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Hey Bees...

I REALLY need your help on this one.

Lately Ive been trying to ignore how my FI seems to be completely bored with me. I thought it was because I threw myself into planning the "perfect" wedding day and that maybe he was feeling a little neglected- So I vowed that I would have no wedding talk or DIY's for a whole week so I could be completely attentive to him. I did that, and still NOTHING!!! I tried to start a conversation about work, shopping, our kids etc. but I think I just ended up talking to myself. I suggested that we go to dinner and a movie (just the 2 of us) so that we could have some alone time together and he ended up going to a football game and then to see "Strangers" with 2 of my brothers (leaving me home to watch "P.S I Love You" with my sister and son)...

Im wondering if he's been showing me signs that he's not interested in marriage (that im ignoring) or if Im just blowing these things out of proportion.... My first sign was when he bought the wrong ring. I wrote a post about it and everybody thought that I was being "immature and bitchy" (but it was strange to me how someone who always "sticks to the plan" goes out and does the complete opposite for no apparent reason) So I sucked it up and took everyone's advice. My second sign was when it came down to doing anything wedding related he left EVERYTHING up to me (But its very common for grooms not to be too involved, so I chucked it up to being a "man thing" ) And now this, We hardly do anything together anymore, And I often notice that we're taking seperate cars to alot of the same places.... I mean we've been talking about getting married for about 3 years now AND our wedding is less than 2 months away, Both of our families love us together, and we do have a son together- Maybe he felt like he had to propose. What does this sound like to you?... Please help. Thanks!

oh man!!! yeah, you need to talk to the guy! ask him if hes okay, or whats going if there is something wrong, just speak your feelings without pointing fingers or being emotional.  it sounds like something is definitely going on if your feeling this way. it could be your projecting? my man isnt too involved with the wedding planning. he says whatever i want will be what he wants.. blah blah blah, but we have a year to go so im not getting my panties in a wad over it just yet... girl, i think you just need to have a serious talk with him. you will feel so much better to know whats going on as opposed to guessing! check out the new real simple mag... theres a lot of good relationship reading in there! good luck!!! 

I just read your post MrsS2B to my FI to get a man's perspective on your situation and he said, "You can't analyze a situation like that from the outside. On paper he is acting like a jerk, sure, but maybe there is something going on. Talk to him. The end."

I don't think you have cold feet...you have raised more than a few serious issues that need to be resolved before you walk down the aisle with this man. Talk to him first but I think glittergrl is right. Pre-Marital counseling might help you two resolve these issues.

(And for the record, I went back and found your post about the ring. I don't think you were being immature and bitchy... you shouldn't have to live with a ring you don't like!) 

Ditto everyone else on talking to him directly. Just make sure you aren't being confrontational or angry or he's going to shut down even more. And try to use "I" statements instead of "you" statements. Ie: "I feel like we've been growing apart" vs "You are ignoring me." GL!

Honestly, go with your women instinct! Don't make excuses for each of his actions! You know him the best! You can tell that something is obviously on his mind. He seems to be withdrawing! You need to make him understand you want to sit down and talk face to face with no distractions! Get him to open up to you! You have to reconnect! Life gets so busy, especially when you have a child. Remind him why you two are together in the first place!

no one knows FI better than you do!  so definitely don't ignore your gut feeling if it is telling you that something is wrong.  can you also talk to anyone else that is close to him that might know what's going on?  his parents, siblings, good friends?

but most importantly, talk to him yourself!  good luck.

i hope that when you talk to him it sheds some light on this issue. i agree with all the coversation advice above. i definitely wouldnt ignore it and let it slide.

also, a lot of men open up more when you are "doing something"..if he's withdrawn. sitting down on the couch with the tv off and you son down for a nap is probably gonna make his run even deeper inside of himself.... maybe you guys could go bowling, discuss it while he is driving (if you can get in the car) or something like that.....this seems to make many (but not necessarily all) men comfortable.

also, like a poster above, my FI seemed to not be as excited about planning as me and i called him on it....turns out he was concerned with how we were going to pay for the wedding too. Guys go thru a transition....once he slips the ring on your finger he's taken up a huge load of responsibility in his mind...he's got to work thru that.

 I wish you the best of luck with things. Please update us on how it goes.....

Blessings!

I agree that you really need to talk with him.  It may be that he's having his own emotional jitters about the whole wedding thing, and this is just how he responds.  Or it may be that this is what he thinks a "married" relationship is like - he does what he likes, and you hang with the kids and your girlfriends.  If you look around at your friends and family, you'll probably see that a lot of people have that kind of relationship.  My parents do - they each have their own friends and hobbies, and they even take separate vacations most of the time.

Whether that kind of relationship is what your FI expects, or whether it is acceptable to you, is theoretically the kind of thing you discuss before you get engaged - but if you didn't get around to addressing it then, now is a good time.  My FI and I share most of the household tasks - laundry, cooking, shopping, and all the wedding stuff.  I've been told (on this website) that he is not the norm, and I certainly know that.  However, I was never willing to settle for the kind of guy who thinks it's okay to leave me in the living room doing all the work for a party that WE are throwing together, while he's out golfing with the guys.  The 1950s are supposed to be over, but in fact most married women now work 40 hours a week (or more) and still do 80% of the housework and child care.  That's ridiculous.  Those kind of issues are something that you need to straighten out right now - your instinct is completely right - before you end up married to a guy who wants something completely different from a relationship than you do.

And maybe it is just a temporary thing - but I think it's also important to establish an expectation that when you have issues, you talk about them with your partner - as opposed to withdrawing and hanging with your buddies - because in the long run the ability to communicate is going to be what makes or breaks the relationship.  Might as well start working on it now.