Me [27f] with my husband [30/m] 8 yrs married, now that I am sober I think he talks to me like shit

He isn't making up or exaggerating my faults so it's not like he is lying.

Maybe he isn't lying because, yeah, you did drop the cup. But he's being a 24-carat asshole. Adults don't speak to adults like that. Adults shouldn't speak to anyone like that, especially little children or vulnerable people.

Some of what's happening here is you and he are caught in a cycle where he is watchful and critical and expects you to "fail" and you are nervous and tense around him and that leads you to drop things or stumble.

But what is truly wrong here is that he is acting like a shitty unloving partner. He's showing very little kindness or respect.

The correct response to something like dropping a cup of coffee is "Are you okay? You aren't burnt, are you? I'm glad you didn't get splashed with the hot coffee. Let's get some napkins and clean this up. Let me get you another cup. Wanna sit here and drink it?"

And your response should be "Thanks for helping me. Yeah, lets sit here and drink the coffee." Or "Thanks, I'm fine. Maybe I'll get one on the way out and drink it in the car."

A normal decent partner doesn't try to tear you down over stupid small stuff like spilling something. A good partner doesn't go with an authoritarian, disciplinary response to someone who should be treated as an equal.

I'm sure he has flaws, too. One great big huge glaring flaw is that he's hurting you and upsetting you and is reinforcing a cruel idea that you are clumsy and not smart.

I bet you have normal intelligence or higher, and normal body control. We can't all be an Einstein who also has a gold medal in Balance Beam. I expect he is neither brilliant nor a ballet dancer.

Tell him firmly to stop speaking to you in that tone of voice.

Ask him to see a marriage counselor with you so you can reset this dynamic. Certainly you can learn to be more aware of your surroundings, but he absolutely has to stop having this contemptuous disregard of your feelings.

/r/relationships Thread