I don’t buy that.
For one, marriage is for better or for worse. In good times and bad, in sickness and in health.
I have dated multiple women (and married) that would have stuck by me if they knew that I was bipolar. One did, but she didn’t have the energy or interest as a young mom to dig in on it. I didn’t dig in either. Ten years went by and in that timeframe I blew napalm all over my life and my marriage. But I filed - and I did us both a service because I was almost 8 years removed from this diagnosis and in denial.
I think very few people have the meddle to want to roll their sleeve up and be that partner who can even stand by when their partner burns the literal house down, destroys the business or whatever else, and I don’t know if your relationship got abusive or what and if so obviously that’s not tolerable, but as a young parent you did what you felt you had to do - not everyone is wired to help someone who is too sick to see it themselves.
I just, with that said, don’t buy the idea you didn’t know who he was at some level. You can’t kid us on that.
I didn't know. He was from the same eschelon socially, was from a very good family, did not drink, was running a successful business; his aunt & uncle knew my father's relatives in another state & he was well vetted. I did not meddle in his business dealings (maybe I should have, lol), and everything appeared on the up & up. We got married and the plan was I'd stay home & raise kids while he ran his business.
I didn't realize the partner (51% partner who controls the partnership) was grossly over spending. When my first husband tried to control spending he couldn't, and a number of things happened where the partner (my first husband's best friend since age 10), screwed him over, got him forced out of his business, and my first husband's whole life plan was torched.
He was super angry, disillusioned, etc. Too proud and embarassed to get help, therapy or business help after he lost everything. My father had to get involved legally to salvage his ownership percentage. He became depressed, and then started drinking after about 10 years. I stuck with him after the partnership fiasco that for over 15 years and tried everything to encourage him. I should have left him much sooner, but I married for life. He became a shell of himself, let himself go physically, everything. Meanwhile I had to carry my family on my back financially, and I did, building a 7 figure net worth because I refused to be poor when we didn't need to be.
So you tell me how you would do if you best guy friend from childhood took you for everything, betrayed your loyalty and your trust, ruined your reputation and destroyed your finances, derailed your family plan and life plan & then your dreamgirl wife had to pick you up and carry you because you lost everything as man that you built. We were already married when this happened and there was no indcation it was coming. None.
You guys find it so easy to lampoon me. Nope. Didn't see it coming. Nobody did. Was I disappointed how he handled it? Yes but I stayed for years trying to help. Then I realized me staying was enabling him, and that was a very bad example for my kids. So I left. He let me go. He knew I tried everything to help him for many years.
The difference was in strength of character. I refused to be defeated by circumstance even in the toughest time (I was pregnant when all this hit the fan), so I had to carry the family, carry the baby, try to help him. Y'all have NO idea.
Like I said, sometimes life happens. I never thought my first husband would get depressed and fold. Nothing in his background or upbringing suggested that. Nothing.
You cannot always know. Facts.