Real Stories - January/February 2007

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I grew up as an only child with a father that worked long hours and thus I’d spent far more time alone with my mother than the average child. She was a kind and loving mother, one who taught me only good things, which included being obedient, the need to show respect for others, as well as how boys should treat girls. This teaching was enhanced as I grew older, with my being taught how to respect women.

Jaclyn’s upbringing was also primarily done by her mother Lynda, but in an entirely different way than I had been brought up. As a result of a divorce, Lynda taught her that a woman needed to be independent and forceful in order to get along in a man’s world. Jaclyn’s aggressiveness, along with the teachings I received about “honoring my wife”, soon had us doing things “her way”, with my not really realizing what was taking place until I guess you could say it was too late. Jaclyn had taken over our marriage as the dominant partner with me as the submissive顺从 — willing to obey. Also unlike my mother, Jaclyn was a believer that punishment is a cure for most problems, and thus I soon found myself having to submit to her various ways of punishing me for things that I did which displeased her. Also, from the very beginning of all of this, my mother-in-law has always been there to support and reinforce Jaclyn, while I had no one to turn to since my parents both passed away. Anyway, that is how we got to where we are today.