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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

His divorce

499 replies

WatchingWaiting4 · 05/06/2015 23:01

Am I being unreasonable to want my boyfriend to accept my offer to lend him £400 to get his divorce papers sent off?

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WatchingWaiting4 · 22/10/2015 09:22

I spoke to him this morning about a potential meet for our kids and he has now said he isn't comfortable with it and he doesn't know why. I feel like crap ??

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WatchingWaiting4 · 22/10/2015 09:25

It was simply some garden fireworks for them and a bit of tea. We've been together over 2 years!!!

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CruCru · 22/10/2015 09:28

Dude - I know you've heard this from some others on here but it really is time to move on. You could be going out with someone who isn't playing silly buggers.

Gazelda · 22/10/2015 09:29

OP I'm afraid you will continue to feel like crap while he remains your boyfriend.
Please listen to what he and others on this thread have been saying for months. He's not committed to you. Leave him for your own sake.

Anniegetyourgun · 22/10/2015 09:35

You remember the old story of Pandora's Box, where all the evils of the world escaped and she slammed the lid down, but the last creature in the box spoke to her in a sweet voice and said please let me out, I am Hope? The explanation usually given is that Hope was the compensation, the consolation prize, from the gods. But frankly I sometimes think it was just as much an evil as anything else in that box. It often has a lot to answer for, keeping us trapped in situations we'd be better off giving up on.

gatewalker · 22/10/2015 09:39

^^ Annie - I completely agree with you. Hope has held many shit situations in a kind of hellish nowhereland.

OP, please give up hope, and leave. And please ask for some help to work on your self-esteem. Respecting and loving yourself will both ensure this doesn't happen again.

AuntieStella · 22/10/2015 09:40

You feel like crap because he's treating you like crap.

He does not want you to have much contact with his DS, let alone have any 'integration' with your DD (from my reading of it, keeping the DC out of it is his only shred of decency in this).

It's not 'all in your head' though. But he's hardly going to tell you that you're 'OK for now', not real relationship stuff, so the escalation of his excuses, evasions and deflections continues.

iamanintrovert · 22/10/2015 09:45

You need to move on xx

LemonBreeland · 22/10/2015 09:53

It really sounds like he wants to keep compartmentalise you in his life. He doesn't want the kids to meet and potentially become a new family. YOu really are just not that important to him. After 2 years a lot of couples would be looking at moving in together. He does not even want to be a real part of your life, or you a real part of his.

As many others have said, just cut your losses and walk away.

saucony · 22/10/2015 09:57

He's telling you want he wants and sadly, that isn't you. I know it hurts but move on. You deserve better than this. He won't change,

crispytruffle · 22/10/2015 10:07

You are letting this eat you up, it will destroy your relationship. I think the more you go on about him getting a divorce, the more he sees this weakness in you. I would stop requesting it and see if other aspects of your relationship improve. You are not second best to his wife, an ex is an ex for a reason.

MarkRuffaloCrumble · 22/10/2015 10:10

This has been going on for around 3 months. Is this even remotely plausible?

I used Wikivorce and they were terrible. There's a reason online divorce is so cheap, because it's shit. They haven't communicated at all along the way, they have mislaid paperwork I sent them, I've had to chase and follow up every step and given that I didn't really understand all the different parts to divorce (consent order, family statement, decree whatevers) I wasn't sure half the time if they were waiting for me to do something or I was waiting for them to sort something out!

This is why I couldn't be arsed to do it for 2 years - I could have divorced XH on unreasonable behaviour but it's just a hassle, so I left it until after 2 years to save me that part of the paperwork, but even then, it dragged on for another year.

It's still not finalised now and is costing several hundred pounds to get a proper solicitor to draw up some kind of document about XH staying on my mortgage until the DCs are older (sounds like something your DP will also have to do) while not getting 50% of equity when I sell as he is keeping his pension.

It's been one long head ache. Luckily for me my DP of 3years didn't mind one way or the other, he knew I had no longing to be back with XH and that my marital status said nothing about my feelings for him. He did offer to pay if I wanted to get it sorted, but never put pressure on me.

Had it made him feel bad to be with a 'married' woman I would have made more effort to get it done, but I'd still rather have never had to go through all this. It's a right pain in the arse.

CheesyNachos · 22/10/2015 10:11

Op,honestly. When someone is telling you something plainly and clearly, then listen. Your so-called bf is telling you with every little interaction you describe that he does not want to be a permanent part of your life.

You deserve better. Please step back before you get hurt any more.

ThisIsStartingToBoreMe · 22/10/2015 10:13

Why does he hate your mum?

FurryDogMother · 22/10/2015 10:13

I reckon he's avoiding divorce because he'd then feel under pressure to marry you, and he doesn't want to do that.

Stormtreader · 22/10/2015 10:20

You're being treated like a mistress - you don't live together, he wont let you meet his kids, he wont divorce his wife.
If you want better than that for yourself, you're going to have to be prepared to say that you wont carry on as things are. He either divorces her or you're done. Two years is too long to have only met his kids once!

WatchingWaiting4 · 22/10/2015 10:22

It hurts that he is even questioning the meet.

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wannabestressfree · 22/10/2015 10:26

You will be posting this next year...

WatchingWaiting4 · 22/10/2015 10:27

Wannabe you're right sadly

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FinallyHere · 22/10/2015 10:35

Oh dear, OP, i read through this entire post and just wanted to tell you, as lots of others have done, that having low self esteem isn't something that just happens to us, its a lot to do with how we treat ourselves, and how we let ourselves be treated.

It's clear from this thread (think about how you would feel if a friend told you this long, sad story, or even your daughter or granddaughter...) that you are allowing yourself to be treated as second best by this person, who cares a lot less for your feelings than for the feelings of other people in his life.

What can you do, to feel better about yourself and boost your self esteem? Put yourself and your DC first, tell him thanks, it's been great but please don't bother me til you have got yourself sorted.

Then focus on you, and your DC, and build a great life without him.

It won't be easy, but it will be rewarding. It is entirely up to you, which person you will be in ten years, the one who hung on, asking perfect strangers why he keeps making excuses about things important to you or ... the one who has built a great life? All the best, xx

wowis · 22/10/2015 10:37

Hi Watching, ive been reading this thread and I feel gutted for you its such an awful feeling when your gut is telling you something.

I think you know you're hoping for some reassurance that this will come good but essentially, he may well love you but does not sound like he wants the same as you in terms of full on blended family commitment etc.
I see it as you having two choices. Accept this relationship on his terms (you cant make others change) Or do something different (changing you may make him want to do something different)

I fear you are picking the death of a thousand cuts to avoid the stab in the heart. Ive been there and its awful. Just remember you do have a choice and if you choose how it is thats ok. But you know what you'll get so don't be let down when you get it.
(virtual hug)

CheesyNachos · 22/10/2015 10:41

Yes, I really agree with the posters above.

Thanks
LidikaLikes · 22/10/2015 10:58

Sending a hug and a Brew to you OP, you sound so sad.

4 questions from me:

  1. Are you totally sure he lives with his parents?
  2. Why does he hate your mum?
  3. How does he treat your DD?
  4. Is there any way you can speak to his ex-wife yourself to ask about the kids meeting/you meeting the son?
honeyroar · 22/10/2015 11:33

From reading all this, I'm actually amazed that you haven't split up since summer.

He sees you as his girlfriend but not as a serious girlfriend. It doesn't mean you're second to his wife necessarily, it just means you're not that important to him full stop. I would think he's not getting divorced because he thinks that you would start nagging him to live together/get engaged. When he meets someone he sees a future with he will introduce his child and move on with the divorce regardless of what his ex says. My husband was always "submissive" to his ex wife, scared of her messing his contact with his child around. When he met me he started standing up to her.

This guy is showing you in many ways that he's not particularly committed to your relationship. You can either look or close your eyes. You can either accept that or get yourself upset hoping that it might change, it won't. You would be a lot happier with someone that would move heaven and earth for you.

WatchingWaiting4 · 22/10/2015 12:09

Why would you not feel comfortable with someone meeting your child, integrating them with your partners child?

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