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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Boyfriend says I’m being controlling. Am I overreacting?

133 replies

Loveeachday · 09/11/2019 15:52

My boyfriend and I (both mid 30s) have been together around 18 months. We live together and each have children from previous relationships. We are going through a rough patch (unplanned pregnancy and deciding to terminate the pregnancy).
I’m really beginning to wonder how much I and our relationship mean to him. A couple of months ago, I saw on Instagram that he’d been liking pictures of girls he knows posing sexily in underwear and bikinis (some live literally down the road and he has contact with them on a fairly frequent basis). I asked him why he had liked them and he said they’re nice pictures. I told him it made me uncomfortable because he knows them personally and he said it didn’t mean anything because he’s known them for years. Then, a couple of weeks ago, he was talking about his workmates, telling me that a lot of them fancy me and he just has to accept it. He then went on to tell me how his friends wife is a very attractive lady, like seriously attractive. Again, I told him I was uncomfortable about that because it’s someone he knows personally and he had a go at me saying that you’re allowed to say that someone’s good looking and it’s doesn’t mean he’s going to sit with her at social occasions thinking how much he wants to sleep with her. Then, last night, he told me he wanted us to go to the pub as some people wanted to meet me. When I asked who, he told me it was his ex girlfriends sister and best friend. I said I didn’t want to and tried to explain why...I’ve got anxiety issues about his ex as he was sleeping with her for the first four months of our relationship, something he denied even after she went to the trouble of finding me and telling me. He only confessed around eight months into our relationship when one of his best friends told me. He went absolutely mad at me telling me I’m a controlling c**t and that he was friends with them before he met me. I can’t understand why he wants them in his life when the two girls and his ex are nearly always together and it makes me feel really upset to think of them together (she’s not the mother of his child and they were only together a year).
My boyfriend keeps telling me I’m a control freak and that I’m trying to control his life and drive a wedge between him and his friends. I think that I’m well within my right to voice my feelings and that he should take them into consideration as I’ve done the same for him and didn’t make a fuss over it.

OP posts:
Lovemusic33 · 09/11/2019 17:20

The fact he was sleeping with his ex whilst with you tells you a lot about him, he’s likely to do the same with you (find someone else and keep sleeping with you), I’m guessing his ex didn’t know about you and assumed they were still together. He’s the type of guy that’s a.ways on the look out for his next girlfriend. Dump him and find someone who treats you well.

1forAll74 · 09/11/2019 17:21

This man has no respect for you, no common decency,and sounds utterly immature and will make your life a misery it seems.

ptumbi · 09/11/2019 17:24

Anyone who called me a Cunt would be out of my life that same day/hour. Why don't more women do this? Why do we/you put up with it? It is a horrible, despicable, hatefilled name to be called, and it is, and should be, a total, instant deal breaker.

One time, one 'Cunt' and I'm off. And he's out.

abigailsnan · 09/11/2019 17:31

Are you serious ? any man who used that name towards me would be out of the door pronto,he has no respect for you or any future children he may sire do he fancy himself as some kind of super stud or what ?
Dogs on heat have more morals just get shut and have some respect for yourself.

Loveeachday · 09/11/2019 17:32

When we met, I was in the process of separating from my children’s dad after a 15 year relationship and was moving myself and children into our own place. I made it clear to him from the start that he was the only man I was having any sort of contact or relationship with and asked him more times than I can count whether he wanted to be with anyone else (including his ex as I had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right). Every time, he would tell me that he wanted me and was falling for me so I believed what he said. When he confessed what had happened, I asked him why he never admitted it, even though I’d given him countless chances and he said he wasn’t sure what was going on and he wasn’t going to tell me because he didn’t want to lose me. He moved in with me about three months ago and when he gets angry he tells me that he gave up his life for me and that he’s not got his own life any more. The thing is, he can be the most loving boyfriend and make me feel amazing

OP posts:
DidntLikeRugbyAnyway · 09/11/2019 17:33

I have no idea why you’re with him.

He was cheating on you for the first four months, why you didn’t dump him when you found out I don’t know. He was vile to you when he found out you were pregnant and said that terminating was the same as just going to the dentist.

He called you a cunt.

Why the fuck are you with this man? Why are your kids around this man? I can’t work it out.

As someone else said, are you really this desperate not to be single that you put up with this shit?

FizzyGreenWater · 09/11/2019 17:34

Oh FFS!

ACTIONS NOT WORDS.

He cheats on you.
He calls you a cunt.

He says what you want to hear though, so all is great especially for him with his feet now firmly under the table

Get rid. He's a nasty cheating using twat and YOU KNOW IT!

BoomBoomsCousin · 09/11/2019 17:35

OP he’s no good for you. I’m really saddened that you are with him 18 months later when the first 8 months showed you what he was really like. Leave him and see what you can do to improve your self esteem before you get involved with someone again. You deserve much better than this.

TowelNumber42 · 09/11/2019 17:37

Yeah well, he can fuck off and rebuild his life then can't he?

It is almost funny that your reaction to him cheating was to ask him why he'd never mentioned it. Your boundaries are somewhere insane. You need to be single for a while.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 09/11/2019 17:37

Bounce him. Do it in the morning. Just tell him to pack up and fuck off! He can have his life back, he is more than welcome to it... Bye!

He isn't loving and you only feel amazing because he knows how to turn on the charm in order to keep his feet under your table.

Dare I ask if he is paying his way, does housework, cleans up etc etc?

EKGEMS · 09/11/2019 17:40

Any man who called me a cunt would be picking his teeth up off the floor and he'd be out of my home and life that day

EntropyRising · 09/11/2019 17:48

I think you must know the answer: leave him.

You've dodged a bullet.

millimollimandi · 09/11/2019 17:55

Sounds a real catch... Confused

ClemDanFango · 09/11/2019 17:57

You’ve landed yourself a real prince among men.
Get yourself on freedom programme. Your boundaries are being fucked up by this nasty little twerp.

Henhophouse · 09/11/2019 17:58

Christ love, give your head a wobble and get out now. Why do women do this to themselves?

Driechdrizzle · 09/11/2019 18:00

He moved in with me about three months ago and when he gets angry he tells me that he gave up his life for me and that he’s not got his own life any more. The thing is, he can be the most loving boyfriend and make me feel amazing

Move him out again. Tell him you're giving him his life back.

You do realise that "own life" is his code words for having sex with other women? That's what freedom means to him.

He makes you feel amazing probably because he says nice things. He doesn't mean any of them.

LovemyDDxx · 09/11/2019 18:02

My ex of 3 years was clicking the heart button on Instagram of women he personally knew who were posing in underwear and bikinis, that was enough for me to leave him.

Normandy144 · 09/11/2019 18:02

Tell him to move out. He's only been living with you for 3 months it will be very easy for him to pick up the old life he gave up for you. Tell him that you feel guilty for 'holding him back' and that it's obvious he needs to free himself! Ha ha ha.

Ragwort · 09/11/2019 18:03

Please leave him, why are your standards so low, sounds like you just jumped from one unsatisfactory relationship to another. What message is this giving to your children? No one needs a partner in their life, learn to enjoy your own company & get some self respect.

IWorkAtTheCheescakeFactory · 09/11/2019 18:03

Why did you knowingly move a lying cheat in with you? Confused

Don’t you want a partner who likes you?

smsd33 · 09/11/2019 18:03

Urgh get rid!

Tistheseason17 · 09/11/2019 18:06

Move him out - change the locks. Do you want your children to think that how he treats you is ok? They will repeat his accepted behaviour, and you cannot want this for your children, can you?

pinkyredrose · 09/11/2019 18:07

Why does he live with you? Did he want to save money or did you want to keep tabs on him?

Ellie56 · 09/11/2019 18:10

Why are you with this knobhead? Get some self respect and dump him.

DidntLikeRugbyAnyway · 09/11/2019 18:15

So the fact he can be ‘amazing’ sometimes means you’ll put up with his shit? Get some self respect! And I bet he isn’t amazing really. I bet his amazing is bog standard normal.