Hi there, I'm new here and thought I'd do a little introduction. I'm a married mom to 2 wonderful kids. I have a full-time job and am trying to finish my BS degree in Education. My goal is to be a history teacher. I have a lot of problems dealing my my emotions, especially when they pertain to relationships. Once upon a time, I was an outgoing, friendly person. Now, I'm not. I'm afraid of people trying to use me or control me in some way. I feel like I am surrounded by selfish, manipulative people, most of all my spouse and his family. My huaband is a very sweet guy. If you met him, you'd think I was either nuts or lying about him, because he looks like Winnie the Pooh and has a happy, quiet personality. But, up until about 6 months ago, he was not that way at home. He was either totally needy and dependent on me, or totally controlling. He is highly intelligent and plays mind games with me. He used to talk all the time about "keeping me in line" or "Making me behave", and then say it was a joke. He is a very affectionate person and is always saying "I love you," but I even question the depths of his feelings towards me. Until I came along, in High School, he had only had one prior girlfriend, and says that I am all he has in the world. Six months ago, I decided I wanted to leave. I had started talking to other men, both online and in real life, and discovered that not all men are big babies, and that it was possible to find someone who would treat me as an equal and not someone to use. My husband found an e-mail, and this opened the door for communication. Now, he is acting like a "whipped puppy." He helps out more around the house, is even more affectionate, is looking for ways to show me how "special" I am and how much he loves me. Still, after 10 1/2 years of not being that way, it feels false. Like it is another mind game, like this is a new tactic to keep me "in line" so I won't leave him. Because, remember, he's had no one else in his life! His family, well, that is a whole other story that I will share later. The hate and resentment is eating me up inside. Last night I was up until 1:30 crying because of the "trap" I feel like I'm in. But, anyway, I'm glad I found this forum, I hope that maybe I can work out some issues here,.