DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married for 10 years. Three years after our wedding, he told me he was no longer physically attracted to me. It has been seven years since that day, and we’re still together. I don’t feel loved, appreciated or valued.
Since that day, I resent him, and I have told him such. He has refused therapy multiple times. Must I appreciate the friendship we have, or is it time to push for a meet-in-the-middle resolution? – UNAPPRECIATED IN PENNSYLVANIA
DEAR UNAPPRECIATED: That you feel resentment after what your husband told you is normal. It appears that intimacy is either unimportant to him, or he is finding it elsewhere.
Your self-esteem may be below ground level, but you have a right to be able to feel loved, appreciated and valued. Since you are receiving none of those, there is no “meeting in the middle.” Where you need to meet is a lawyer’s office so you can officially end a marriage that died seven years ago.
DEAR ABBY: My dad has never been great at communicating. I’m the only one who seems to communicate with him, even though I’m across the country. Over the last few years, until recently, his new wife, “Dorie,” helped to bridge the gap. I loved having Dad around even if it was second hand from her.