Anger Management Workbook

Anger Busting Workbook

Page 67

Abusive Relationships and Recovery

Chapter 2

A Check-Up from the Neck Up

Kelsey, 37, and Michael, 39, had been having one of those marathon, non-stop arguments for days - the kind where even when you are not talking you are still fighting. Of course, this situation wasn't unique to their 12-year marriage. It was pretty much standard practice for them to get into a conflict over something, which would lead to Michael screaming, name-calling and slamming things, followed by periods of silence that could last for days. Most recently, the issue seemed to be money (no surprise there) and how much time Michael was spending on work. Kelsey's hours had been cut back at the store, and they had really counted on that income to help cover the new mortgage payment. They had refinanced the house to pay off credit cards and pay for Shelly's braces, and now their backs were against the wall ... again! So Michael was scrambling to pick up all the overtime he could, plus repairing and upgrading computers for friends on the side. He wasn't home much, and when he was, he was either busy or tired. And when Michael was busy or tired, he had a very short fuse.

About three days ago, Kelsey had mentioned to him, very cautiously, that she and the kids (Shelly, 11, and Patrick, 9) were really missing him and hoping that they could spend time together doing something fun as a family on the weekend. Michael responded with a list of jobs that he absolutely had to finish before Monday and dismissed any weekend activities as completely out of the question. When Kelsey began to plead with him to clear just a few hours, that little straw