Quote From: pocussetThere's no balance in that relationship and I'm inclined to advise them to stay together just to keep their misery off anyone else, but boy, what a sad family. She was up-front when she said that she didn't love him when they married but her mother urged her on, saying that he was going to be a rich doctor. With that woman I'd be abusing oxycontin too.
Dr. Phil was kind and gentle but it's clear that the woman does not like nor love her husband. After declaring her children 'moochers', did you see her smile and blow a kiss to them in the audience? Dr. Phil said that the doctor had the warmth of a spider but didn't extend the comparison to the wife; he may be dense but she's toxic. He seems like a guy who's been trying to do the best he can with a wife who doesn't love him and sabotages him even with her own children. My advice to him would be to try to make peace with his children somehow and flee this terrible relationship.
Remember the old 'can this marriage be saved' feature in Good Housekeeping or Ladies Home Journal? I don't think this one can nor should be saved. Sometimes I wish that Dr. Phil would call these things out instead of prescribing some Family First and we'll call you in the morning.
The woman didn't have a shopping problem; she is an empty shell with so many unmet needs that she can never be filled up.
Very sad indeed.
I totally agree with your assessment. I was growing so angry with Dr. Phil that I had to turn off the show before the end. This marriage should have ended long ago, before they brought children into the equation. He might love her, but I see no love from her towards him. Dr. Phil could not even begin to scratch the surface of the problems of these two as it has been 25 years of pain and disappointment on both sides. I don't think Bridgette likes herself very much or even knows who she is as a person. I think that her husband suggesting that she "get a job" is not a callus response as Dr. Phil made it out to be. I think that what others have said on this board is true: Bridgette needs to grow up. In that, I mean that she needs a sense of self and self worth and a reason to live. She is empty and full of anger that just festers because she focuses her attention on nothing else. I have seen other couples where the husband cheats early on in the marriage and the wife manipulates that event to get whatever she wants from him.
I hope the Dr. listens to Dr. Phil in that he cuts his wife off of the credit cards completely and move to only cash spending. If she fails to buy the necessities from this cash plan and blows the cash on crap, then just hire someone to do this for you. I am sure it would be cheaper to hire a personal assistant than to hand over a credit card to Bridgette. I don't see any love from this woman towards her husband and I think she is married to him only for the money. She complains that she wants him home more, but is that because she wants to enjoy time with him or because she is insecure and thinks he is not working but fooling around? The thought that he might leave her someday must cross her mind occassionally. Just look at some of the posts where women are saying, "leave her, come to me, I'd treat you like a king."
Dr. Phil, since she would listen to you, you should have been harsher with her. I cannot believe that you were that nice to this manipulative person. I'm disappointed that you missed the mark on this one.
