Dear Prudence,
I’ve been married to a very nice man for 40 years. We have raised a family, he has been an excellent provider, and to my knowledge has been faithful to me. He comes from a family that’s not emotionally close, but he is a dutiful son to aging parents who live nearby. My problem is that my husband never calls me by my name, either a nickname or by my given name. He just starts speaking to me, but without any sort of address. He does call others by their given names, and I cringe to hear him say other people’s names over and over. I’ve tried not answering him if he fails to address me, then he’ll just say my name sarcastically. I am hurt that I have this void in our relationship and I long for my husband to call me something. I have had this sad discussion with him a trillion times. I went to a counselor by myself who consulted with a renowned marriage therapist, and all they could suggest was that it had something to do with my husband’s relationship with his mother. He is not interested in couples therapy.