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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Would you be annoyed by this? Valentines card

148 replies

Sunshine1996 · 14/02/2023 06:38

Firstly I don’t expect anything for valentines at all. I bought my partner a card and made some brownies. My partner also bought me a card and said he will make me dinner this evening.
I don’t expect some big sentimental message. In the card it said ‘sorry I do everything wrong all the time’
We’ve argued a lot lately. We’ve been together nearly 7 years and this is the rockiest it’s ever been. I’ve never once said he does everything wrong?! I just feel like
its a bit negative and didn’t need to be written.

OP posts:
SpringIntoChaos · 14/02/2023 07:33

I fact, @AnnoyedFromSlough she says 'physically VERY aggressive'! I suspect he's not just pinching her 'playfully' on the arse!

(Even that, though, wouldn't be great!)

Backstreets · 14/02/2023 07:35

I thought it might just be a badly phrased card showing genuine intent until you said he's physically aggressive. If he hits you he and his shitty card can get in the bin.

747jumbo · 14/02/2023 07:35

My take on it would be that he knows things haven't been good and he wants them to be as they were. He knows that he gets it wrong and wants to put it right. My response would be to hug him and say - "It's not just you - but we do need to talk about it it. I miss how we were". Then see what we could do to make things better. I think it's a slightly clumsy way of reaching out. BUT I don't know you or him - and other posters who think he's a passive aggressive dick might be right. Only You know him and the whole context.

AnnoyedFromSlough · 14/02/2023 07:37

SpringIntoChaos · 14/02/2023 07:30

How else could 'physically aggressive' be construed?

It's entirely possible to be physically aggressive without a person being hurt. I haven't seen op suggest they have been physically hurt by him - but maybe I missed something.

747jumbo · 14/02/2023 07:38

YES I MISSED the updates - ignore my post. Small screen, stupid. Sorry

Ameadowwalk · 14/02/2023 07:38

It is terrible that his father died in such a horrible way, but many, many people, probably most people, endure grief without being physically abusive to others.

With this update, I would see this in two ways

1- he knows he is doing something wrong in behaving how he is and it is consuming itself to ‘everything wrong’ in his mind. If he is being physically aggressive to you, then yes, he is pretty much doing everything wrong in the relationship because no amount of good can balance that out.
However, the issue is the admission is there, but no apology and no suggestion to fix it. He needs grief counselling and support to deal with his bereavement; you are not his punchbag.

2- it’s making you feel guilty for calling out his behaviour and making him feel put upon, so passive aggressive as others have said. Still no olive branch of ‘how do I sort this out?’

Either way, there is nothing about you here, that he loves you, that he is willing to work with you, mentioning your good qualities. It’s not ‘I am really sorry I have been in a bad place and hurt you, I would like to try and sort it out’

Plus, I come back to the point that you are not his punchbag, emotional or physical. I think that is the deal-breaker here.

ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 14/02/2023 07:40

MyBloodyMaryneedsmoreTabasco · 14/02/2023 06:44

He clearly thinks you do though and tbh, from this snippet, i see his point - it's half 6 in the morning and you are telling the internet he's done something wrong. Maybe you are a bit more negative than you think you are.

Yeah, this. Poor guy can't win.

2crossedout1 · 14/02/2023 07:40

@AnnoyedFromSlough OP says "when he hurts me".

ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 14/02/2023 07:41

Sorry, didn't see updates.

2crossedout1 · 14/02/2023 07:41

OP, do you know that it's very common for physically abusive men to apologise and say it wasn't his fault, he couldn't help himself etc?

ShimmeringShirts · 14/02/2023 07:50

I was going to say I’d be worried about the state of his mental health with a message like that, but he’s being physically aggressive to you??? Fuck his mental health, there’s never any excuses for domestic violence. Please seek help to leave, even if he’s grieving that doesn’t excuse this and you don’t need to take it. I know you love him but this isn’t going to stop, he now thinks it’s acceptable and the longer it goes on without you leaving or protecting yourself the more confident he’ll become in hurting you. I hope you’re ok and safe Flowers

CleaningOutMyCloset · 14/02/2023 07:50

I was going to defend him slightly, but after your update, if he's hurting you he needs to leave - now!

LorenzoVonMatterhorn · 14/02/2023 07:52

tara66 · 14/02/2023 07:16

It's 14/2/23 - St. Valentine's Day today - i.e. meant to be ''romantic'' - did you not know?

Are you trying to be a dick? It doesnt matter if he has laid rose petals all over the house. He is abusive. Op does not need romance from him. She needs him gone.

MolkosTeenageAngst · 14/02/2023 07:55

There’s no excuse for being physically aggressive, people are bereaved all the time but it doesn’t make them physically abuse the people they love. If he’s hurt you in the past that would bother me a lot more than anything he might have written in the card.

DomPom47 · 14/02/2023 07:56

Sorry for the death of your partners father. Please do not normalise his behaviour as grief. Yes grief impacts people in different way but this does not make some of these ways okay. It is great that he has acknowledged that he is doing everything wrong but unless he takes steps to stop these mistakes it’s just words. Personally grief or no grief I would walk away from someone who is physically abusive. If for you the physical abuse is down to grief and you think he would accept help and he gets help this may be a way forward. Good luck.

OhClunge · 14/02/2023 07:57

Nimbostratus100 · 14/02/2023 06:44

sounds like its what he feels he needs to say to you right now, sounds heartfelt

I thought the same

GoAgainstNicki · 14/02/2023 08:02

The day has literally just started…

BrilliantUsername · 14/02/2023 08:06

I would read that as he is not feeling the way he should be about buying a card but is buying the card as it's tradition, saying it's not great between us but I suppose I should give a card.

Justalittlebitduckling · 14/02/2023 08:11

I’m not sure I would read that as pass-agg. It might be a genuine apology that he keeps messing up lately! But you know your DH.

Justalittlebitduckling · 14/02/2023 08:13

Sunshine1996 · 14/02/2023 06:49

It’s a tough one. He lost his dad in October which was horrendous to an awful disease. He is very depressed however since this has been physically very aggressive towards me. I know this is not truly him as he is going through so much grief. When he’s angry and hurts me he just changes into a different person.

Wow, just read this. Physical aggression is never ok. It is the “real him” performing these actions. There is no other him than the one in front of you being physically aggressive.

The vast majority of people lose their parents in adult life and the vast majority do not then become physically aggressive.

Wife2b · 14/02/2023 08:16

I don’t think it’s passive aggressive at all, he’s telling you he is sorry in a light hearted way. Maybe give him the benefit of the doubt.

monsteramunch · 14/02/2023 08:19

@AnnoyedFromSlough

It's entirely possible to be physically aggressive without a person being hurt. I haven't seen op suggest they have been physically hurt by him - but maybe I missed something.

In the same post she mentioned the aggression, OP said:

"When he’s angry and hurts me he just changes into a different person."

So yes he's hurt her.

Wife2b · 14/02/2023 08:20

Yeah you should have put the domestic violence in your OP. Obviously you need to leave him or direct him to a perpetrator course if you plan on staying.

Twentypast · 14/02/2023 08:20

Wife2b · 14/02/2023 08:16

I don’t think it’s passive aggressive at all, he’s telling you he is sorry in a light hearted way. Maybe give him the benefit of the doubt.

The benefit of the doubt to someone who physically hurts her?

AnnoyedFromSlough · 14/02/2023 08:21

2crossedout1 · 14/02/2023 07:40

@AnnoyedFromSlough OP says "when he hurts me".

Ah yeah, fair comment. As I already said, I read it differently (people can be hurt in ways that aren't physical), and I amended my response based on how other people were seeing it.