Hi I’m a 38yr old guy with a 43yr old close friend from childhood, our families are friends and have been forever.
She has been in a relationship with a man now for over a year who treats her like garbage. Every time she does something he doesn’t agree with or like, instead of a conversation he ends things with her and then about a week later when he thinks she’s been tortured enough by being blocked and stonewalled he will expect her to apologise and take the blame and then everything is rosey again for a little while. This repeats every now and then over and over. He’s always saying horrible things, doing horrible things, hiding his phone and all the suspect stuff.
unfortunately she has become pregnant with his child..she already has 2 from a previous relationship that are young teens.
no matter what this man does to her she will not leave him, they don’t live together.
i feel awful for her every time she calls me up crying and distraught and we spend hours and hours and days together in the pub crying and talking and this has been going on for 7/8 months
my question is how can I support her without burning out myself? I’ve given her my perspective as a man but it doesn’t seem to help.