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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

My husband hates me

80 replies

Boredofmyself · 12/07/2022 21:24

Anytime we go anywhere together like to watch one of the dc play a sport or pick them up from school or go to gym together, my dh leaves me and goes to talk to anyone he can see.
I'll spend an entire football match stood on my own or following him around like a dog.
It seems he hates My company..we don't spend all our time together we both work and have dc etc. So I would think he would stay stood with me at least for 5 minutes?
I dont stand alone by the way I do too talk to the other parents but they're all always stood as couples whereas mine forgets I'm even there.
Am I just being a needy little cow or am I right to be annoyed?

OP posts:
Boredofmyself · 12/07/2022 21:25

Ignore the gym example actually as I like to workout on my own and get as much done as possible in there so I wouldn't want him near me anyway

OP posts:
Aquamarine1029 · 12/07/2022 21:28

Have you asked him about this?

notawittyname1954 · 12/07/2022 21:29

my husband has always done this and his explanation is that we see each other at home so he will talk to everyone else when we are out. how is he with you at home

Boredofmyself · 12/07/2022 21:36

Yes I've asked, he says that he wants to talk to people which is fine but he never never stands next to me anywhere ever.

As for at home, he couldn't care less about having time together. He hasn't initiated a date night or anything ever and I gave up 3 years ago. If I asked him he would say oh its because of the dc and no childcare but we used to manage it when I sorted it out.

OP posts:
Aquamarine1029 · 12/07/2022 21:37

Boredofmyself · 12/07/2022 21:36

Yes I've asked, he says that he wants to talk to people which is fine but he never never stands next to me anywhere ever.

As for at home, he couldn't care less about having time together. He hasn't initiated a date night or anything ever and I gave up 3 years ago. If I asked him he would say oh its because of the dc and no childcare but we used to manage it when I sorted it out.

I think this is very sad, and not a marriage I would want to be in. My husband and I absolutely love spending time together. I can't imagine it any other way. You deserve better.

Boredofmyself · 12/07/2022 21:38

I just hate always being stood alone everywhere we go.
Hes very chatty and I can have social anxiety although with people I know I'm very chatty too. But dh doesn't even include me conversations or he will talk over me as he's desperate to talk to the person and i eventually get shut out of conversations so I stopped following him when he goes running to talk to this person or that

OP posts:
Aquamarine1029 · 12/07/2022 21:41

You must feel very lonely. I know I would.

DenholmElliot1 · 12/07/2022 21:41

It doesn't sound as though he hates you to me he just sounds as though he's become really complacent in the marriage.

Unfortunately, this complacency usually slowly kills a relationship. It's sad really. It's usually men that are guilty of this. In my experience, it's when a man is on his third marriage/relationship that he's learnt from this and starts to pay attention to his partner.

Not much use to you though, but I definately don't think it's hate.

Boredofmyself · 12/07/2022 21:42

When I've complained about it he's stood with me the next time we're out but he looks so pained to do so that I don't say anything anymore

OP posts:
Boredofmyself · 12/07/2022 21:43

@Aquamarine1029 I tell him all the time how lonely I feel and he says I'm crazy as we live together! To him the fact we exist in the same space is more than enough

OP posts:
Aquamarine1029 · 12/07/2022 21:53

Boredofmyself · 12/07/2022 21:43

@Aquamarine1029 I tell him all the time how lonely I feel and he says I'm crazy as we live together! To him the fact we exist in the same space is more than enough

You need to decide if this is how you want to live for the next 40+ years. I know what my answer would be. This isn't a marriage in my opinion.

notawittyname1954 · 12/07/2022 21:53

I can sympathise. I was told I was too needy just because I actually wanted to spend time with him sometimes when we were out. Has he always been the same. If so I think it is hard to change. It is something I just had to become used to but now I do a lot of stuff on my own.

Meraas · 12/07/2022 21:57

Dump him and find someone who wants to be with you.

He sounds like a knob.

MiniCooperLover · 12/07/2022 22:10

That is sad OP, I se many couples who happily coexist in the same conversations and compliment each other in them. This is not what your DH is doing.

vipersnest1 · 12/07/2022 22:12

My XH was like this - he could be totally charming with other people, but could barely give me the time of day. Note the X.

Zerrin13 · 12/07/2022 22:39

Being married to someone who never wants to spend any time with you is soul destroying. You say you have raised this issue with him and he obviously couldn't care less about trying to improve things.
He has checked out of your relationship.
You haven't said if you are considering divorcing him. I would definitely be divorcing him.

Boredofmyself · 13/07/2022 04:12

I didn't think I'd be getting told to divorce tbh.
I thought you were all going to say I was needy and controlling as this is what he has led me to believe I am.
I already have low self esteem and he's made me feel like I'm just a boring old sod so it's my own fault.

OP posts:
xyzabchij · 13/07/2022 04:30

Nope. Don't let him talk you into thinking this is normal. Living with someone but feeling lonely is horrible.

RustyShackleford3 · 13/07/2022 04:53

Boredofmyself · 13/07/2022 04:12

I didn't think I'd be getting told to divorce tbh.
I thought you were all going to say I was needy and controlling as this is what he has led me to believe I am.
I already have low self esteem and he's made me feel like I'm just a boring old sod so it's my own fault.

Not a chance! It's not needy to expect you husband to include you in conversations when you go out together.

I'm not surprised you have low self esteem. Your husband probably has something to do with that.

I suppose you can talk to him again, and try and get him to see how much this is hurting you. If that doesn't work then I don't think anyone would blame you for wanting to move on and find someone who actually enjoys your company and makes you feel good about yourself.

TheLadyofShalott1 · 13/07/2022 06:09

@Boredofmyself I am so sorry that this is your life, and I really hope that sometime in the not too distant future you find the "energy" - for want of a better word - to start making changes to yours and your children's lives.

May I just share a funny little snippet from my Wedding Reception (2nd marriage) - a long time ago now? The Best Man gave his speech, which was almost entirely about my new MiL. He did mention my DH, but only about how and why he became friends with him. That was apparently due to my DH's Mum talking to the Father of my DH's best friend about my DH not having any real friends - so between them, DH's Mother, and best friend's Father, cooked up a smashing little idea, best friend's Dad told best friend that he had to be friends with DH, and hang around with him. This was the first my DH had heard of it, but he didn't seem to be at all embarrassed about it, if it had been about me I would have been mortified that that had happened, and even more so that it had been broadcast to all of our guests.

There was no chance of anything being at all about me though, I don't think it ever crossed my DH's, or the Best Man's mind that I was half of the reason for the Wedding! My husbands speech was quite sweetly I suppose, all (yes all) how great my oldest child was - and yes s/he was brilliant, so that part was fine. The fact that my DH didn't mention me once did upset me a little, but I have never told him that. However, much worse in my eyes was the fact that he didn't mention my other children either, and they were there!

I had agreed with my DDad that he didn't need to do a speech this time (he was older, and not in very good health), so that was the sum of the speeches. I think that if I hadn't been in shock over the previous two speeches, I would have given an impromptu little speech agreeing how wonderful my eldest child was, but also pointing out that the other ones were as well!

Sorry OP that my funny 'little snippet' took so long to tell. I just want to add that all these years later I think my DH married me because everyone else had turned him down, and he wanted a wife and family like everyone else. He spends as much time as possible away from, or ignoring me, but starting up conversations with practically anyone else.

Unfortunately for him, I have my own ill health now, and he is my carer, so he does have to spend more time with me than I am sure he likes - I think that he has tried not to, but he has been making little comments lately that show he finds me a burden. I am a burden (even to me), so I can't blame him for that. I do think he gets quite a bit of pleasure out of his 'friends' and family saying how good he is to be looking after me, but there again, don't we all get pleasure if we are praised for something - well I expect that is so, but my Very Dear Mum died a long time ago now, and she was the only one who ever praised me, but I did feel a warm glow when she did.

Anyway @Boredofmyself I am not suggesting that you should leave your DH, only you know your marriage, and whether you think it is worth trying to save, but please don't be me and suddenly find yourself an OAP, with a lifetime of "funny" stories to look back on. By the way, I am still very much in love with my DH, so I have never seriously thought of leaving him, but I couldn't complain if others knew the truth and told me that I had made my own bed, so I had to lie on it. 💐

Cakecakecheese · 13/07/2022 06:47

It's not needy and controlling to expect your husband to want to spend time with you. It's bad enough that he does this but now he's gaslighting you about it.

MushMonster · 13/07/2022 06:54

Next time, do not go with him, go and do your own thing.
Or be the one to leave him on his own.
Stop being around him, just go and do your own thing.
If he does not even notice you are actually not there I think there is not much of a marriage left and you should start thinking about going your own way.
There is no deeper loneliness than that you feel surrounded by your partner or family. It is proper soul destroying. 💐💐💐

Pollydonia · 13/07/2022 07:01

My DH used to do similar things, he would leave me with the kids at an event then go off , to the bar, to the toilet ect and not return for up to an hour because he had got chatting.
Once the DC were grown up he still did it until the day he sat me at a table outside a cafe in Summer, on holiday. He went in to order , after 45 mins of watching him chat through the window I got up and left. Went back to the accommodation and packed.
He stormed in HALF AN HOUR later , just as I was getting a taxi to the station. He was nonplussed that I was upset until the couple we were holidaying with spelt it out to him .
He beat my train home and was incredibly sorry, but it prompted me to organize couples counselling.

anotherscroller · 13/07/2022 07:04

Haven’t voted because I think we need more context, but I do this to my DH even though I love and fancy him a lot, and I think it’s because of overdeveloped social skills, being taught my parents/school to always network and mingle, and a compulsion to make new friends and connections all the time. So it could be an upbringing or personality type thing?
ive only noticed I do it recently and have been consciously trying to stick to my DH more when we’re out together and try to enjoy the situation together. So maybe a chat about it could help?

Mally100 · 13/07/2022 07:06

What's the point of being with someone who treats you like he can't stand a second with you. You deserve more op, your dh seems to have checked out a long time ago. This is not how normal couples behave.

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