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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be raging angry?

343 replies

IzItMe · 01/01/2023 09:24

Can you please tell me if I am being unreasonable?

My partner has auto immune disease and has been very unwell for some time. I've been extremely supportive of him.

I moved in with him in August, into his 1 bedroom flat after DS went to university. We'd agreed for years the plan was to get a place together, and I couldn't afford to keep my flat and cover DS's university costs which was made much worse by me losing 80% of my income in the pandemic (I was one of the excluded).

When the time came to move in together DP told me he / we couldn't afford a larger flat and he wasn't able to move further out from work to a place we could afford due to being so ill and not able to cope with any kind of commute. This made me really upset, but I accepted it as I had little choice by this point.

This was hugely less than ideal because it meant DS had no bedroom to come home to for holidays and all our stuff has been in storage for six months so I feel homeless really.

I was very unhappy and stressed by the arrangement , but felt my DP was genuinely ill and I'd need to make a sacrifice for a while until he felt better. I am sure it's genuine that he's barely able to get to work (he has rheumatoid arthritis and fibro), so it was hard to be angry with him.

As I said, I've been incredibly supportive through his illness. Sorted all the doctors, done all the chores so he rests, researching treatments and paying for it, cooking special diets and running our life around his illness. I think it would be fair to say my life revolves around his needs and his illness, which I believed was okay because if you love people you're a team- right?

That said, it's been incredibly hard for me to feel I don't have a proper home and over the holidays I've had to basically stay in Air bnbs hundreds of miles away so my DS had somewhere to stay. We couldn't afford to be in our home town and haven't got family with space, so it's been really, really tough.

DP flew up for Christmas but I felt incredibly sad about this. No Christmas tree. No family around. Just basically me trying to find a place I could afford and it's broken ny heart. I didn't complain though, I just got on with it.

For this week, my DS wanted to see his family so we came to my home town. There's no space to stay "together" so he's at my parents and I've been at DPs, 8 miles away.

My parents had long term plans to be away for 48 hours at NYE and obviously I can leave my DS alone at their house for NYE so me and DP arranged to stay at my parents for 48 hours. We planned nothing for NYE because DP was always too ill to go out.

I woke up yesterday and spent several hours sorting food for DPs special diet and getting ready to go. He woke up in pain and started angrily shouting, and was extremely rude to me. He spoke to me with naked contempt, for no reason.

Then he said he didn't want to traipse across town to stay in someone else's house, that he felt ill and wanted his own surroundings. I told him it was funny that he was well enough to work full time and go on a week long holiday, and was just thinking of himself.

I got extremely angry at basically being abandoned on NYE and told him me and DS were in that situation as a sacrifice to meet his needs and that it was his turn to sacrifice. His attitude was "why should i".

As I got angrier, he blocked me at 8pm last night and never unblocked so I spent NYE alone and crying ny eyes out.

AIBU? To feel he's behaved appallingly?

For context, he's behaved appallingly a lot in the past to me, so this felt like the final straw.

OP posts:
Lilibert456 · 01/01/2023 10:07

Wishing you lots of love and luck for your new life.

IzItMe · 01/01/2023 10:08

He wasn't ill when he had the affair. He got ill afterwards. His first symptoms of upset tummy / stress started during the affair. His affair partner made things extremely unpleasant and he had what appeared to be a full blown breakdown. The auto immune disease started shortly after that and he's been ill ever since.

OP posts:
Outandover · 01/01/2023 10:08

You have become a live-in carer to an awful person - life is too short for putting up with this. Please take up your friend’s accommodation offer and leave.

Get your finances sorted and don’t look back .

W0tnow · 01/01/2023 10:09

Take up your friend on her offer! You’ve been offered a lifeline. Take it!

LittleStar22 · 01/01/2023 10:09

Go and stay with your friend, this is a life line.
Also make an appointment with the Dr re: depression and/or seek counselling re: your toxic relationship.

Twiglets1 · 01/01/2023 10:11

He sounds like a User whos uses his illness to manipulate you into accepting it's his way or the highway.

Time to send him on the highway I would think and plan a different life without him.

BreakingPointAgain · 01/01/2023 10:14

Also to add your son may be eligible for student disability allowance.

www.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-dsa

RandomMess · 01/01/2023 10:19

Absolutely take up your friends offer. You deserve a peace and care and he isn't ever going to do that.

Cherrysoup · 01/01/2023 10:19

I’m sorry to be brutal, but you’ve effectively made your ds homeless. I think you need separate and sort out your own place. If you accept your friend’s offer, please ensure there’s a Shorthold tenancy agreement in place with all the proper checks.

Everydaywheniwakeup · 01/01/2023 10:19

You willingly trusted a man who has proven repeatedly that he cannot be trusted, why you thought he would change I have no idea, so yes YABU, he showed you who he was and you ignored it. Get packing and do not fall for his attempts to get you to go back to him, he only wants a carer.

purpledalmation · 01/01/2023 10:25

What do you actually get from this relationship? It seems you are just a carer and giving up more than you will ever get in return. This wouldn't be for me.

SleepingStandingUp · 01/01/2023 10:25

So he had an affair, but you couldn't afford anywhere to live so moved in with him to mutual benefit, now he's being increasingly shit and you're stuck because you can't afford your own place?

If putting DH through Uni makes you homeless and dependant on a man who abuses that vulnerability, you can't afford for DS to go to Uni. Can you talk to your parents about moving back short term? Is moving up to your DS bad getting a house together an option?

Why were you alone for NY if your sons was at your Mom's house? Where were you of he was then and DP was at home?

KettrickenSmiled · 01/01/2023 10:25

Where were you living before you moved in to this selfish man's flat to play nursemaid at your & your son's expense?

Can you afford to move back there?
Because you have been taken for a ride.
You need to dump this nasty man, get some therapy to understand what drive you to make yourself somebody else's willing slave, & start learning about why some people play Rescuer & become enmeshed in dysfunctional, uneven relationships.

JoyeuxNarwhal · 01/01/2023 10:26

He's a prick. Relationship would be over for me. If you can't stay with your parents long term you need to look at getting somewhere by yourself - get advice from Shelter or your local council.

KettrickenSmiled · 01/01/2023 10:26

Jimboscott0115 · 01/01/2023 09:35

You're not in a relationship OP, you are his live in carer and he couldn't give two shits about you or your DS.

The moment he refused to get somewhere you could live together was the moment the relationship became like it is now. Sorry, am a little hungover and blunt but this is so blindingly obvious to all and sundry and it will never get any better.

Of course it's true.
As soon as OP gave up her independent home, this man felt he had all the power & could treat her like shit.

marvellousmaple · 01/01/2023 10:27

SOunds awful.
I'm a bit confused why you had to be with your son on NYE though.
Chuck the BF away though.

Tigger7654 · 01/01/2023 10:27

There's no teamwork here, you're his carer and he obviously likes this, it works for him. I can't honestly believe you've put your DC through all this shit, taken away his home for some loser, wake up, move on and put yourself and DC first, poor kids d.

Motnight · 01/01/2023 10:28

IzItMe · 01/01/2023 10:08

He wasn't ill when he had the affair. He got ill afterwards. His first symptoms of upset tummy / stress started during the affair. His affair partner made things extremely unpleasant and he had what appeared to be a full blown breakdown. The auto immune disease started shortly after that and he's been ill ever since.

Blaming the other woman for his illness.

He has really done a number on you, Op.

NameChagaiiiin · 01/01/2023 10:28

Ew.
Take your friends offer, get some therapy and block this miserable mean little man from your life.
As much as I hate this term being banded, please recognise he's gaslighting you.
You still have time to focus on you and turn your life into something you are immensely happy about. Don't let this shitshow of a "man" drag you down.
New year n all that. He's shown you (repeatedly) who he is. Sit up and listen.

MeMyBooksAndMyCats · 01/01/2023 10:30

Ah I get it now about your son that's completely fair enough.

Could you move in with your parents while ds is at uni this next term and save for your own place? I would leave him op, he's had an affair and treats you appallingly.

felulageller · 01/01/2023 10:30

Oh my goodness, this is so toxic. Run for the hills and get D's to apply for DSA and hardship grants.

MeMyBooksAndMyCats · 01/01/2023 10:32

Having an affair doesn't bring on a auto immune illness, he was happy to have the affair!
Just clearly unhappy he got caught out... sounds like an excuse to be honest.
I'm chronically Ill but never dream of treating my Dh like this. Honestly op he's having his cake & eating it, sounds like the illness only comes into play when he can't be bothered too. 🚩

Snoken · 01/01/2023 10:32

How can a parent do this to their child? What a horrible situation for your DS. You are putting a cheating, lazy, grumpy man before your son. I have two kids at uni age and no way would I make them homeless, outside of term time, just because I wanted a man. Put yourself and you child first before it completely ruins your relationship not to mention his self esteem.

IzItMe · 01/01/2023 10:33

Thanks, we checked and my son isn't eligible for disability benefits.

I was a very big earner pre- pandemic. More than DP. And when I had nothing I sadly spent a lot of what I did have on looking after him.

His job is in Central London. I WFH so the only reason Im in the most expensive part of the UK is his job. My sons University is 500 miles away. So literally I'm only here in the first place to be with him.

I do think there were compromises. He could have moved a little out, but he'd just get very angry if I tried discussing it, so I gave up.

I was a very happy person, buy his affair hurt me so much. His affair partner caused me so much trauma. The police told me if I wanted to press charges, they'd arrest her because what she did was stalking, harrassment and online abuse.

He didn't help much with that. Just kept telling me to move on and stop being angry.

Losing all my money was partly the pandemic, partly long-covid but mostly I think just being in too much pain and stress.

When he got so ill it eclipsed everything and I felt I had to look after him because I couldn't stand to see him suffer. I felt if we could get stability, I'd be able to get through my depression and he'd get better and it would be okay.

99% of the time he's lovely and kind and funny and made me feel happy, but deep down I knew he didn't really care about how bad my life circumstances were. He just gets angry if I have any needs AT ALL really.

I feel so ground into the floor, mostly by being told my anger causes instability. But HE is the one who had a long term affair with a woman who made my life living hell. HE is the one with chronic illness.

And it's MY fault?

My brain really hurts. I can't understand why he'd cause me so much suffering then tell me it was my fault. Or why he'd let me and DS get into this position and then not be arsed to sacrifice 48 hours?

He just doesn't seem to really care about either of us.

And I feel like a worthless person

OP posts:
Ursuladevine · 01/01/2023 10:33

For context, he's behaved appallingly a lot in the past to me,

and yet you thought…. Hey, let’s take a huge risk and move in with him!!