Do you think this is unhealthy

Okay, I think my brother is a controlling ******* toward his fiance, even though he is NOT abusive. It's very bizarre to me. But I'm so close to the situation, I don't know if I might be overreacting, what do you think?

1) He and his fiance (and they were engaged after only 5 months), have been like siamese twins since DAY ONE. They literally go nowhere alone and are very rarely ever apart.

2) The other day, she went upstairs (without informing my brother) and he goes through the house yelling, "baby! baby! where are you" and then when he finally finds her he's like, "Don't do that, I didn't know where you were. I was worried". Keep in mind, this woman is 22 years old.

3) He treats her like she's five years old. "Baby, what do you want to drink?". He tells her how to do everything, whether they are cooking or whatever else. She was making toast, and it came up pretty browned and he was like, "Oh, that's pretty burnt, you probably don't want that" and she's like "No, I actually like it a little more burnt than that" And he's like, "No, you don't want that, that's really burnt."

4)If she cuts herself, it's like she's his child. "Come on baby, go in the bathroom so I can clean your cut. WE need to clean your cut." Everything is WE and US

5) Two hours before she has to leave for work, "Is all your stuff ready for work?" "Yeah" she says. "I just wanna make sure you're ready so you're not late. Are you sure you have this and this and that?" Again, the girl is 22 years old. Another time, when she was having tooth trouble, he told her she didn't floss enough. So she got out the floss and started flossing. And he goes, "No you're not doing it right" and proceeds to FLOSS HER TEETH FOR HER


6)He's making steaks outside on the grill. She's laying on the couch reading a book. Every five minutes when he goes to check on the steaks, "Come on baby come out with me and bring your book while I check the steaks"
 

Rembrandt Broam

Well-known member
I can see how this would be very annoying for you. :eek:

(Does he ever actually call her by her name, or is she always "Baby"?)

I wouldn't necessarily say it's unhealthy, and I suppose if she doesn't mind being treated like a 5 year old or even enjoys it then they're not doing anyone any harm, but it does seem a little weird that he'd treat a 22 year old that way. Does he want a fiance/wife or an adopted child? Is treating her like a child actually necessary? You must have an idea of what kind of a person she is, so if he didn't check up on her like he does, would she be too ditzy to cope on her own?
 
Sad situation.... :( I hate it when men treat women like that!

If only God was feeling nice enough to send me one, I would treat her like a queen! ;)
 

panicsurvivor

Well-known member
They are too young and have not been together long enough to get married?
What your describing is called the honeymoon stage of the relationship (or they are both incredibly anoying and it will be like this the rest of their lives, and one day you will murder them both with a shovel).:D
This kind of codependent behavior will kill the relationship after awhile. They will first get on eachothers nerves than grow to resent one another and then split.
Or they will get more comfortable with each other, and just naturally be more relaxed and independant. But the annoying behavior won't last one way or the other.
By the way who is this girl? I have a lot of girl friends and I know not one of them would tolerate such a patronizing dude. :eek::eek:
 

awkwardamanda

Well-known member
Crap like that just pisses me off. Apart from him being manipulative and controlling, she's probably the needy and desperate type. She's probably in love with the idea of being in love and can't see that this sort of thing isn't really love. She's just seeking validation any lousy way she can get it. If she's incapable of taking care of herself, I don't get why any guy would be so eager to babysit someone like that. But then some guys just love to be controlling. It's too easy to take advantage of someone who can't stand on her own two feet. That's too soon to get engaged anyway. People need to take the time to make sure they're actually happy with each other instead of rushing into marriage like that. GGGRRRRRRR, I'm getting angry just thinking about it.:mad::mad::mad:
 
It doesn't seem like he does it out of spite, but more because he doesn't trust her to make the right decisions at all. I'm not sure whether he does it because he's one of those guys that think women in general are incapable, or whether he's just over protective. Personally, I hope the second one is the case, as the first one is a problem that is significantly harder to fix.

They're both in the wrong here, though; He because, even though he might mean well, undermines her sense of assessing and judging everything around her. And she's in the wrong because she allows him to do so. Both sides need to be clear about what they need and expect of one another (and I emphasize ''need''. There are many that mistake ''want'' for ''need'').

But of course, I don't know the whole story. If she has any sort of psychologic disability that nibbles at her self confidence, it might be why she allows him to be so condescending. Give it some time so they can correct this behavior themselves, if it persists a couple of months in the future, then confront your brother with it. His wife or not, a mentally healthy adult should not be treated like that.

Not to mention that lack of privacy and trust can be a real strain on a any relationship.
 
I can see how this would be very annoying for you. :eek:

(Does he ever actually call her by her name, or is she always "Baby"?)

I wouldn't necessarily say it's unhealthy, and I suppose if she doesn't mind being treated like a 5 year old or even enjoys it then they're not doing anyone any harm, but it does seem a little weird that he'd treat a 22 year old that way. Does he want a fiance/wife or an adopted child? Is treating her like a child actually necessary? You must have an idea of what kind of a person she is, so if he didn't check up on her like he does, would she be too ditzy to cope on her own?

Honestly, she is pretty out there and strange, but it's not like she's not capable of functioning, you know. She has a job and everything.

And I'd say about 80% of the time it's "baby" when he's talking to her. The "baby" thing has always been a pet peeve of mine. I hate when couples do this!!
 

Rembrandt Broam

Well-known member
Honestly, she is pretty out there and strange, but it's not like she's not capable of functioning, you know. She has a job and everything.

Hmm. Sounds like she's just happy for someone to "baby" her, and he appears to enjoy the weird pseudo-parenting role. It seems a little immature to me, but I guess if it works for them....

Sorry you have to put up with it though. :/

And I'd say about 80% of the time it's "baby" when he's talking to her. The "baby" thing has always been a pet peeve of mine. I hate when couples do this!!

Yeah, it's fine when people are by themselves, but other people don't necessarily want to listen to that, especially - as in your case - when they're just trying to relax in their own home.
 
They're both in the wrong here, though; He because, even though he might mean well, undermines her sense of assessing and judging everything around her. And she's in the wrong because she allows him to do so.

Totally agree. I mean, she's been around for 22 years without him, so I think she knows by now what she likes, thinks, feels, and is capable of making decisions. I look at her and think, "What the hell is wrong with you?!?" Because I know if a guy would treat me like that ONCE, I'd be laughing in his face and telling him to back the **** off. I don't have self-confidence either, but I still can't understand a woman being okay with this sort of thing. I guess that's why it grinds on me so much. That and the fact that my brother was NOT raised to be like this at all, so I don't know where it comes from.
 

MsBuzzkillington

Well-known member
Your brother sounds very needy. Not saying that in a rude or mean way against your brother. Just sounds like he is very attached to her.

But like others have said, the weird thing is.. some people actually like being treated like a baby. She probably likes being pampered like this. He probably feels like he is treating her like a princess and that all this pampering he is doing is something a good boyfriend/fiance does.

I would feel totally suffocated. But maybe they can at least give everyone hope that there really is someone for everyone out there, no matter how "crazy" you are.
 
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