Replies to '10/06 "Stand Up for Yourself!"'

Oh my goodness. I sat watching today's show, especially the woman whose husband didn't allow her to shower, and completely identified with her. If anyone out there thinks she was going overboard with her story, I can tell you SHE WAS NOT. I was in such a marriage for 19 years. I was revisited with the darkest, blackest, horrible feelings while I listened to her. In my case, my husband told me that I was bound to cheat because I was pretty and smart. Evidently too pretty and too smart to be with him. He was abusive in every way possible but he didn't see anything wrong with that. Having heart-to-heart talks with a man like that goes nowhere! Long story short, I got out. And that was the most difficult and frightening thing I've ever done. I think that when a wife is in that position, she just gets emotionally defeated and cannot even begin to think of a way to get out. You just can't see the forest for the trees. I would love to help other women or support them but I don't know how. I think that most women who are in such terrible marriages probably had  controlling and abusive parents. I know this was the case with me. I jumped from the frying pan right into the fire. If it were left to me, I would probably never have left. My sister literally scooped me up in her arms and took me away to her home. I will be grateful to her forever.