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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think we are both right and wrong

91 replies

melclaire1111 · 15/11/2017 13:03

I'll try and keep this brief...

Hubby and I had a massive argument last night (one of many over recent months) and accused me of failing as a wife.

The back story is we have been together 11 years, married for 4 and up until our child was born relatively happy. There was one minor indiscretion on his part where I caught him sexting another woman a couple of months before we got married but we worked through this.

Since our child was born we seem to have done nothing but argue. Hubby works shifts, a mix of days and nights, while I went back to work full time when our child was 6 months old, they now go to nursery full time. During my maternity we argued a lot, as if I hadn't done something around the house I would be accused of being lazy and not doing anything. This could be after having a bad day with the baby or having been out at baby groups etc, but he still would barely lift a finger round the house.

Going back to work has been a struggle. DC still doesn't sleep through the night at 16 months old, and can be up 2 -3 times a night. I do all the night settling as due to hubby's shifts he is often not there anyway, and he is a really bad sleeper when he is there so it's just easier for me to do them. I'm up at 6am, at work after drop and a 45 minute commute for 8am, not home much before 6pm.

DC has had really bad separation anxiety with me. Although they are fine when dropped at nursery (usually get a kiss and a wave goodbye, the odd grumble on a Monday!) if I leave the room when at home they will cry until I come back, even if hubby is in the room. I try and work round this, and let them come with me in the kitchen or try and get them to settle and watch a bit of TV, but hubby's way of dealing with this is shut the gate and let them scream until I'm done with what needs to be done. This just breaks my heart and I think there must be a better way of dealing with it but we can't seem to find a compromise. I know he is upset that they are a mummy's child but I have tried to say it's a phase that will pass (hopefully!)

We also argue over the housework. I generally do most of it, wash bottles up, do the washing up, the washing, take the bins & recycling out, put clothes away, where as he occasionally cuts the grass and that's about it. Whoever is home first will generally cook dinner, but when it is hubby all he does is moan about how I haven't cooked for him in so long and how he does everything.

So last night we had another argument as I didn't hear something he had said, and then DC caught their head on a table (not hard) so I went to go and check they were ok and comfort them but hubby told me to leave them and if they were hurt they would come to us! We then had a massive row as I didn't hear something else he said, and was called a selfish, horrible person, who is harming out child in the way I act and that he doesn't know why we are together and that I'm a bad wife!

We don't get a lot of time together. I try and make time for him after DC has gone to bed, even if it's just watching a TV show, but apparently I should be jumping on him on every night as that's what all parents do when their children have gone to bed! We have had a few days out together recently and a couple of afternoons to go for a meal and we usually get on fine then, but as soon as it's the 3 of us it feels like it's a war zone.

So not brief at all haha, just wondering if anyone has any advice as I'm really at breaking point!!

OP posts:
Trills · 16/11/2017 08:19

A lesson for anyone young enough to use it:

Don't move in with a man and do all the housework because you don't "want him to feel like he was missing out on his youth"

Don't have a child with a man who "would rather sit on his phone of an evening than do anything" and who ignores you when you ask him to do things around the house.

That's not a kind man. Having children with him will be shit, and not just because of the housework.

Creatureofthenight · 16/11/2017 08:26

I agree with others, he does sound jealous of your DC as you are no longer making him the centre of attention.
I think you need a proper conversation, not an argument, about responsibilities. If you've spent the better part of 11 years doing everything for him he is not going to magically step up to the plate - you need to spell out what needs doing and who is going to do it.
If you both work FT that means you should be splitting child care and household tasks down the middle.

Butteredparsn1ps · 16/11/2017 08:30

For perspective DH worked days and nights when our DC were small. I worked days and nights around his shifts.

He came home from work, I went out of the door and DH carried on with the DC. Then I came home from work and he went out of the door.

Not ideal in many circumstances, but it was how we paid the bills. My point is there is nothing about shift work that prevents a parent, with or without a penis from getting up in the night, childcare or housework.

There is a way to reduce your stress and your housework here.

ArcheryAnnie · 16/11/2017 08:36

Your husband is a cheating, useless dick who doesn't do anything like his share of either the housework or childcare, and then insults you. i don't blame your DC one bit for wanting you and not him.

Honestly, what do you get out of this relationship?

melclaire1111 · 16/11/2017 08:48

Well everyone has given me a lot to think about, I donlove him but ibthink iblove the person he was before we had children. Before he had the extra responsibilities which he Doesn't seem to want to cope with.

I have tried talking to him this morning but he is just not interested. I said about counselling and his answer was no I'm not interested in that. So that's that.

The sexting incident broke the heart but we were literally 2 months away from the wedding and I thought that 7vyears of a relationship wasn't worth throwing away for one slip up. In hindsight probably wasn't my best choice. I did recently catxh him messaging the same girl again (Who is now married with 3 children) and when I called him up on it his reaction was to have a go at me for looking at his phone ( we were on a rare day out together and I was sat next to him so i just saw it, i wasn't snooping!)

OP posts:
AdalindSchade · 16/11/2017 08:52

Your marriage is over lovely
All bar the shouting

PinkyBlunder · 16/11/2017 08:55

Have my first ever LTB.

He sounds selfish and cruel. Don't put yourself or your child through anymore of his bullshit. Get rid.

Blanca87 · 16/11/2017 09:00

Stop being a martyr and leave this dick head.

FinallyHere · 16/11/2017 09:03

He does have some redeeming features, followed by three paragraphs which fail to mention any, says it all for me. I really, really hope that this is a reverse, but i very much fear that it is actually true.

Women has just always done all the house and children work, despite both working full time. Man goes out with friends in his non working time and just 'runs out of time' to get any chores done. Woman picks up the slack, tells herself h is a good dad really,

[weeps]

Oh yes, and then the earnest advice to try couples counselling to see if your adult relationship could be salvaged. Nothing about him treating you like a cross between a mother and a slave, oh no, you are to make more time for fun with him.

iblove the person he was before we had children

Well, you see, he absolutely never was the person you thought he was. By keeping some idea that he is really great, just trapped in a situation that he is not ready for....what you are doing is actually trapping yourself in a truly horrible situation. He really isn't any kind of catch, the sooner you realise this and get yourself out, the better. The only way to discover that you are strong enough to do that, is, yes, well, to do it, for yourself and your DC. What you are currently putting up with, lovey, is really no way to live.

IamtheDevilsAvocado · 16/11/2017 09:15

What everyone else says ++...

Sorry OP FlowersI think you've been ground down by his sexist arse....

You're failing 'as a wife'...?? Fuck that shit!
He's failing as a partner that loves and respects you... Oh yeah and as a decent human being.

Hes abusive to you and you dc.

He really isn't a.good dad... He interacts with kids when he FEELS like it and doesn't want to see that your small child has any attachment needs, to you... This is ABUSIVE...
Don't make excuses for him!,

As for the housework.... He's being grossly unfair . Where is it written... Except for in his head, that you should do 90%??
Unless you want to be his maid... (you don't!). Housework tasks are NOT a woman's sole responsibility...

Personally I would have to be VERY sure he wanted to change and massively ... It doesn't seem he wants to...not interested in counselling...?? I wouldn't be interested in staying with this controlling arse.

Youre still young OP. You don't love him you say. He sexts other woman.
Moreover... What sort of model is this showing your kids of marriage /partnership??. Seriously??

And as someone else said earlier: in 20 years time how would you feel if your. Dc was in a relationship like this??

On a personal note... I've had many pals that had similar stories... They all tried to make their marriages work..the men didn't...
They all bitterly regretted staying the extra 1 year /5 years /10 years trying to change these man-child into reasonable humans...

People have shared how their partners share housework tasks/childcare and have partners that are actually interested in them...

Wouldn't you want this.?? For yourself?

HandbagCrazy · 16/11/2017 09:17

He’s doing all this as an excuse for his crappy behaviour. I’m sure if you agreed to do 100% housework and not ask him to do anything, he would concentrate on lack of sex, and if you gave him all the sex he wanted, he would move on to the way you parent / speak to him / hours you work etc

He’s nice when you’re not asking anything of him.
He is jealous of your dc and wants to be higher on your priority list than a child
He’s so rude he ignores you in your own home
He’s lazy
He puts all of the responsibility for your marriage (and his happiness) on you
He’s unfaithful - how disrespectful to text the woman he was sexting before!

You need to get angry. Call him on this shit and tell him what you expect from him. If he can’t deliver you need to leave. I don’t say that lightly, but you have a child who is going to grow up thinking this is normal and acceptable. You owe them more than that.

rollingonariver · 16/11/2017 09:23

So he expects you to work full time, do all of the childcare and do all of the housework while treating you like shit? You’re not wrong in any way, he is 100% wrong. You’re basically working two full time jobs!
What does he do to better your life op? If you were alone how would your life be harder? Or would it be easier without being bullied and cleaning up after an extra child?

rollingonariver · 16/11/2017 09:27

Also, you’re a supermum dealing with all this. Idk how people do it, I’d explode and maybe kill DP, who knows 🤷‍♀️----

MistressDeeCee · 16/11/2017 09:48

i love the person he was before we had children

^ Would this be the person who was sexting another woman 2 months before you got married...?

pp's have ready said what needs to be said. Aside from that you need to open your eyes and stop living in denial, OP.

Ttbb · 16/11/2017 09:51

Does he realise that he is a bad husband?

goose1964 · 16/11/2017 09:53

TBH it sounds as if you are both overtired , could you leave DC with someone overnight so you can both sleep. It's surprising how much better things can be after a good night's sleep

AdalindSchade · 16/11/2017 10:30

Goose why would he be overtired? He doesn't do any housework or attend to the child's needs!

Please don't be so dense as to imply that a good night's sleep will stop him being an emotionally abusive, misogynistic arsehole

shakingmyhead1 · 16/11/2017 10:40

3 choices
stay and be abused ( by the way in what you have described physical abuse is one of the next steps, this too will be your fault! "you asked for it")
change yourself and stand up to him (you need to sit him down and lay out the ground rules, if he walks away tell him once he walks out that door the locks will be changed and his shit will be in a box on the doorstep! AND MEAN IT THEN DO IT)
kick him out ( this might be the most stress free option tbh)

streetlife70s · 16/11/2017 13:34

I don’t often say this on here but fuck me please LTB. Sexting isn’t a minor indescretion. It’s just another way he is showing you how little he thinks of you. He is telling you who he is. Listen. Leave. Live a better life.

TitaniasCloset · 16/11/2017 13:50

Your dc is not stupid, they know their father dislikes them and you are the person who loves them most. To be honest he sounds like a danger to his own child, he will at least affect your bond with your baby.

TitaniasCloset · 16/11/2017 13:53

I’m actually really worried about your child’s safety. I would not trust this selfish entitled pig of a man around my beloved dog, let alone a baby.

TitaniasCloset · 16/11/2017 13:55

Get rid of him, get a really nice au pair, problem solved.

Pretenditsaplan · 16/11/2017 14:08

Your kids dont love him. Its Stockholm syndrome. There trying to please the person who clearly hates them. Also why they hate being alone with him for more then a second.

MistressDeeCee · 16/11/2017 14:13

I read some posts and just think how the fuck did this man get a woman, much less one who'd marry him and have a child with him. This one didn't even try to hide his ways
Sexting a woman, and has been in contact with her again? I hope her DH finds out and knocks him out. He's shitting mightily on his own doorstep and wants to shit on someone else's too. & he is definitely not a catch by any stretch of the imagination. Prick.

notapizzaeater · 16/11/2017 14:21

Wow, he sounds like a right catch !

Think is this what you’d want for your dc when they grow up ? It won’t be so why are you staying?