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Relationships

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husband doesn't do romantic gestures

17 replies

ZiggyStar16 · 12/11/2019 05:12

I have been with my husband for 10 years and we have two beautiful children and are expecting our third. He's very loving and a great dad.

However he doesn't take me out for romantic dinners or buy me gifts (even for my birthday) anymore. I feel like I am part of the furniture. I am always the one to organise a date night ect.

It never was this way before children, he was very romantic.

Am I just being materialistic??

OP posts:
memaymamo · 12/11/2019 05:22

My DH is the same, but he also points out that I was FAR more interested in sex before kids and in our dating days. I feel like the two are comparable. I could make a bit more effort in the bedroom and he could make a bit more effort to be romantic despite our busy lives, and we would both feel more loved.

I think you are perfectly reasonable to long for more romance, but it depends on the whole package of what he brings to the relationship and how much he shows love and care in other ways as to whether it's fair to press him to try harder. No harm in bringing it up.

1066vegan · 12/11/2019 05:25

You're not materialistic. You just want to know that he cares about you and that he thinks of you as being more than just the mother of his children.

Have you ever explained how you feel and what you would like? Men aren't mind readers; they need to have things spelled out for them. Also, do you make any romantic gestures for him?

ZiggyStar16 · 12/11/2019 06:34

I make an effort to take him out for dinner, I book music concerts and buy him gifts e.g. nice whiskey and clothes.

I know our sex life could be better, but I find it hard to be turned on when it's just very routine.... I need a break in routine to feel sexy. Otherwise having sex with my husband is just a chore like cleaning the bath.... I am sure it's self for filling.

I should note, my husband is on the Asperger's spectrum so emotional romance doesn't come naturally.

I told him I wanted him to take me out for dinner once in a while and he joked that I should schedule it.into the calendar.

Perhaps he's right, perhaps I should schedule it in and set reminder alarms so that he remembers to buy me a birthday present. But that seems to defeat the purpose of him taking the initiative to be romantic towards me?

OP posts:
OlderthenYoungerNow · 12/11/2019 06:45

What does he say when you ask why can't he set reminders for himself in a calendar?

category12 · 12/11/2019 07:01

It's not on to stop buying you birthday presents.

Tell him to buck his ideas up.

memaymamo · 12/11/2019 07:04

I think most of us in long term relationships can relate. Honestly if he's got Aspergers you can't expect too much spontaneity and emotional initiative, try to appreciate the things he is really good at, and help him along with being more direct and explicit about your needs.

Maybe having to schedule your own dates is an okay trade off for the things he's good at? Although not getting you birthday presents isn't cool. Is there a helpful relative (eg his mother or sister or a friend) who you can ask to help him along with presents for you and ideas to surprise you so you don't have to do it all yourself?

theboxfamilytree · 12/11/2019 07:08

When was he diagnosed with ASD?

Just because you're attributing his current behaviour to ASD but say he behaved differently prior to children? So it's clearly something he is perfectly capable of doing if he wants to.

ZiggyStar16 · 12/11/2019 07:35

Yes you are correct, he is perfectly capable of being romantic. Once upon a time, he got a flourist to deliver a potted orchid to my desk every week for 2 months! The office thought it was funny...So he can do it if he wants too....he has had ASP since he was a child but he's very high functioning and a bit of a generous (think Sheldon on Big Bang theory)

OP posts:
category12 · 12/11/2019 07:39

The ASD is a red herring. He has done it in the past, he's now choosing not to.

AlphaLemon · 12/11/2019 07:40

If you are sure he loves you and you are happy together, why insist on having him demonstrate it by spending money? Life isn’t like movies, especially after many years of being together.

My husband doesn’t understand the point in birthday/anniversary cards, so if I forced him to buy me one, he’d do it begrudgingly and it would mean nothing to him, so what would be the point?

justilou1 · 12/11/2019 07:51

I get the eyeroll when I call myself Rosie the Robot. I have ceased to exist unless the functions I provide are unsatisfying or missing. Sometimes I want to respond with “Syntax Error” just to see if he gets it.

category12 · 12/11/2019 07:51

Because he'd be doing it to please her. Why shouldn't he make a small effort to please his partner, even if it isn't something he sees the point of?

Techway · 12/11/2019 08:03

Have you read books on ASD partners in long term relationships? There was also a long running thread here for support.

It is documented that romantic gestures often stop following commitment because in the mind of the ASD partner the objective has been achieved. Previously they followed romantic rules to achieve a partner.

The women who seem to remain happy with an ASD partner have accepted the challenges and focussed on the positives. I know it is tough however!

wanderings · 12/11/2019 08:12

With the birthday presents, explain to him that you like the excitement of opening them, the anticipation, and if there aren't any, the disappointment.

If it matters to you that he does things spontaneously for you, you need to talk to him about it; tell him that you don't want to plan it together, that you want him to pick a date and a place, and surprise you with it. If you say nothing, he's probably interpreting silence as contentment with the way things are. With my DH, we believe that communication is key, and when we were a new couple, we both occasionally said to the other "if you weren't happy, you should have said". In fact, persistent "seething instead of saying" would be a deal-breaker for me. (I'm not saying that's what's happening with you.)

Choose a neutral moment to address this, e.g. when you're doing household admin, and have the diary out. Don't try to address it just after he's failed to surprise you. If he has ASD, he'd probably respond well to an edict such as "I expect you to do something spontaneous for me at least once a month, don't clear it with me first", and explain about needing the break in routine to feel sexy; otherwise he could easily decide for example that he'd do something on the third Friday of every month.

Do you have a lot of routine in your lives? With us, our work schedules are different every week, so it's harder for us to be spontaneous: we have to look for moments, plan them in advance, and tell the other to keep a certain period free if we want to surprise each other.

MulticolourMophead · 12/11/2019 08:13

If he did this before, he can do this again, autism or not.

It's about showing you care, especially since for most people, birthdays are one of the few times that others remember to show you they care.

In my ex's case, he just took me for granted and didn't give a shit, so nothing on my birthday ("I didnt have time to get anything"), nothing on Valentine's Day, or indeed at any time, except something at Xmas, which I had to sort myself.

OP's DH can set reminders on his phone, several if necessary, after all, a birthday is on the same date every year. If he needs ideas, OP can set up and share an Amazon wish list or similar.

wanderings · 12/11/2019 08:19

I also second what @Techway says about his thinking being "romantic objective achieved".

ZiggyStar16 · 12/11/2019 08:21

That's really interesting. I will.look for that thread. Yes I can totally understand that my Aspie partner would view it that way.

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