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Relationship Military boyfriend-has become distant.

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MeetalOyama

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Hi
My boyfriend and I have been in a relationship of 10 months. We meet online while away on training (he's in the military). For the first month it was constant attention and affection. He would go out of his way to find a way to be with me.

Unfortunately he was deployed for 7 months and when he left he asked me to commit and be in a relationship with him. It was going to be hard but we will make it through and we were.

I noticed a change in him when he was overseas. He started becoming distant, didn't think much of it. He's at war, of course he's being distant. His deployment kept getting longer and longer and I could see it taking a tole on him. There was no more talk of him coming to see me, things that we were going to do.... oh and by the way he lives 3hr drive away so it's not like we can pop over and see each other.

He has kids and I have kids, plus he lives with his ex. Took me awhile to get over that but ever since he's been back it's like pulling teeth to get him to see me. It's been working out to one day a month that we get to spend together. We used to talk every day, we'd go a few days in between but the days are becoming longer.

He finally confident in me that his minds not there and he doesn't think he can make the time I need. He hasn't said he doesn't want a relationship with me. I even told him that I'm not breaking up with him so if he wants me I will stick by him but he needs to choose what he wants.

I've fallen for him and I don't want to quit but how can I help him see what he saw before. He's fallen back into his co-parenting marriage. It's fimiliar and he has his kids 24/7. Which he says the kids ground him. I even asked if he wanted to introduce the kids make it a little easier to share and spend time together. He just said he wasn't ready for that and that's fine, I'm personally not in a hurry but I just don't know how to help him.

He's going to therapy in 2 weeks through his work part of the reintegration process. So as per usual lately I won't hear from him till who knows when. When he returned home he never reactivated his cell phone, so we only can communicate via a app we use, skype or email.

I know what a lot of you are probably thinking, he's playing me but I trust him. We've been open and honest since the day we met, we have no secrets.

Does anyone have any advice for me, been through something similar?
 
I know what a lot of you are probably thinking, he's playing me but I trust him.
I don't think he's playing you at all. Where's the play here? He's being extremely forthcoming:

He finally confident in me that his minds not there and he doesn't think he can make the time I need.
He says this, and you say he's become distant. Well, yeah. The time you spend together is scarce. He admits this.

I think you're the one who needs to choose: is this good enough for you or not? It's okay to have expectations in a relationship. It's okay to assert that they are not being met. It's okay to end a relationship when your needs aren't being fulfilled. You can still be crazy about someone without it actually working out.
 
Thanks, I do realize that and I never said he was playing me. We've both been very open with each other. It just bam, went from I want a relationship to I can't. I know what I need and want but it feels horrible dumping him knowing that he does want to be with me but just can't figure out how.
 
I see your perspective clearly. And I think it's natural to feel the way you do about the sudden chasm that has opened. And I think it's very generous of you to understand that his comfort zone with his ex and kids is an emotionally reasonable--if frustrating--response to deployment/reintegration/stress.

I would just urge you as you navigate this resource NOT to assume that this is the push/pull cycle many supporters talk about, especially if your boyfriend is not diagnosed with PTSD (which I assume he is not, being active). I think a lot of supporters have a tendency to cling to that idea, that this is a phase caused by PTS(D) symptoms when often it's more the product of normal relationship cycles.

Good luck. I hope others (especially some of our vets) respond to you.
 
Does he ever take you to his town, or does he stay where you live?
I've been to his home many times just may at his "home". He's brought me to the base he works on, his street where he lives. I know what house he lives in but never been in it. We stay on the base together when I'm down to visit.
 
Still living with his "ex" and you can only communicate via an app, skype or email? That doesn't sound l...
Ever since he came back from Qutar he refuses to get a new cell phone. He says he doesn't want to be attached to a phone.
 
your boyfriend is married and living with his wife....to me, i think that he was thinking of leaving his wife at some point and that may have been when you guys started things. but it sounds like he isn't planning on leaving his wife. maybe he decided to work things out with her. if he hasn't even filed for divorce yet, moved out into his own place, had you over to his house, introduced you to his ex wife, it sounds like he is pulling away from you because he has decided to keep things going with his wife. i don't know, but that would be my guess. i've been in a situation in the past where a guy told me he was divorced...then he told me he still lived with his wife, but it was "for the kids sake"...then he told me he was separated, that was he "legally married" but that he didn't love her anymore...basically he was married and living with his wife, and had zero plans to leave her. it sounds like you are in a similar situation. my advice, is to leave. he doesn't sound too dedicated to making time for you right now. you don't sound happy. he is married and living with her. it sounds like he has a lot of baggage. from the outside looking in....i'd say you are best to walk away from the situation.
 
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