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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be so ashamed of my husband causing a scene?

588 replies

Vaterinadf · 18/06/2021 19:51

It was so horrendous. We have 2 DC, 4 and 5 months. Yesterday we couldn't be arsed cooking and our 4 year old has never been to a restaraunt so I suggested we go to the local Pizza Express for dinner. 'D'H whinged about money. He is always complaining about money. Yes things are tight but we are able to stretch to the occasional treat as we have around £150 spare each month, but DH always gets in a tiff about it. I'm not regulary hounding him for treats, but the occasional "Ah shall we just get a takeaway for tonight?" will subject me to a half an hour long rant about how hard he works and about how I waste all his money. I work part-time but am on maternity leave. He reluctantly agreed to go.

As soon as we get in and are sat down, the whinging starts. "It's way too expensive, I want to go somewhere else, come on" (I was BFing 5mo at this point and didn't fancy traipsing around town for somewhere else to eat). I firmly said no, and that the DC will need to be in bed as soon as we get home and I'm not spending time wandering around.

Then he's rude and demanding to the waitress who was literally only a teenager. She asks if we're ready to take our order and we say yes. There's a technical issue with the order taking system she's using and she says "One second, sorry." and DH does a loud, extremely obvious tut that he clearly intended for the waitress to hear. The technical issue was sorted in literally seconds and was an absolute non-issue, the tut was just obnoxious and unnessecary. We then noticed her and another waitress kept glancing over our table so we'd clearly been marked as 'problem' customers. I've worked in hospitality previously and I've found myself risk-assessing tables before, so I felt awful. I did not want to be 'that' table.

I take baby to the bathroom to be changed and come back and the food is being served. DH again continues to just be rude and blunt. The waitress doesn't do anything wrong so he doesn't make complaints but I heard him say "No." (without a thank you) when the waitress asked if he'd like anything else. I thought that was rude. He whinges the whole time while we are eating about the food, the service, the decor etc. I didn't get to have a word in edgeways. The idea of a casual chat over a meal seemed to be lost on him. It was tense and I hated it. Even our 4YO could barely say a word over the monologue.

The waitress ends up dropping a fork on the floor when collecting our empty plates and is extremely apologetic and clearly nervous. DH again tuts and says that he's found the service disgraceful and it's horrendous we weren't offered a high chair for baby (Baby is 5 months ffs, the high chair at home is still boxed up so he was just looking for anything to complain about! It was quite obvious that baby was too young for a highchair so of course we weren't asked.). We ask for the bill and I tell him I think he's been absolutely disgusting and I'm ashamed of him and tell him to go and get the car. He then leaves but starts whinging and being sarcastic, saying crap like "Sorry for breathing." He's gone by the time we get the bill, it's a different waitress to the one who served us. I go up to the one who served us, apologise profusely and give her a £10 tip.

We argue about it when we get home and then he started the pity party about how he is depressed. I'm not saying he makes up his depression, but he only talks about it when I'm upset with him for something. "It's my depression that makes me like this!" and yet he never seeks help. I would never, ever say he just uses depression as an excuse but surely it is now his responsibility to seek help? He's a completely unpleasant human being and I dread him coming home from work every day. He is not the man I married, who I loved. He was kind and loving. I mean it, so kind. Everybody told me I'd got a goodun with him. I miss that man so much. He changed after first DC but has been absolutely insufferable since our recent baby. I don't know what to do. I enjoy being at home during the day with my 2 little ones, and then once DH comes through the door suddenly there is an unbearable tension.

OP posts:
me4real · 18/06/2021 23:52

He's just saying that to defend his own shit behaviour. He's not interested in seeing a doctor; I think he knows a doctor would see right through him.

@HollowTalk He's manipulative, so I'm sure he could piss and moan to a doctor and give the 'right answers' to be considered to have depression. It's not like he isn't skilled at moaning about his life after all.

But I doubt if he would comply with meds or counselling- where would the pay-off be? He gets something out of the current state of play.

Robin233 · 18/06/2021 23:57

@whynotwhatknot

@Robin233 he doesnt want any probably because its just him not an mh issue.

^^^^
How do you know what he wants ?

Before kids he was lovely to op.
Took op out loads.

After 2 small children and all the financial and emotional responsibilities that comes with that he's mr grumpy, who think £9 for pizza (when they're £1.99 in Tesco) is a rip off.

There is a connection.

me4real · 19/06/2021 00:13

@Vaterinadf I'm not saying this will happen. But my dad's issues/possible personality disorder meant he quit his job, and my mum had to support the whole family single-handedly for several years. Of course it was even harder for her to leave then as he was so pathetic, so dependent on her. It had a lot of different effects.

I'm just letting you know that that's one outcome that might come of these tendencies.

whynotwhatknot · 19/06/2021 00:14

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whynotwhatknot · 19/06/2021 00:16

She has also stated hes ruined other trips out so stop harping on about how much pizza express is

Glitteryone · 19/06/2021 00:17

OP if you don’t leave this man your kids will grow up to think that’s normal behaviour. Imagine your kids as adults behaving like that?!

I’d run now while you can!

DeflatedGinDrinker · 19/06/2021 00:18

Leave him. What a dickhead.

yougettocomeback · 19/06/2021 00:20

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ShoppingBasket · 19/06/2021 00:22

As I say to my husband, sometimes it is the depression but other times you are just being an arse. I think your husband was being an arse. I would have said to him can we change the subject and enjoy our meal, we don't get out often. Letting him continue his behaviour is not doing anyone any good. Nip it in the bud. If he is depressed he needs to go get some help.

Watchingyou2sleezes · 19/06/2021 00:23

He get's the arse because your skint and railroad him into wasting £ on things he doesn't want to do. £150/month spare is fuck all and in his position I wouldn't be that keen on wanking a 3rd of that away on a night out in pizza express

Watchingyou2sleezes · 19/06/2021 00:25

You're

NeverDropYourMoonCup · 19/06/2021 00:26

Hang on - have I stumbled into Mansnet by accident?

PickAChew · 19/06/2021 00:27

@AlGorithim

Have you posted before about your DP causing a scene and attention seeking? It’s very familiar.
It's familiar because it's not uncommon. My abusive ex liked to cause a scene when he wasn't being sucked up to enough. (the sad and shocking thing is that this progressed with his next wife to something being merely petulant)
ColonelPine · 19/06/2021 00:30

To be fair, Pizza Express is overpriced (they clearly price it assuming most people will be using Tesco vouchers or some other discount code) so I get why someone who worries about money couldn’t relax and enjoy eating there.

Also I can’t imagine reacting positively if my partner told me I was disgusting and he was ashamed of me. So maybe cutting him some slack could help?

me4real · 19/06/2021 00:30

@AlGorithim Pick is right. Men being moody arseholes who make their family's life a misery is a tale as old as time.

arithanaggerton · 19/06/2021 00:30

@Watchingyou2sleezes

His position? His? Christ alive. They are married, OP works part time as well. She hasn't been out anywhere in 4 years!

PickAChew · 19/06/2021 00:30

@Wills

Can I just say to those that believe that this man is having a paddy!

Yes he is - and????

Regardless of whether a grown person should have a paddy or not (cos both sexes regularly have them as demo'd by TV) The OP chose to marry this man and in most instances, in this country, it will have been out of love rather than arranged (although post 30 years of a relationship and having travelled the world, an agreed partnership agreement with the focus on raising balanced kids doesn't sound as bad as it did when I was 17).

We all, from time to time, reach a point where we basically have a paddy - sometimes its justified and sometimes its not - but the point is that the justification as to whether the paddy is ok has nothing to do with our inner 'break point' and everything to do with what society believes is acceptable. Pls read my last post before you criticise me - I'm 100% on OP's side here, but marriage and life shouldn't be about quick wins. They're going through a crisis and the emphasis should be on finding a solution that allows them to stay happily together with the kid's mental health at the forefront IF they have a long lasting marriage possibility.

BUT!!! please don't think I believe in staying together 'for the kids' far from it. I just think divorce is too easy. If you married the wrong person then get out and move on. Marriage is bloody hard work and not something that should be taken lightly. However if the spark of love is still there, then is worth fighting for. The problem is that we encourage the idea that marriage/love is easy. Yes it is.... Until we partner up which makes it harder. And then we have kids.....

And to anyone who is a parent I believe they'd understand when I state that kids are the hardest thing a marriage has to under go and can be blamed for so much!

But kids are not the issue - the lack of time/energy/talking space is that destroys a marriage/love!

Fuck that. When the "downs" are conveniently one sided then someone is slipping on those supposedly sacred marriage vows.
KurtWilde · 19/06/2021 00:31

@Watchingyou2sleezes

He get's the arse because your skint and railroad him into wasting £ on things he doesn't want to do. £150/month spare is fuck all and in his position I wouldn't be that keen on wanking a 3rd of that away on a night out in pizza express
Oh ffs it's not just about pizza express. Stop banging on about it.
Nichelette · 19/06/2021 00:32

I wish I could give you a hug. I've had depression and known others with it. It makes me want to go to bed and not eat or engage with others. It's hard having babies but it's not an excuse to be an a hole. He needs help.

me4real · 19/06/2021 00:35

Also I can’t imagine reacting positively if my partner told me I was disgusting and he was ashamed of me. So maybe cutting him some slack could help?

@ColonelPine We don't know how OP actually phrased it. Probably not like that. But saying that wouldn'tve been inaccurate either.

MorriseysGladioli · 19/06/2021 00:36

I think spending money on things to do as a family is as important as the rainy day fund.
It's rainy.
A walk and a picnic or bag of chips along the seafront is a worthwhile investment, or even pizza express.

Anordinarymum · 19/06/2021 00:43

My husband used to behave like that in shops or restaurants because he did not have any respect for me.

There is no excuse for being rude like that no matter how tough life is, and life is too damn short for this sort of shit.

He's not my husband any more and we are all the better for it

Duskydai · 19/06/2021 00:44

Fucking hell what a twat. It’s one thing to be anxious about spending money and another to make it an absolute miserable experience, moaning non stop and hounding the staff for no reason. Your poor 4 year old Sad Your boy is going to start school soon and you’ve spent these first few important years with him placating this utter twat. Yes £150 isn’t a massive amount to have left over at the end of the month but it’s more than enough for an occasional treat! For what it’s worth we have less than that left at the end of the month after the mortgage and bills, and I still treat DD weekly to something nice. If we want to go to a zoo or something with an expensive ticket we look for deals, budget for it or go in a few weeks when we’ve had time to save a bit of cash for it. I can’t believe anyone would think this behaviour is okay, your poor child didn’t even have 5 mins to enjoy his first ever trip to a restaurant before your H started whinging. You and your babies deserve far far better.

Touchmybum · 19/06/2021 00:54

Maybe point out to him that one day, that waitress might be one of your children being treated like shit?

Helenahandbasket1 · 19/06/2021 00:55

I can guarantee you that this man is telling himself you are an irresponsible bitch, sitting on your arse all day and spending all of his hard earned money.
The tension you describe is so familiar to me. I promise you that neither me or my siblings thank our parents for continuing their awful marriage for the stake of ‘stability and cohesion’.