DEAR HARRIETTE: I was really upset with my husband a couple of weeks ago, and I called my friends and even my attorney to say, “This is it. I’m done.” I was that mad. Yes, I have been that mad before, but I felt like I was at my wit’s end. Now, several weeks later, we are still together. We did have a talk of sorts. I laid out my grievances for the gazillionth time, but he seemed to listen a little better this time. He has made a few efforts to be better. The bottom line is that I haven’t done anything in terms of legal action. It feels like we are working on things, for now anyway. How do I manage my friends’ expectations when I’m in this repair mode? All they remember is me screaming and hollering that I was ready to go. -- About-Face
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DEAR ABOUT-FACE: The problem with telling people your business is that you have to manage it afterward. You can do it. Tell your friends that you and your husband have reconciled. Share that you had a heart-to-heart with him, and it feels like things are moving in a positive direction. Thank them for their support, and ask for them to continue to have your back as you live your life. Do your best not to give them blow-by-blows of what happens next. Instead, try to work it out directly with your husband. After all, that is the relationship that is in peril.