UPWBPD in a much better phase but still can not take any critisism

[olafinski]

Hi, 20 y in marriage with a UPWBPD. Entering perimenopause my wife is much better and doesnt have tantrums and big episodes anymore at all. It started to grt better when she discovered a link between her digestion and state of mind and started to supplement for nerve calming.
The problem is that she still can not take any form of critisicm and reacts wildly to it. It is especially the problem
in upbringing of our 16 yo son. I learned to accept her and stick to her side in this respect but sometimes after our son leaves after our discussion together I try to discuss with her some simple issues that I have with her parental
position and this creates havoc.
So right now, at a very sensitive age for our son, I am basically forced to stat silent. As a parent she is mostly really good, a special education teacher working with kids for 25 years, but as a person she has grown in a family of really kind people
but totally afraid of virtually everything. Because of this she has very little self confidence and that has blocked her all of
her life.
I am totally opposite, self realized, big career and travelled a lot. I am not an adventurer and adrenalin seaker, quite the opposite, but I have great self confidence and am not afraid of life.
I am trying really hard to somehow raise our boy in this respect but its really hard because she paints a totally bleak picture of the world. when we talk about it she is saying that our job is not to present the beauties of the world because that is for him to discover, but to do this he must stay safe.
Sound good in theory but in practice it produces people that are blocked inside their little world, afraid of everything.
Any advice is really cherished, dont know what to do.

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[zachira]

My father was in a similar position with my mother who had BPD and with me when I was a teenager. What kind of conflicts does your son have with his mother? Does he voice his opinions or remain silent? A moment that was very damaging to my self esteem and impaired my becoming a healthy adult, was when my father took me aside when I was around 16 and told me he could do nothing about my mother, that she had refused to seek help for her mental health problems. He made it clear he did not want me to voice my needs and opinions. Do discuss with your son the problems with his mother and let him know none of it is his fault, that his feelings, ideas, and opinions are important. Now is the time for him to gradually transition to becoming an adult in his own right, not to take care of his mentally ill mother. Perhaps you could find some counseling for him.

[Notwendy]

One of the main concepts taught to people in therapy, 12 steps, basically anyone in an enabler position, or in a relationship with a disordered person (I am including this as many posters don't identify with the concept of co-dependency but are still in a relationship with someone with BPD) is this: we can not change another person and we need to not expect people to be different from who they are.

Many people, even non disordered people, don't respond well to criticism. It's invalidating. For someone with BPD, it's extremely invalidating, and can even cause them to dissociate. It's not going to work and its not going to help the situation.

It seems your wife has made improvement and also seems to be capable of parenting- not in all the ways you want her to be or wish she would be, but she probably can not change her inner "wiring" and how she perceives the world. Being critical of this is similar to being critical of her eye color, or height. It's a part of who she is. It may possibly be improved on but that could take a lot of intense therapy and she would need to be highly motivated to do so. At 16, it's more likely your son would reach adulthood and be out of the house sooner.

Children learn from both parents and they learn a lot from what you do, in addition to what you say. Your son has both of you as role models. IMHO the best intervention to expose your son to your outlook is to spend as much time as you can with him, doing the things that you enjoy. Introduce him to your career, (not with the pressure to enter the same one) but your enjoyment, pursuit, dedication to it, your hobbies, interests.

My parents were different people and I learned from each of them. As difficult as it is to hear or lean as a teen that a father can't or won't do anything about a BPD mother, in my situation, I think it was true. He couldn't and other people couldn't either. What mediated this for me was time with my father and also his family members who were mothers and who were different from mine. I also agree with Zachira's suggestion for counseling for your son if he's willing. When he ventures out into the world as a young adult- you are still his father. He will be influenced by both parents.