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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

His ex

83 replies

PepsiKitty · 17/06/2022 00:58

This is so ridiculous but I’m posting to prove I’m not crazy…

been with OH for 2 years. I am 36, him 32. Engaged and living together for the last 4m.

bear with me because I don’t want to drip feed

OH has only ever had 2 relationships

first relationship 2009 age 18 - they were together for a year total. When he met her she was in a relationship with someone else (we will call him John). She “couldn’t decide” between OH and John for a while but eventually stayed with OH. She later had a threesome behind his back, they broke up, he forgave her a month later, then she eventually left him. All this in just one year. He was devastated, suicidal he said. He loved her and she said she loved him.

For the next 6 years he admits he was embarrassingly hung up on her - think Facebook statuses about missing her, dreaming of her on one occasion in 2015 (!) saying she’s his perfect girl, he will wait til the end of time for her, misses her etc. During this period he is desperate and trying to find a new girlfriend but with no success.

age 25 he meets his next girlfriend, not keen on her but his mum threw him out of the house so he moves in with her. She has a 3 month old baby and the dad isn’t around. OH stands by her and the baby for 3 years. This girlfriend is physically and emotionally abusive to him. She also regularly cheats. They then end the relationship in 2018, but she doesn’t move out until 2019.

he then meets me end of 2020.

he tells me he messaged first girl (we will call her amy) right before he met the second girlfriend, but she didn’t want to talk to him. Bear in mind it had been 6 years!

For a few months every time I ask him something he brings up amy. For example “do you like cheese?” “Amy liked cheese”. He says he’s trying to share his life experiences. I compliment him and he says “amy said that” and says it’s because it was an odd compliment. I ask if he loves her still (no) if he thinks of her (never) if he wants her (no) and what he’d do if she came back (nothing). I asked this because I felt he was hung up on her.

Things go well, it’s a good relationship although OH is emotionally very immature and Doesn’t seem to know how to be in an adult relationship (not his fault given he’s never really had one). I was married for 10 years so we are very different.

fast forward to a few weeks ago…

amy adds OH to Snapchat. He adds her back and they talk. She basically says she misses him and asks if he ever thinks of her (he says not as often as he used to but things remind him of her), she asks if he would meet her and he says no because he’s engaged but that he would if he was single. He says her adding him is a mindfuck. He says he waited for her and she was all he thought about. She says feelings don’t go away and he puts a sad face.

now bear with me because here it gets ridiculous.

i then get added by her to Snapchat and she sends me the screenshots. I then see that he’s messaging her at the same time as me, but her first. Telling me he loves me while telling her he thinks of her.

i confront him. He says he never believed it was her and was trying to catch her out. She then texts him, and he shows me the screenshots and here he is blatantly trying to catch her out by asking questions only she’d know the answers to. I point out that what he said on Snapchat wasn’t catching her out.

turns out it wasn’t even Amy in the first place, it was his abusive ex pretending to be her. So now OH is saying he knew all along it wasn’t her etc but I feel like because amy doesn’t want him, he’s turning to me.

we argue as he doesn’t understand my point of view. He says he’d talk to her if he was single and hear her out, maybe give her a chance because she’s familiar and it’s easier than meeting someone new. But then says he wouldn’t give his other ex a chance (odd given that she’s more resent but hey ho)

he can’t possibly even know Amy after 12 years… she was 17 when she dated him and she’s 29 now…

its all ridiculous and childish to me. The man is just shy of 32 years old. Clearly hung up on his high school ex , all she did was lie and cheat and hurt him, they only lasted a year.

to be honest I feel like he’s with me because she didn’t want him, and he said all he said because she came back too late. He’s trapped now as I have kids he’s stepdad to and we are TTC.

OH is quite immature emotionally and admits this. But I find the whole situation ridiculous and I want no part of it.

he is adamant he doesn’t love or want her and added her out of curiosity… but to be honest I think he will say whatever he has to say to keep me.

AIBU to think he did wrong and needs to let go of her or is he unreasonable?

OP posts:
villamariavintrapp · 17/06/2022 07:35

I think 'Amy' is a red herring here. Maybe he wants to be with her, maybe he'll never get over her, maybe not. Either way, you can do better. Why did you continue the relationship when he kept on bringing her into your conversations? At best that's disrespectful, boring, and weird. And why would you choose to be with someone disrespectful, boring and weird? Never mind choose him as the father to a baby!

RedHelenB · 17/06/2022 07:37

Aquamarine1029 · 17/06/2022 01:08

Why the fuck are you with this emotionally stunted man child? You are light years apart, and I can't imagine anything more foolish than having a baby with him. You should be running for the hills.

If it were a woman which been abused like this there would be a lot more sympathy. Forget words, Di his actions show he loves and cares about you? If yes I'd forget all about Amy, ignore it of he mentions her name. If no then yes, you need to split up before ttc.

XelaM · 17/06/2022 08:18

I think you need to rethink your marriage and TTC plans, as he is still hung up on his high school sweetheart. It's difficult to compete with a fantasy.

ILikeHotWaterBottles · 17/06/2022 08:29

BadNomad · 17/06/2022 02:30

Hmm I wonder how abusive his second ex really was. I'll bet she had to deal with the ghost of Amy in their relationship too. Was this her way of warning you that you'll never be enough?

This. You will never be enough op. He thinks of his ex all the time, he proves that in his responses. Why he does, we don't know. I think it is probably what someone else said, she was his first girlfriend and he has never gotten over that.

Don't have kids with him for certain. Maybe split up for a while to let him figure out what he wants. But it's clear it's her and not you. If she came on the scene for real and said jump, he'd instantly reply how high.

KettrickenSmiled · 17/06/2022 08:36

He’s trapped now as I have kids he’s stepdad to and we are TTC.
Oh. I'd missed the fact that you are a parent.

You're coming across as just as immature as he is with this comment.
He's not your kids' stepdad.
He's a madman you've been shagging for a couple of years.
He will abandon you, & the kids you are passing off as his stepkids, just like he abandoned Ex 2's child, as soon as there's a sniff of his Next Relationship. Maybe that will be with a woman who looks a bit like Amy, or who likes cheese, just like Amy.

You know he is fixated on Amy, & you MUST know he's full of shit about Ex 2?
He only moved in with her because his mum threw him out - despite him cheerfully admitting to you that he was not keen on her. Does that not strike you as the actions of a cruel & selfish user? 3 years later, SHE has to move out of the home HE chose to land in like a cuckoo. Despite her having a child? WTF?
That's not him "standing by" a woman with a baby.
That's him doing what's best for him, & making a woman he's "not keen on" responsible for housing him. But he tells you SHE was the abusive one, so that's ok then. And this doesn't strike you as hogwash?

But you keep TTC with a man who "doesn't know how to have a relationship", because you have "trapped" him. Congratulations.
It's not going to fuck your kids up AT ALL, is it?

BaaCake · 17/06/2022 08:38

I also don't know many adults that use snap chat

KettrickenSmiled · 17/06/2022 08:41

RedHelenB · 17/06/2022 07:37

If it were a woman which been abused like this there would be a lot more sympathy. Forget words, Di his actions show he loves and cares about you? If yes I'd forget all about Amy, ignore it of he mentions her name. If no then yes, you need to split up before ttc.

Mainly because women don't tend to lie about DA - they tend to cover up for their abuser.

Whereas a man whose every ex is a "crazy bitch" is usually the crazy-maker himself. He needs no sympathy.

This man has "tend to my emotions at the expense of your own wellbeing" written all over him. But OP is calling him her kids' stepdad, & TTC, so IT MUST BE TROO LOVE. Or she is teasing us, I think ...

Arthursmom · 17/06/2022 08:55

You're about to marry this guy. Save yourself the heartache and walk away now

Justleaveitblankthen · 17/06/2022 09:05

He's too emotionally stunted to realise that Amy no longer exists. They were practically children when they met. Below the age of consent in some places.
He's pining for boyhood emotions that he has never experienced since.
Good God throw him back.

How did his second girlfriend end up leaving the house that he moved into by the way? 🤔

stepuporshutup · 17/06/2022 09:19

Run he needs to grow up and you need to wise up.

In his mind Amy is perfect and if you want to play second best crack on. You think he would make a good father?
Also he would want to call the baby amy.

PepsiKitty · 17/06/2022 09:24

Sorry lots to reply to, his second ex didn’t move out of her home - by the time they split they had moved again into a joint rented place, the landlord wouldn’t keep just her because she didn’t earn enough, so she moved out. Ironically OH earns enough but now struggles to pay the rent on his own.

After they split he continued to see the kid, treated her as his - but the ex then met someone and decided she didn’t want OH around. He didn’t abandon the kid

I have an app booked today with the Dr. to be honest I’ve been thinking all night and this baby thing isn’t right… I don’t want to tie myself to someone who’s tied to their ex like that.

it is all immature and I hate it.

OP posts:
FOJN · 17/06/2022 09:48

You say this:

it is all immature and I hate it.

But this is your AIBU:

AIBU to think he did wrong and needs to let go of her or is he unreasonable?

I think you need to let him go. Who has the energy for this much drama in a relationship?

Hiddenvoice · 17/06/2022 09:55

I don’t think you should have a baby with him right now. I think if this first ex properly came back into his life then he’d jump to be with her- sorry for that.
Im not sure how you can trust him as I’d feel he would hide his messages if this girl did come back into his life.
i know first loves can be hard to get over and there will always be some feelings there but he sounds very immature.
You don’t deserve to be with someone who is this hung up on his ex.
i know he’s involved in your childrens lives but maybe better to end it now rather than getting married and then breaking up.

dworky · 17/06/2022 10:17

I think rather than worrying anout exes, you should pay attention to his bullshit.
Move on, he's definitely not worth this aggravation.

Cakecakecheese · 17/06/2022 10:25

He needs therapy. It is absolutely not right to be so hung up on someone from so long ago.

You know you can do so much better than being stuck in this weird situation. Get out.

Fullsomefrenchie · 17/06/2022 10:25

You must really love him to knowingly be second best? I mean you actually know it and even said it, yet here you are justifying why you should be with him.

couldn’t do it myself.

Janey3090 · 17/06/2022 10:26

Sorry OP I don't think this guy sounds any good, I would run if I was you. You can do better!

KettrickenSmiled · 17/06/2022 10:30

Ironically OH earns enough but now struggles to pay the rent on his own.

Poor little darling. Mummy kicked him out, so he honed in on a woman with a 3 month old child, that's not a vulnerable person to exploit for a roof & mummy services plus sex, is it? While still banging on to Ex 2 about Amy.

Now he finds the rent challenging on his own, & you come along, so he throws you an engagement to keep you sweet, as cohabiting will be cheaper for him - plus mummy services & sex. While still banging on to you about Amy.

And you're not seeing a pattern here?

123cupcake4 · 17/06/2022 10:32

Omg just dump him. You are a mother already. How do you have time for this crap and drama? Do you really want him as another child plus a baby with him?

Sorry to be blunt. And I'm not normally but please, open your eyes and be the grown up you are

Marchmount · 17/06/2022 10:35

Please don’t have a baby with this man or set him up as stepdad to your kids. He’s not mature enough to be a father and the whole thing sounds like a pathetic teen melodrama.

Testina · 17/06/2022 10:42

He sounds like a total loser.

I would dump him and give him not a second thought.

Testina · 17/06/2022 10:44

Wow, what an amazing coincidence that he moved in with you when he was struggling to pay rent on his own. What are the chances, hey? 🙄

Testina · 17/06/2022 10:48

“age 25 he meets his next girlfriend, not keen on her but his mum threw him out of the house so he moves in with her.”

You know he’s going to tell his next mark that he wasn’t “keen” on you, either - right?

Ugh. He’s just an arsehole.

Viostep · 17/06/2022 10:48

He sounds embarrassingly pathetic. Is your self esteem so low that you're going to accept this? Move on, too much teenage style drama here.

I agree with everything @KettrickenSmiled said. He used a vulnerable woman with a tiny baby for somewhere to live and he wasn't even keen on her. Gross!

TiddleyWink · 17/06/2022 10:48

Bloody hell OP. At the point he admitted he moved in with a woman with a three month old baby because he needed a roof over his head, you should have realised he was pond scum and ditched him.

Sorry to be blunt but I think you may need some serious therapy to understand why you’re even entertaining this absolute weirdo, never mind considering making him the father of your children.

Is he neurotypical? He doesn’t sound in any way like an adult. Very little of what you have said about him sounds normal. Talking over and over again about a teenage girlfriend you haven’t seen in years is more of a red marquee than a red flag. He sounds creepy and weird in many, many ways.