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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

I can't get married can I?

197 replies

HopefulHatter · 19/07/2015 23:58

My fiancé and I have planned a whirlwind wedding for December. We've been talking about it for ages and I've been so excited for it. The deposits have been paid and it's just starting to all come together.

BUT

Tonight I feel like I've been hit by reality.

My fiancés mum turned up at our house having driven from her's (obviously drunk) because she has had a drunken row with her raging drunk husband (fiancés Dad) this is a regular occurance for them. Loud screaming matches etc. She is now sleeping in the spare room after getting more drunk with my fiancé. She usually goes to SIL's house but she didn't want her there tonight.

I feel like I've just been granted a glimpse in to my future. Fiancé has caused lots of problems with his problem drinking over the last six years. He isn't violent but he needs beer to relax, when he's happy, when he's sad, when the sky is blue (you get the picture) he can be verbally aggressive. He generally starts droning on about something you can't even make sense of or repeating himself and then getting arsey when you aren't listening. And he can never stop at a couple. Never. Once he's had one he will drink everything he can that's in the house, even my cooking wine at times. Then if he can he will usually find an excuse to go to the shop to buy more.

Over the years even though he has said lots about how he will change things only get better for a couple of weeks then we are right back to square one. Plus he says he doesn't have a problem because he doesn't drink in the mornings or every single day (he would and does when he isn't at work)

A couple of incidents have nearly made me leave. Once he got so drunk he started accusing me of having an affair and yelling that an empty beer can was proof (it was his) And the worst was when our daughter was born via csection. The day after we came home he got plastered, started swearing then passed out on the sofa. I had to carry my daughter upstairs to bed and pulled a stitch out of my Csection. One Christmas he accused me of offering his sisters partner a blowjob, that was when I was 6 months pregnant.

I feel like I've been sucker punched tonight. I've been deluding myself thinking that things will sort themselves out and they wont will they? I have a two year old daughter and I feel like I'm failing her. She's too young to notice now I hope but what about when she does start to see him drunk. I don't want her to grow up thinking that it's normal to drink like that.

I'd managed to push all my doubts aside but now my gut is really telling me I shouldn't.

Or am I overreacting? I know fiancé and probably his family will say I am. My family have remained very quiet about the wedding. Fiancé has embarrassed me a few times with his slurring and drinking at family do's before so I can kind of guess what they are thinking.

I feel torn between the life I want and the life I'm actually (will actually) live. I love him so much when he is sober.

Fuck

OP posts:
julesldn · 21/07/2015 00:09

I agree with calm, although only you know your personal finances.

He may have contributed to the mortgage etc but I'm sure you've contributed to plenty of other things and I imagine it has balanced out more than you think.

Maybe sit down and write an estimated list of what you both might have spent on an average year and see if there really is any stark difference.

As others have said too, it's likely to get drunk, especially now. Maybe say that you are planning to put money aside for your DD as opposed to giving it to him. If you do eventually re-build a relationship im sure he'll be pleased you both have some savings/uni fund/premium bonds, especially if it benefits DD.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 21/07/2015 00:51

Hatter - I have to say you should absolutely NOT give him money. Not unless you use it immediately as a downpayment on somewhere for him to live, but certainly do NOT give him money as cash, where do you think it will go?! Or put it into a separate bank account that you can save it in for when (if) he stays sober and comes back to you.

Sadwidow - such a sad story about your brother but yes, you and your SIL did so, so well. Thanks

OurDearLeader · 21/07/2015 01:13

Hopeful, glad you're not losing out financially and it's great you're doing the right thing money wise with your xp.

AndrewFogg You're confusing a religious marriage with a civil one, which is basically just a contract. It's easy to be romantic about marriage but people forget that it is a contract and the law around it has been formed to protect women and children in breakups because often women have made financial sacrifices which have allowed the other person to gain financial advantages because the other looked after their kids, their home, their washing, their cleaning, their diary etc, etc,etc

Someone who is not married can just be left with literally nothing if there's a split and they are not a significant earner or are a SAHP. So yes it's nice to be romantic, but it's not so nice after a 10 year relationship finding yourself in homeless accommodation in a horrible area with two kids and no money because your partner has decided to move someone younger into the home you created from scratch. Oh, and he's not mad on the old child maintenance thing and that doesn't get enforced. I've seen it happen to more than one friend and it's not pleasant. As soon as you have kids, if you sacrifice your earning power and you're not married fuck romance, fuck love stories: get married so you and your kids aren't on the breadline.

shiteforbrains · 21/07/2015 01:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mrstweefromtweesville · 21/07/2015 02:24

I would tell her to run like the fucking wind and never look back
Excellent. She'll be fine with you. Do it.

seagullcrime · 21/07/2015 06:00

you need to get free of this

Athenaviolet · 21/07/2015 06:43

Well done OP! Flowers

You owe him nothing, please don't put yourself into debt as some sort of guilt payment.

Also if you don't think unsupervised access would be safe- gather evidence ASAP in case you ever need to make your case in court.

AlpacaPicnic · 21/07/2015 07:32

If I could, I'd buy you the chocolate myself. You have given your daughter an amazing gift - a strong and secure childhood home.
You should be very, very proud of yourself. Look forward to your holiday!

heylilbunny · 21/07/2015 07:41

Contrary to some stereotypes the law of the Catholic church has always made it clear that a spouse should always leave an abusive and/or substance abusing spouse and obtain a civil divorce asap if needed to protect their own and any children's safety/sanity

Inertia · 21/07/2015 08:16

Don't take out a loan to give him money to set up in a new home - you might as well give it straight to the pub landlord.

You owe your ex nothing. There is every chance he will fail to pay maintenance for your child. Your responsibility is to ensure your child is fed, housed and clothed - ex can look after himself.

NeedsAsockamnesty · 21/07/2015 08:37

Contrary to some stereotypes the law of the Catholic church has always made it clear that a spouse should always leave an abusive and/or substance abusing spouse and obtain a civil divorce asap if needed to protect their own and any children's safety/sanity

Yes they do, but I wasn't being stereotypical. And I'm talking about something different to divorce.

A divorce means it was a valid legal marrage an annulment acknowledges that it was not because of xyz reason.

One gets treated as if it never existed the other does not.

learntoloveagain · 21/07/2015 08:43

Take out a loan and give him the money! Are you mad?

You will be repaying that well after he has blown it.

learntoloveagain · 21/07/2015 08:45

Before you sort out any finances, I would get legal advice if I were you.

EhricLovesTheBhrothers · 21/07/2015 09:12

God don't take a loan or give him money! He was supporting his family during that time and if he hadn't bee paying your mortgage he would have been paying rent. You owe him nothing!

CalmYourselfTubbs · 22/07/2015 16:51

You will be repaying that well after he has blown it.

This

bigbumtheory · 22/07/2015 18:10

Don't give him anything, you'll only kick yourself when he feels he can get more out of you by guilting later on and when he stops paying child support.

AcrossthePond55 · 22/07/2015 19:54

I agree, nothing to him. If he hadn't been sharing expenses with you, he would have been paying equal or higher for his own place. Look at it as 'rent'. If you had a tenant, you wouldn't give them their rent back when they moved out, would you?

Congratulations! You are a strong, wise woman. My hat's off to you!

LIZS · 22/07/2015 19:59

Don't take out a loan . Whatever amount you consider "fair" he'll just demand more. Please don't feel guilt tripped into giving him money. He's the one who pissed it away and will probably do so again.

sadwidow28 · 22/07/2015 22:38

Hatter please do not give him any money at all. You owe him nothing.

In my first scenario (friend who bought her husband out of the house), her DH didn't hit rock-bottom until he paid off all his credit card debts and then drank the remaining balance!

In my second scenario (brother who came to live with me for 2 years ) I never received a penny for rent or food in 2 years. I was then left with the 'privilege' of paying for his entire funeral which was planned by my DM and SIL. I just signed the cheque!

Nettymaniaa · 22/07/2015 23:00

Red flags. Flittered flags everywhere. Think very carefully.

Nettymaniaa · 22/07/2015 23:00

Little red flags

Diamondsmiles · 23/07/2015 08:47

Netty have you read the thread?!

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