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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU or is he?

191 replies

Superduperdoo · 09/04/2012 12:57

I'm really annoyed with my OH and i don't know if i'm being unreasonable or not.

Myself and my Ds (OH's child too) have been ill this weekend sickness and general feeling unwell. Not major can't get out of bed but still ill.

We had planned at least 1 day out this weekend but due to the weather and us being ill we haven't been.

Saturday i was sick and Ds had been sick the day before and had a bad headache. OH didn't come over all day he was digging out his driveway in the morning and then was asleep from about 2 till 7. I rang him at 7 to ask if he was going to come over and help me and that the boys needed feeding.

He came over with some tins of beans and potatoes (and ordered me off the sofa to help but eldest Ds took over and made me sit back down) and gave them that on toast. Not great but food and at least i didn't have to cook it after being sick when my older Ds made the younger one some soup for lunch. He didn't wash up just left the dishes. Ds finally got to bed about 9pm.

He did go to the shop and get me some essentials which i was grateful for. But then hasn't stopped going on about how wonderful he is helping me.

Yesterday was the same didn't see him until tea time. I was feeling slightly better so cooked a roast with sit down breaks in between when i felt woosy. He ate it then buggered off to watch tv. I told him i needed help with the washing up but he ignored me and just said in a minute. I lost my rag and then he sent my older Ds in to help me while he sat on his backside.

He said he was feeling ill so i gave him the benefit of doubt knowing how rough i'd felt.

Today i've found out he's gone to a friends house to paint her living room as a favour! We've barely seen him all weekend and he's back to work tomorrow. I'm so annoyed with him one for not helping very much when we were ill and going to spent the day helping someone else today for free.

OP posts:
LadyClariceCannockMonty · 11/04/2012 17:38

OP, the answer is there in your latest post:
'He thinks if i give up the business and get a proper job and lose some weight i'll be happier in myself and in our relationship. He might have a point about the weight but not about the business.'
That's patronising and undermining.
'he's going to help around the house more'. Why is it 'help' rather than 'doing a share'? Does he also consider it 'babysitting' when he looks after his child? Which brings me to
'and have our Son sleep over his occassionally.' Well, that's big of him.

He needs to change his behaviour but to do that satisfactorily I think he's going to have to change his mindset.

WhereYouLeftIt · 11/04/2012 18:39

Superduperdoo, really, he thinks it's all your fault? Now if he's insane he may well think that; but on the assumption that he's sane, I think it's more likely that what he thinks is that he can convince you that it is all your fault; because that way he gets you to do what he wants, when he wants, at no cost to himself. He is a selfish and manipulative individual.

I'll apologise now as this is going to be long, but I've gone through all your posts in this thread and pulled out what points have been raised, I want you to read them, and just give some thought as to where your relationship with this man ACTUALLY is. Not where he tells you it is.

Financially
You live separately; you are meeting all your own costs of housing, fuel, food etc. You have said that you ?don't like to feel dependant on people? .
He contributes £100/month for his son, but you meet all actual costs ( ? I buy all clothes for our son plus basically every other expense like dinner money etc.? ).
He eats at your house 13 nights out of 14 (at least) ?and then usually raids the fridge and cupboards afterwards?, but makes no financial contribution to the food bills, because he says ?it's hardly hard or expensive to make a bit of extra dinner for him.?^
?We go out for days out that he pays for? (no indication how often, but I?m guessing not that frequent)
?If we eat out he pays? (ditto )
?He paid half for my car another 1k about 3 years ago. ?
?He pays for holidays in his ex wife's parents holiday home, any days out and meals out etc. ? (sounds like that cost is minimal to me. I'd be more impressed if he paid for holidays in a cottage, hotel, Butlins etc.)
?I pay for all Christmas and birthday presents for our son.?
?For about 2 years i fed all 7 of us daily which i paid for. ? (I'd love to know more about that, I really would.)
He ?bangs on about? the money you borrowed from him to move house, and expects you to repay this £1k.

To summarise ? he is financially selfish, happy to take from you but not so happy to give. In fact he doesn?t give, he lends and he expects repayment. He does not provide adequately for his son.

Emotionally
He goes on about how wonderful he is helping you just because he got some essentials from the shop when you were too ill to go yourself.
You are unsure of his fidelity ( ?I don't think anythngs going on with this woman. I'm not sure about someone else.? )
He is unsupportive of your business, and objects to you spending time working at it when he wants you to attend to him.
?He explained that the reason we don't see very much of him is because he works full time is renovating his house and has 2 children demanding time as well as letting out his rental property.? Thereby reinforcing that you and DS are at the bottom of his list of priorities and letting you know your place.
?He made me feel really bad about owing him money last night, i was left thinking i was a right scrounger.? How lovely of him!
?i don't like to feel dependant on people and i really hate it if people think i am. That's probably why i let him take the piss so much and almost have to prove i'm not a money grabber.? So you DO know that he is taking the piss. And he knows how to manipulate you on this point to his advantage, and is perfectly willing to do so.
?he'd just tell me i was psychotic for being so unreasonable to even suggest it.? [food shopping to pay for what he?s eating]
?He thinks if i give up the business and get a proper job and lose some weight i'll be happier in myself and in our relationship.? ? denigrating both your work and your body image, two major points in most people?s sense of self-worth.

To summarise, he is emotionally manipulative, training you to think that his behaviour is acceptable even though it does not make you happy; because he?s fooled you into thinking you do not deserve better.

Practically
You are running your own household independently of him.
He chooses DIY at his house rather than support you and DS when ill.
He is unable to prepare a reasonable meal for his own son.
He does not wash up, even though he eats at your house. Even when asked explicitly.
He expects you to cook when ill.
He will prioritise helping friends over spending time with you and DS.
?One of the reasons we don't [live together] is because i know i'd be the unpaid slave.? That's something to ponder right there. You DO know what this man is like.
He baths DS every night.
?He's very handy if something breaks or my car needs something doing to it?
He never cooks for you, when you eat at his, his daughter has made the meal.
DS has slept at his house (without you also being there) once only.
He expects you to help at his house (dishing up as soon as you walked in) but he won?t help at yours.

To summarise ? he contributes little practically, and only what he wants to and when it suits him. He will prioritise everyone over you.

Sexually
He expects you to focus on his needs for 2-3 hours, but is unwilling to reciprocate.
?When i protest and ask for something for me it turns into what he wants too iyswim.?

So again, he is selfish.

Now there are a couple of positives in there, but they're pretty swamped, aren't they? And this is just from what you've told us so far, I'd bet there's a lot you haven't mentioned besides.

Seeing all the things you've mentioned together in one place - I did this because it's so easy to just think about the last point you covered and forget about what drove you to post in the first place. But you posted because you are unhappy in this relationship, and with all the above, it's not hard to see why you are unhappy. You have good cause to be, and I do not want you to be cajoled and manipulated into accepting this situation as all you can expect from life.

(Well done if you read through it all, BTW!)

WhereYouLeftIt · 11/04/2012 18:44

And coppertop put it so much better! Blush

Superduperdoo · 11/04/2012 18:46

Thanks where I'll reply properly later.

OP posts:
SerendipitousHarlot · 11/04/2012 18:48

I'll be on later too to read those posts - I think both of those posters have it spot on.

MardyArsedMidlander · 11/04/2012 18:51

One thing- I had an ex like this ( sexual fetish + unbelievably tight with money). He will ALWAYS think it is your fault- he will NEVER admit he is wrong.

Thirty years from now, he will be an old codger whining in the pub 'And all I asked her to do was dish up a plate of food- and she wanted me to do the food shopping! Women! Tchah! And the barmaid will give a weary smile and think 'no wonder you're still single mate...'

grobagsforever · 11/04/2012 19:05

The more i read the more horrified I am OP. Why did you have a child with this man? Please LEAVE THE BASTARD.

IDontWantToBeFatAnymore · 11/04/2012 19:32

Actually no, you don't have to give him another chance. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, ever. In any situation. You don't have to burn him , fuck him, feed him, listen to him, see him ever again if you don't want too. But you do have to finish things if you are not happy 99% of the time.

Superduperdoo · 11/04/2012 20:37

He's just gone. It didn't go well tonight. He asked me why i was pissed off and i said i wasn't i was just thinking. I said i expected everything to be ok today but it didn't feel ok.

He suggested a break then said i'd upset him last night. He then listed everything he pays for and when i said about the money for our Son not even covering what he eats he said that if my eldests Dad paid maintaince then he wouldn't have to pay so much. When i told him that's got nothing to do with our relationship he got angry.

Then he said i had the life of riley and i said no you do actually you get everything you want. He then said no i don't actually in a really sarky voice and i said oh no you don't that's why you have to look elsewhere. He told me i was nasty and left.

Think he may have just made the decision for me.

OP posts:
coppertop · 11/04/2012 20:51

He's really showing his true colours now, isn't he?

Not only is he only paying a small amount towards his child's living costs, he actually thinks he should be paying even less!

He sounds like someone who is skilled in getting others to do his fair share for him. He gets his dd to cook for you so that he doesn't have to do it. He sends your eldest ds in to do the washing up so that he doesn't have to. And now he thinks your ex should give you more money so that he doesn't have to.

WhereYouLeftIt · 11/04/2012 20:55

So, seeing that you're catching on to the reality of his parasitical ways, he tries to turn it around to how he pays for SOOO MUCH except he doesn't.

He probably thinks that his little display of foot-stamping will have you come running volunteering to be his doormat. Let him stew, Superduperdoo, this is only Act I of his performance.

Superduperdoo · 11/04/2012 22:01

I'm even more bloody confused now.

OP posts:
AmberLeaf · 11/04/2012 22:08

Sorry to be so crude but;

He is a poncing cunt what exactly do you get out of this relationship?

You dont even get a good sex life! in fact you have an abusive sex life, him making you do things you dont feel comfortable with.

Your life would be sooooo much better without this fucked up leach in it believe me.

CremeEggThief · 11/04/2012 22:19

Look, you need some time and space to sort out what you want to do, so IMO, a break is for the best.
Don't contact him until you know what you want, and if he gets in touch before you're ready, tell him you need more time. Also, don't be surprised if things feel worse for a while before they start to feel better. Best wishes.

SerendipitousHarlot · 11/04/2012 22:20

AmberLeaf has put it so much better than I did Grin

So...... what she said.

Superduperdoo · 11/04/2012 22:28

I can't think straight at the moment, i've just got off the phone to him.

He's saying one thing and everyone else is saying another, i just don't know what to think. He's admitted his failings in some respect and has talked of ways we can get through it. Then he says how selfish i am again.

I don't know what to do now.

OP posts:
AmberLeaf · 11/04/2012 22:39

Hes twisting it all back onto you, I bet he does that every time you bring up something he does that is wrong.

Hes partly admitting blame but then again tells you how selfish you are so again its back on you.

Thats a classic tactic of an abusive partner.

Believe us all here when we say its him not you.

Superduperdoo · 11/04/2012 22:48

I'm telling him it's all him, he's telling me it's all me.

I think it's mostly him but then i would just like he thinks it's mostly me.

I asked him to list why i was selfish so maybe i could try and understand where he's coming from.

He said i shouldn't expect him to work all day and then come here and do more work (bathing our Son and the occassional bit of washing up at most). That most men come home from work and their wives understand they're tired and do everything for them. When i pointed out that i did work more than full time and look after the kids and run a house and maybe he should understand i was tired too he said well it's not a proper job because you work from home and don't have a boss to please.

He also said i stopped him fulfilling his fetish side by not wanting to go to clubs. I said it's not that i don't want to go i just don't want to play in public. When i pointed out the things i do he couldn't say anything.

He also went on about the money too.

OP posts:
SerendipitousHarlot · 11/04/2012 22:48

Because ultimatlely, he wants you to be grateful that he deigns to stay with you. That he wants to stay despite all the awful things that you do/are.

DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM. He's manipulating you.

God, I can feel your confusion and it's really frustrating. Re-read the thread or something, and see how many women think he's an arsehole. Nobody wants a relationship to end, but this one is wrong, just wrong.

Doha · 11/04/2012 22:53

OP tell him to fuck off.

You deserve better, this man is a abusive manipulating twat.

Sarcalogos · 11/04/2012 23:42

You deserve so much better.

I hope that you can begin to believe that soon.

WhereYouLeftIt · 11/04/2012 23:49

Superduperdoo, you wrote a letter on Monday, to try to clarify your thoughts. Do you still have it? Because Maybe you should re-read it.

AmberLeaf · 12/04/2012 00:47

Hes fucking with your head...........wankers are partial to that.

You deserve better.

Oh and this That most men come home from work and their wives understand they're tired and do everything for them

Has he forgotten hes uncommited to you? you're not his wife are you? he doesnt 'come home' he pops round before fucking off back to his single life.

Hes taking the piss-please get angry.

WhereYouLeftIt · 12/04/2012 01:12

And on what planet do these mythical wives do everything for these equally mythical weary workers? Seriously, he's got a world view that nobody else can see ...

CurrySpice · 12/04/2012 03:38

Hello super!

What I think you need to do is step back from the minutiae of "he does this/I do that / he pays this / I pay that" and look at the bigger picture.

While the conversation may make him more like to do the washing up once in a while, it doesn't sound like it will change the overall situation, his general attitude to you and the relationship. In fact, it sounds like it has actually reinforced his attitudes

You don't actually want him to do more washing up (though that would be good!). What you want is for him to be more considerate, more loving, more generous. And that in turn will lead to more help,more support and more satisfaction for you

Do you think he gets that? Or do you think he's gone away thinking "silly cow, all that fuss over some washing up" when on fact the problem is much bigger and more fundamental than that ie that he's an entitled prat Wink