Then YOU go for it. Hopefully it will give you enough strength to see that you have a verbally abusive husband, an insensitive, boorish mother-in-law and more importantly that you deserve NONE of it and neither do your children. I say the hell with his opinion (and I know it will be hard, because he'll definitely have one) and go get yourself some self-esteem back. And then, the next step would be to tell his sorry butt to grow up and make the marriage work or get out.

Anna

P.S. - I don't usually sound so harsh, but I hate seeing a perfectly loveable, deserving woman getting kicked around by some jerk (even if she did marry said jerk).

some of it's magic
some of it's tragic
but i had a good life all the way......
~jimmy buffett