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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be upset over my 40th?

35 replies

Mum83x · 06/10/2023 07:53

On Tuesday was my 40th I was really excited and looking forward to it for ages. My husband booked and paid for air bnb for me and close friends the weekend before which was lovely and I told him how much I appreciate it. On my actual birthday I got some really lovely expensive gifts. He kept asking what my plans were and I told him I had made plans because he was work but he insisted that he would only be at work for a couple of hours and wanted to spend it with me so I cancelled my plans. He the had an argument with my ds and ds went to school crying. Didn't hear from husband all afternoon and I didn't eat as I was waiting for him he then texted me at 1pm saying he wasn't emotionally in the mood after the fight with ds and it was now too late. The rest of the evening was really horrible with him being moody and snappy at me.

Things got really heated in the evening when after he had another go at me I went downstairs and cried I told him I just wanted to be myself for the last couple of hours of my birthday. He got really angry and charged at me to snatch the phone from my hands I kicked him away and he pinned me down and got a bit physical.
I'm so upset and can't stop crying. He keeps apologising and said he was in the wrong but I'm absolutely devastated. He said he put a lot of effort in to my birthday and he felt overwhelmed with my expectations I had of my birthday but all I wanted was to be treated with respect and kindess. AIBU?

OP posts:
Justaredherring · 06/10/2023 09:30

Forget the birthday bit- you got a weekend away and lovely presents so honestly I don’t have masses of sympathy with crying because the evening didn’t go as planned. That aside, DH’ behaviour in pinning you down is horrendous and totally unacceptable. Never never never ok. Please do not let him excuse himself because he was a bit stressed.

wildwestpioneer · 06/10/2023 10:16

End of relationship in my opinion.

The only acceptable level of abuse is none!

Overwhelmed indeed, there's no excuse for this behaviour but that is fucking awful!

PumpkinsAndCoconuts · 06/10/2023 10:24

He kept asking what my plans were and I told him I had made plans because he was work but he insisted that he would only be at work for a couple of hours and wanted to spend it with me so I cancelled my plans. He the had an argument with my ds and ds went to school crying. Didn't hear from husband all afternoon and I didn't eat as I was waiting for him he then texted me at 1pm saying he wasn't emotionally in the mood after the fight with ds and it was now too late. The rest of the evening was really horrible with him being moody and snappy at me.

ruining your birthday - which is essentially what he did by insisting you change your plans and then cancelling on the very last minute, being moody, snappy etc! - is a classic abusive / abusive narc move in my (unfortunately personal) experience.

Getting physical (even if he may have felt overwhelmed by your expectations!) is also absolutely inappropriate.

I think you should LTB and try to stay safe.

Rainbowqueeen · 06/10/2023 10:25

Op this is really disturbing behaviour by him. You can get good support from womens aid.

All the signs are that he is emotionally as well as physically abusive. I know it can be hard to recognise when you are in the thick of it but this is about so much more tHan your birthday.

You might also find the freedom programme useful. Sending you a hug

PumpkinsAndCoconuts · 06/10/2023 10:27

Justaredherring · 06/10/2023 09:30

Forget the birthday bit- you got a weekend away and lovely presents so honestly I don’t have masses of sympathy with crying because the evening didn’t go as planned. That aside, DH’ behaviour in pinning you down is horrendous and totally unacceptable. Never never never ok. Please do not let him excuse himself because he was a bit stressed.

I might have agree. If her DP hadn´t insisted on OP cancelling the plans she made for her birthday, then cancelled last minute AND was also snappy and moody all evening.

Organising a nice birthday weekend doesn´t change the fact that this kind of behaviour was really shitty. It would have been fairly shitty on a regular day. But it is especially bad on your SO`s birthday...

billy1966 · 06/10/2023 10:33

OP, you are in a very nasty abusive relationship with a man who clearly assaulted you.

Put the birthday aside and ring Women's aid for advice.

The birthday is not what is important.

Your husband is highly abusive and assaulted you.

You should report him to the police.

He knows well he assaulted you and is trying to blame your birthday, which is absolute bullshit.

He is a violent man.

Please reach out to Women's aid, friends and family.

This is a really bad man, husband and father and you know it.

THAT is why you are so upset.

Listen to your gut.

Protect yourself and your children.

billy1966 · 06/10/2023 10:34

PumpkinsAndCoconuts · 06/10/2023 10:24

He kept asking what my plans were and I told him I had made plans because he was work but he insisted that he would only be at work for a couple of hours and wanted to spend it with me so I cancelled my plans. He the had an argument with my ds and ds went to school crying. Didn't hear from husband all afternoon and I didn't eat as I was waiting for him he then texted me at 1pm saying he wasn't emotionally in the mood after the fight with ds and it was now too late. The rest of the evening was really horrible with him being moody and snappy at me.

ruining your birthday - which is essentially what he did by insisting you change your plans and then cancelling on the very last minute, being moody, snappy etc! - is a classic abusive / abusive narc move in my (unfortunately personal) experience.

Getting physical (even if he may have felt overwhelmed by your expectations!) is also absolutely inappropriate.

I think you should LTB and try to stay safe.

Completely agree with this.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 06/10/2023 10:44

billy1966 · 06/10/2023 10:34

Completely agree with this.

I agree.

Making you cancel your plans was a dick move in itself, especially when it was just “to spend time” with no actual plan. It was a way of saying “come on you’ve had you time for your birthday, having the trip away, that’s as much as you’re getting, and I want it in my control to ensure you have what I think you’re worth and no more”

PumpkinsAndCoconuts · 06/10/2023 11:01

billy1966 · 06/10/2023 10:34

Completely agree with this.

I meant to write unacceptable instead of inappropriate, tbh...

I really hope OP manages to keep herself safe and leave this abusive bastard.

It´s also quite notable that the NDH made sure to organise a nice and quite "lavish" birthday weekend - and made sure to demonstrate this wonderful behaviour to OP´s friends by including them - but behaved like this in private.

Very performative.

CherryBlossom321 · 06/10/2023 11:23

You are being abused. I’m sorry.

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