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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Is this controlling/gaslighting/emotional abuse?

64 replies

Flamglimglubberty · 23/08/2021 14:54

This will be a long one, just trying to establish if I'm being overly dramatic so I've posted here for traffic. I have name changed as this could be outing.

Married young when I was 23, we now have one DS aged 6. Been married almost 10 years. When we met DH was very kind, generous and charismatic. He has a very wide social circle, whereas I am much more introverted and have a few very close friends.

About 2 years ago DH became convinced I was conducting an emotional affair with a male work colleague, this was very much not the case and I tried to explain this to him. After much discussion it was clear that the friendship was upsetting DH, and I took him at his word that I had possibly been blind to this man trying it on with me, and me inadvertently leading him on. As it was upsetting DH I reigned in the friendship, and established boundaries to downgrade it to a purely professional relationship with my colleague. DH wanted me to find a new job so I didn't have any contact with the colleague but I put my foot down as I had just been promoted to a more senior role and didn't want to set my career back. DH ordered me not have any male friendships, and any text messages should be purely on a professional basis (no banter etc). I agreed to keep the peace as I didn't want to risk breaking up our family.

DH was very forceful about making me accept that it was an EA even though I disagreed. In the end after much protesting to avoid us divorcing I conceded on this point even though I didn't agree. DH actually threatened me with divorce and threatened to prevent me getting any custody of our child. He threatened to use my PND, and past depression as evidence I was an unfit mother. So I conceded on the emotional affair to avoid this.

Since then we've worked hard on our marriage, but every time we have any slight disagreement he brings it back round to the "emotional affair". Even trivial things like who's turn it is to take the bins out, he throws the EA back in my face and it escalates into a massive argument.

He's constantly berating me for being on my phone. He can spend hours watching sports and that's his hobby, but of I spend more than 5 mins on social media, reading news or MN he starts grilling me about how much time I spend on the phone and that I'm neglecting the family. Apparently when he and DS are watching hours of cricket or football I should be gleefully joining in even though I have zero interest in sport. On top of this is always commenting on what I eat, I can't even sniff a cookie without him passing comment. He is always reminding me I can stand to lose some weight. As an aside I'm very happy with my weight, I have a slight tummy pouch but I'm a size 12/14 and healthy BMI.

Whenever we go out he has to pass some comment on what I'm wearing, as if I'm not dressed up enough or haven't put any effort in.

It's all low level stuff, but slowly eats away at my confidence.

I always give him the option of not going round my family's at the weekend, especially if he has a football match on. But whenever there's something with his family I absolutely have to go and it escalates into a big argument that I "hate his family" if I say I don't want to go.

He's lovely to DS and is a great dad, the comments are only ever directed at me. I secretly suspect that he's just putting up with me to avoid the shame of a divorce.

Whenever we argue he makes a point to put me down Infront of DS and points out to him that I'm a bad mum.

I don't really know what I want from this thread tbh, I just feel like I'm slowly losing the plot.

OP posts:
LakieLady · 23/08/2021 14:57

It certainly sounds like emotional abuse and controlling behaviour to me, OP.

I'm sorry you're going through this.

Coldilox · 23/08/2021 15:02

He is not a great dad if he puts you down in front of your child. He is damaging his child by doing that.

He is being controlling and abusive towards you. Please leave. For your own sake, but also for your DS. You don’t want him growing up thinking that is the right way to treat a partner

girlmom21 · 23/08/2021 15:02

He's definitely being emotionally abusive.

Does he put you down in front of your DS? Do you want him to grow up thinking this is how men treat women?

Leave him. Go for 50/50 contact as a minimum. You'll be fine without him.

hocusspocuss · 23/08/2021 15:07

He sounds like a massive arsehole. Do you want to stay married to a massive arsehole?

Lavender24 · 23/08/2021 15:07

He is an abusive cunt OP and you need to leave him, both for yourself and your son. Ignore his empty threats about custody, that will not happen. Lots of women have had PND and other mental struggles.

Flamglimglubberty · 23/08/2021 15:10

Thank you for the replies so far.

I guess what's prompted this is a minor disagreement that escalated for no discernable reason. He asked me to iron a shirt for him, I told him I couldn't as the ironing board had broken... I didn't have a surface to do it on. He told me to order a new one, but I said there's not point as all my clothes are mostly non iron dresses which I hang up when they're wet to let the creases fall out, and I iron DS's uniform on a towel on the worktop. I said we haven't got space for an ironing board, but if he wanted one as it was his clothes that needed ironing he could order one and find somewhere to store it.

Because of this apparently I spend too much time on the internet being brainwashed by feminist shit. He kept saying in front of DS I was not a good mum.

I've sat today and really thought about what divorce would look like, with a 50/50 split. I'm about 99% sure I want to leave him, but I just feel like when confronted with the reasons why they just dont really amount to much.

OP posts:
PoachedPair · 23/08/2021 15:15

Just get away from that horrible obnoxious man OP. I was married to one that that for more than a decade. He stripped me of all my self confidence. However hard a divorce is it will be worth it I promise you

Janaih · 23/08/2021 15:17

He sounds like a monster. Please get help to leave him. I think women's aid might be a good place to start. Do you have any family or close friends to support you in real life?

emmylousings · 23/08/2021 15:18

The reasons amount to a LOT op!! You are miserable, he is making you feel small and shit, and isolating you. He should not be putting you down in front of your DS, so many horrible blokes do that. That on it's own is enough reason to leave him. Besides you don't actually need any reason, you're not happy, you want out end of. He cannot dictate to you. Bet you any money he wouldn't do 50/50 either.

mercurelle · 23/08/2021 15:19

This gave me chills - I've just got out of a relationship that sounds exactly the same. It is definitely emotional abuse and coercive control.

It sounds like you know you need to leave. If you're already 99% sure, maybe start thinking about what steps you can take to prepare. (Legal / financial advice etc). It will help you to feel more in control and to understand your options. Do you have anyone that can support you through it IRL? The best thing I did was tell my best friend and her husband what was happening, as I immediately felt stronger and less insane when they believed me.

DontBeAHaterDear · 23/08/2021 15:27

He's not a great dad, he’s emotionally abusing the mother of his child.

Yes, this is emotional abuse but he’s done enough damage to your self esteem you’re doubting yourself.

As an aside, don’t let him use your PND diagnosis to bully you. He can not use that successfully in a child custody dispute. They do not remove children from their mother’s care because she once suffered from PND. They don’t automatically (or often) do that when she is in throes of it either.

Don’t underestimate this shitbag’s willingness to start actively emotionally abusing your child at some point in the future.

TheFormidableMrsC · 23/08/2021 15:27

So sorry you're going through this OP. He is coercively controlling (which is now a crime) and emotionally abusing you.

Women's Aid is a really good first port of call.

Please make an appointment to see a solicitor so that you understand the legal implications. Further, don't listen to his nonsense about using PND against you. That's utter bollocks that so many men spout as a further means of control. Please ignore his pathetic attempts to threaten you.

Get yourself and your son into a happier place before he strips you of every last ounce of your self confidence. This is also a horribly unhealthy environment for your child. Good luck Thanks

kaleidoscopeheartless · 23/08/2021 15:29

It sounds like he was the one having the affair and blamed you for one instead! It is abuse!

HarrietsChariot · 23/08/2021 15:29

He sounds insecure and depressed. His threat of divorce was a smokescreen to make you think that you need him more than he needs you. Possibly it was a way to fool himself too.

Controlling - yes. Gaslighting - no. EmoAb - definitely.

SparksAndLarks · 23/08/2021 15:37

Buy a few secret cameras and hide them or voice record on your phone or tablet/iPad. Start recording whenever you expect him before he comes in so he doesn't see or hear any telltale signs.

Provoke a few conversations that you know will lead to him slagging you off to your little one.

Try and get him round to the topic of divorce and how he's going to take your child if you don't do as you are told.

You should've learned what sets him off by now, everything it seems.

Upload to cloud storage, more than one place, and delete so he cannot find it.
Do it at work and keep the logins there too.

Some evidence that you can show others might be useful.
Do it even if you are not sure if you want a divorce.

Also, start a running away fund.

He is not good for you.
His motivations and actions are largely irrelevant.
The only relevant part is how you feel about it.
Get away from the bastard and let him figure all that shit out for himself.

Flamglimglubberty · 23/08/2021 15:39

Thank you everyone. Glad to know I'm not going mad, as that's what it feels like!

Afterwards he'll always spin it so that it was mean that overreacted or is being unreasonable. I know I'm not perfect and certainly do make mistakes from time to time but there's no way that in 10 years every argument is my fault. Even by sheer law of averages he'd be responsible for a few of them!

I've got a lot to think about and digest, not sure what to do from here in the real world. There's not really anyone I'd be comfortable talking about this to.

OP posts:
Lweji · 23/08/2021 15:50

Whenever we argue he makes a point to put me down Infront of DS and points out to him that I'm a bad mum.

This alone makes him a terrible parent.

Your child is still 6. I strongly suspect that he will be equally abusive towards your son when he is a teenager and has his own will.

IME, this sort of men don't want 50% of the time with their children. You'll be lucky if he maintains every other weekend.

Goneblank38 · 23/08/2021 15:54

Really sorry OP. He sounds awful and I really hope you leave.

As others have said, he's absolutely not a great dad. Berating you in front of your son is incredibly damaging.

MiaRoma · 23/08/2021 15:55

Good god. What a horrible horrible man. Please don't allow your child to see you being treated in this way

Feedingthebirds1 · 23/08/2021 15:58

You know he created the 'emotional affair' scenario out of nothing, he probably didn't even believe it himself, but it was the start of making sure you were always under his thumb. Because he could then fling it at you whenever it looked like you might step out of line.

Classic case of lovely man until he'd got you married to him, then let his true colours show.

Yes this is abuse. No you're not overreacting. No it isn't trivial or petty. it's time to take back control of your own life, by leaving him. Don't let him grind you down to the point where you feel like you can't leave because no-one else will want you, or because you won't cope on your own. Because I'd bet my last tube of moisturiser that that's going to be where he's heading, and he'll tell you so if you ever look like you're leaving, gradually chipping away at you. Go now, while you still have some sense of self worth.

Myusernameisnotmyusernameno · 23/08/2021 16:02

He sounds awful. Definitely abuse/gaslighting

Shoxfordian · 23/08/2021 16:05

He’s abusive and controlling
Can you phone women’s aid when he’s not around for advice about how to leave?

Hankunamatata · 23/08/2021 16:05

I would leave him just for commenting on my food and weight!

fourquenelles · 23/08/2021 16:10

but I just feel like when confronted with the reasons why they just dont really amount to much.

Remember that you do not have to justify to anyone, including your H, why you want to leave this relationship. Being unhappy is reason enough.

NeededaNamechange · 23/08/2021 16:18

Whenever we argue he makes a point to put me down Infront of DS and points out to him that I'm a bad mum.

Your son will be learning about relationships from his parenting - this is another example of his emotional abuse of you.