Moody

 There are many reasons a spouse can behave hurtfully. All of them must be dealt with.

Devorah had been married for five years. At first things were fine. She was an eager-to-please young kallah and her chassan Eli was attentive and caring. They already had two sweet children and another was on the way. Of course with these added responsibilities life was a bit harder now. There was more pressure on the young couple. So when Eli became more self-absorbed and less doting Devorah not only understood but didn’t even pay much attention. She too was busy and distracted.

 Mystified and Miserable

However as the months went on the change in Eli continued to the point where Devorah could no longer ignore it. He would come home and walk right past her without saying so much as “hello.” He’d walk straight to the den and shut the door behind him. At first Devorah was just confused; she’d follow him and open the door asking him if everything was alright. Inevitably he’d mumble that he was busy and would like some peace and quiet.

Devorah began to worry — perhaps there was something going on that was stressful. Eli was no longer carefree and happy; could it be that he was overwhelmed or even depressed? Sometimes when Eli seemed more relaxed Devorah would try to raise the issue with him gently pressing him to confide in her. However he’d just brush away her concerns saying that he was fine and must just have been in a “mood.” Unfortunately things continued to worsen over time with bad “moods” happening more and more frequently — and then they started happening publicly.