  But I like to have a quiet moment and I try and lead my thoughts and answers through the spirit.

This two part question comes from "M", I will answer her second question in another post:

"I do have a question about coming out to your husband, how did you do it and how did he take it?  I've been dating a great guy for a year and a half and I totally love him.  But I don't want to hide something so prominent about myself from him.  I don't know how to tell him, and I'm scared he'll leave.  I'm scared because I think we will get married and have a family. I don't want to mess that up, but I don't want to hide myself from him."

M, this is a very hard question to answer. There is no perfect answer.  It depends on the man and how secure he is and how much he does love you.  I do have one question for you, and I think this would be a make or break deal for you.  Have you guys talked about homosexuality in the past?  What does he think about it?

If he is disgusted by it or thinks it's wrong, then you will have a hard road ahead.  Either having to end the relationship or hide it forever.  Neither is a good option, but I would say break it off instead of hiding yourself, because the longer you hide it, the more bottled up it gets.  Trust me, it will come out.  It might not be for decades, but it will come out.  And it's best that you do it on your terms instead of having a slip of the tongue one day.

If he is okay with homosexuality, then, there is hope for you guys!  I told my hubby (fiancee at the time), that I will love him forever and ever, but if Angelina Jolie or Terri Clark asked me out, I would probably say yes.  He took it in good stride until a few years ago when everything that was bottled up came back to bite me pretty hard on the ass.  I got an e-mail from a "friend" asking me to have an affair with her.  I was crushed and heartbroken that someone would do that.  There was a closet way in the back of my soul where these demons just laid in wait for their moment to pounce.

And believe me, it sucked.  It sucked so hard.  I cried, hubby cried...I even ran away from home for the day.  My poor hubby, he thought for awhile that I was done, that I was leaving him for good.  It was a cold December day, I drove 4 hours away to one of my favorite spots in the world, mama ocean.  It was there that I sat in a cove sheltered by the cold rain and prayed and prayed and prayed.  I don't think I have ever prayed that long before.

But, with that praying and being so close to my Heavenly Father that day, I felt so much better about myself, and I knew that we'd all be okay.  I knew that we would have bumps along the way, but in the end we would be stronger for that.

That being said, it doesn't mean we don't have hard days about it and that he gets insecure that he's not "man enough" for me.  He does have days where the fear in the back of his mind gets to him.

In fact, just last week.  We were talking about the news about women in the church starting a movement to be ordained in the Priesthood.  He seemed very upset by my responses when we were talking.  My responses were such that I'm okay with women holding the Priesthood, women were ordained in the early church, we as women today are allowed to use the Priesthood when needed (i.e. if there is a sick/hurt person and no Priesthood holders to administer, we as women can.  I have in fact, I had to one time and I have seen it done before), but having that gift to hold the priesthood is not something I think I am ready for.  It is a very sacred, serious gift.  But I am very okay with women given the opportunity to do so.

He was visibly upset about the whole conversation.  Later on, I asked him why he was being "such an ass" about it, when I was just stating true facts.  He sheepishly replied, "If you hold the priesthood, what good am I to you?  Deep down inside, somewhere in the back of my mind I'm afraid you'd leave me for another woman."

I gave him a big hug and kiss and said, "Baby, it's been 10 years, if I was going to leave, I would have done so by now.  You are my best friend, my lover, my husband, and an amazing dad.  We're stuck with each other.  I'm not going anywhere."

So, like I said there is no perfect answer. It depends on his reactions. Don't hide it, be honest with him. If he can't accept this part of you, then he never was yours in the first place. It's better to have a broken heart now than ten years down the road when there are kids involded...because once that happens, things can get ugly fast.

I'm not going to lie, this will be a hard thing to do. Because once you say it out loud to someone you love, whether it be a friend, family or your boyfriend, it becomes real.  Be prepared to answer questions.  Be totally honest and open with him, that way he can never accuse you of ever lying to him about this. I would pray about it and let the spirit guide you.

Good luck dear, there are many here that read this that are in your corner! Just breathr and know you are greatly loved by many!

<3

Jessie

4 comments:

  1. You can only control your delivery of your feelings and emotions, not how people perceive what you tell them. Honestly, be true to yourself first, everyone else can deal with it. Will it be easy? Probably not. But, nothing in life worth having is truly easy. There is always some sacrifice on some level to be made. Being a woman and loving women is no different than a man loving a woman or a man loving a man. You are attracted to who your attracted to. It is not gender specific, but people like to make you think it is. The great lie of life. Be you, and if he loves you then he will figure it out and make sure your happy b/c that will make him happy. And if your happy, then he will get oodles of extras!!! My biggest regret is not saying something sooner than when I did. Ohh wait, that is right, I was outted by one of my mom's friends and never got to tell her on my terms!!! Don't wait... It will hurt you in the end. Be mindful of your own limitations before you expect him to go along with your plan. What I mean by that is, if you fall in love easily and b/c of great sex, be careful. You may wind up shooting yourself in the foot. I wish at 21 I knew what I know now at 40. You are you and you are special to many. Believe in yourself, even if others find faults. Good Luck.. Signing off is the Greek in Florida

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  2. Wow! Greek in Florida! That was some very excellent advice indeed! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and love!

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  3. One husband's perspective: the night my wife opened up to me about also being attracted to women I couldn't sleep. I didn't feel lied to because she had barely realized it herself. I was tempted to question whether I ever really knew her, if she would really be satisfied with me. I was tempted to question if she still loved me, even though I knew better.

    Over the next couple weeks I had a number of sleepless nights as I grappled with those feelings. I came to the realization that (obviously) she's the same person she'd ever been, that I was also attracted to other women but never acted on that (so what's the difference?), and that I love her so much that I want for her whatever would make her most happy, even if that meant significant sacrifices and changes for me.

    It took time to make a paradigm shift, to understand and fully accept the complexity of our reality. This is now a part of my wife that I love dearly about her.

    I know it's not easy, that it will take a significant amount of bravery. It will test the mettle of your relationship. You do need to give him the freedom to accept this part of you, or not. It isn't healthy to sweep it under the rug. If it comes out down the road it may be more painful than now. He will likely need reassurance of what you see this means to your relationship.

    Love and luck to you, Sister.
    Sam

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    1. Thank you Sam! How wonderful it is to have a husband in here to help us see the other side of the situation!

      Great advice! Thank you again!

      Jess

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