Dear Cheryl,

I've been married for seven years and have a 2-year-old and another on the way. It's been a particularly hard year. My husband was fired, we had to move a month ago, I gave up a part-time job I adored, and he's now working full-time. Before, he worked part-time and did art in his free time. The stress has been enormous.

Years ago, I came to terms with the fact that my husband is verbally abusive when he's under stress. Everything becomes my fault. Any attempt to talk makes it worse, so I leave when things heat up — or if I need to take care of my son in the house, I lock my husband out and let him rage outside.

When he calms down, he apologizes. He's gone to counseling and has gotten better. He stopped breaking things. His verbal behavior was improving until the move.

During the week, we get along fine. Weekends are horrible. The verbal harangues start on Saturday morning. I've ended up in tears three out of the four weekends. One week, I was so upset I totaled the car. I've decided to get out on Saturday mornings, with or without my son.

But long term, I don't know what to do. I can see myself divorcing when the kids are grown. Part of me says, why not now? I can't tolerate the way things are. And if I stay with him, I'm afraid I'll lose my inner strength. Another thing — we only have sex a few times a year. That, of course, is my fault, too.

On the other hand, I like him during the week. There are the children to consider. I like being home during their early years. And I need to know I gave the marriage my best shot. I also know moves are hard, and if I left now, I'd never know if all this was caused by the stress of the move. — Torn

Dear Torn,

Let's deal with the immediate problem first — the weekends — and assume your husband is as miserable as you are and wants to change.

Every Friday night, you and your husband have to make a plan for the weekend. There has to be family time, couple time and alone time. Then make a list of triggers that set him off and: 1) Ways for you to avoid them and 2) Ways for him to deal with them without losing control.

There are behavior modifications tricks — some as simple as wearing a rubber band and snapping it when he's upset — that help. You also need a way to stop his behavior before it escalates. You can both agree that if you say a certain word, he'll leave the room until he cools off.

Working through a difficult situation like this can only increase your inner strength.

Once you get the weekends under control, you can work on your sex life. But hold off for now. Good luck, and stay in touch!

MARRIAGE IS LIKE BUYING A YACHT

Dear Cheryl,

You gotta explain to all us clueless guys why marriage is such a big deal to women. You wrote about Maggie, who dated Steve for three years. After another few years, she'd be his common-law wife.

From personal observations, after women get married, they gain weight and cut their hair. And from what I've been told, certain bedroom actives stop. — Why Bother?

Dear Why Bother?

If you have to ask the price of a yacht, you can't afford it. And if you have to ask why to get married, you shouldn't. And thank goodness men never gain weight as they age!

Got a problem? Send it to [email protected]. You can visit her blog at www.talesfromthefront.com. To find out more about Cheryl Lavin, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com.