Tell Me About It: She loves him but can't abide his short fuse

Adapted from a recent online discussion.

Question: I am dating someone whom I love but who has a very short fuse, gets frustrated easily, and blames me when he cannot resolve a problem. I have asked him, while with our counselor, to get anger management or therapy on his own. He keeps avoiding going, even though he acknowledges this issue freely and willingly.

I don't know how much more I can take, walking on eggshells. The reason I don't cut and run isn't just love, but also because I know his anger is pain that is unresolved (emotionally and physically abused as a child and a recent, sudden death of a parent) and I know what peace would lie on the other side of therapy for him and I really want that for him and us. How to convince him that therapy would be the saving grace for our relationship?

Answer: You can't.

You're not rescuing an injured bird here; your boyfriend is an adult human being. You have every right and reason to expect a fellow adult to take the steps that he believes he needs to be healthy.

If you want to go there with him, then stay. If you don't want to go there with him, then break up with him, and tell him why. It's terrible that he has suffered as he has, but you can't undo the terrible for him; in fact, I could argue that the more patiently you stand by him, absorbing his anger, the less incentive he has to seek help.

Question: My brother did not show up for either of our parents' illnesses until he found out they were dying, and then he showed up and acted the bereaved son. He all but ignored my parents and me for over 10 years until their deaths. Now he wants to be my friend on Facebook. I have ignored his requests.

Now he has friended all of our relatives and is constantly asking questions about me. I have been sick, and I almost died last year. I do not want him around me, and I do not want him in my business. How do I go about dealing with this?

Answer: It isn't possible he was actually bereaved? Or that he grew up in those 10 years and is genuine in his desire to reconnect?

Certainly I've seen plenty of situations where cutting ties was the only rational choice. However, you don't really offer any facts to refute the idea that he has changed, that he regrets his long absence, that he really cares about you, and/or that he really misses your parents.

To be fair, you don't offer any facts that support that idea, either - but what that tells me is that unless you have recent evidence that your brother is chronically self-absorbed, you're using his poor judgment then to justify shunning him now. Please simply ask yourself whether you're sure you're actually protecting yourself from him, or just protecting your grudge.