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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

DH threw sentimental toys away

256 replies

VSadMum · 15/06/2024 19:16

My DH has an issue with throwing things away without speaking to me first. If he tidies up in our house he just bins stuff without checking it first. He’s binned my passport and other important documents before now. He promised me that he would stop doing that. God forbid if I threw away so much as a paper clip that belonged to him.

About a month ago our 3 y/o DS got hold of a sharpie and you can imagine, he drew on a lot of his toys. He also drew on some toys that had belonged to my older son (21 y/o) that had been passed onto him. I read up that acetone can remove sharpie and put the toys and stuffed toys into bags in the downstairs shower room that we use for storage. I specifically told my DH that I was going to try and get the sharpie off. I’ve been busy, we’ve been on holiday etc and I have two young children who I look after, I hadn’t got round to cleaning the toys up.

There was also a sweet little bear made up of fabrics from clothes I bought for a baby I later miscarried. I liked that my subsequent children played with that bear. I imagined my grandchildren playing with those toys and that bear one day. I wanted to clean it without destroying it so I’ve been looking online for how to do it, so yes, a month later it was still all sitting there, not in the way or anything.

So today I found out he just took it all to the tip. It’s the sentimental value of some of these toys I am most upset about, especially the bear. I can’t replace them. If I had wanted them binned I would have done it myself in the first place. He didn’t ask me about it, or tell me he was going to do it. He told me afterwards. I am very upset, particularly about the toys that belonged to my older son and the bear. (Not his son) They were all really nice wooden toys, a train set, stacking toys etc. there was nothing wrong with them except some sharpie on them. They were quite old and the sort of things I wanted to keep.

He said he did me a favour going to the tip (I asked him to take some stuff from the garden) and I had no right to be mad with him and now he’s sulking. I’ve asked him time and time again to stop just throwing things away. He’s forever binning my things, because he’s decided I don’t need them or it’s rubbish and he always says it’s “accident.” He can’t understand why I’m upset. I’m very upset and mad because he KNEW that I wanted to clean them up. He’s acting like I’m being silly and unreasonable, I don’t think I am. I keep imagine all those well loved little toys sitting in a skip and I’m genuinely so, so upset. I genuinely believe he did it on purpose, as he’s now saying it was accidental. How can it be accidental?

Am I making a big fuss about nothing?

OP posts:
Candleabra · 16/06/2024 08:51

He isn’t abusive because he isn’t as bad as your awful first husband?
You need to re-read everything you’ve written about him in this thread. He sounds truly dreadful. Controlling about your environment, dismissive of your feelings. And no one is that stupid - to keep throwing away your precious things - it’s a power trip to put you in your place.

3luckystars · 16/06/2024 09:03

I couldn’t live like that. It could be anything next week if he is not understanding the message.
Could you get a big poster with ‘house rules’ written on it, like a child?

I really could not live in fear of what he would do next. I’m not a hoarder but there are a few things I’d be very upset if someone dumped them without asking me.

I had snowdrops in the garden that I planted after a miscarriage. DH accidentally dug them up and I was crying so much, he felt awful and genuinely did not know they were there and how important they were, he managed to save the plant and repotted them in a flower pot and they come back every year now.

ChristmasFluff · 16/06/2024 09:16

So the only consequence for his repeated thoughlessness is that you've explained to him yet again why he shouldn't throw away other peple's stuff without asking? That's really going to work, just as it has done in the past.

After one explanation, I'd have been throwing out his precious stuff every time he did it. And if he got really upset about it - good! He knows how to not ever have it happen again.

zingally · 16/06/2024 09:17

Sorry OP, but I'm not convinced by the whole "he has no people skills" thing.

Surely he had enough to hook you in, make you fall in love with him to a point where you were happy to marry and have kids with him? He has enough to hold down a job, and friendships I presume?

Nope, that doesn't fly with me. He just sees you and your stuff as less important.

PollyPeachum · 16/06/2024 09:41

@OP I am going along with what @zingally said; He has enough people skills to hold down a job, and friendships I presume?
Nope, that doesn't fly with me. He just sees you and your stuff as less important.
Especially as he regards his own things as so important. He is doing some kind of adjustment in his head about his things and everyone else's.
Searching through your desk was it to throw away a folder. That was coldly calculated and deliberate.
I suspect that it is Gaslighting and manipulation. It will get worse with his age. As you and the children age it will be harder for you all to shrug off.

Wolfiefan · 16/06/2024 09:59

I agree. Even if he has no people skills at all then having once had the conversation about not throwing your stuff away without talking to you first it should never happen again.

Dramatic · 16/06/2024 10:12

I'm sorry op but he doesn't understand? Unless he has some sort of profound learning disability then this just isn't right. No one can possibly think that throwing their partners stuff away REPEATEDLY after having several discussions about it is fine and normal.

DinaofCloud9 · 16/06/2024 10:26

id say this all boils down to one thing.

He thinks he knows best. He's more important than you and his stuff is more important than yours.

Your first husband may have been abusive but that doesn't mean this one isn't. It's just in a different way.

SOxon · 16/06/2024 10:53

@VSadMum

I hope you find your little Bear, your husband might
have a desultory rummage but don’t be too sure he
is ‘sorry’ enough to find him.

It’s hard having to think for another adult, be one jump
ahead.
Your husband does not want your Dad coming to stay,
so manifested his feelings in a covert manner, ‘oops sorry,
I didn’t know, thought I was doing you a favour’ sulk, stomp,
disingenuous is what he is.

For those of us who have experienced a partner’s mindbending
perplexity-causing actions on a regular basis, this is an all too
familiar scenario.
Looking back with clarity is when you will see how a pattern of
reluctance/resentment formed.

I woke up this morning thinking of Little Bear, sad all over again.

Mine was letters and cards from my recently deceased adored Nan,
I could never replace or rescue those.
They were in a lovely box, so many, in a large suitcase, heaved atop
a wardrobe, out of the way, hindering no one, whilst I grieved.
they must have taken him a while to destroy.
he said,
‘we may need the suitcase and you were never going to read them anyway’

SOxon · 16/06/2024 10:55

@VSadMum

also, if he is forking out cash to replace treasures he has wilfully destroyed,
is this family cash, costing you and your children too?

Ooopms · 16/06/2024 11:06

He sounds like my autistic bil. I'd seriously look into it for if for no other reason than for you to make sense of why it keeps happening. Google theory of mind, it's incredibly hard to deal with in an otherwise lovely person

JollyJanuary · 16/06/2024 11:06

You say he's not malicious but he's repeatedly doing things that make you unhappy. He can distinguish between something that belongs to him that must be kept. And stuff that belongs to you which goes in the bin. Does he comprehend that you have feelings, needs, wants that are as important as his feelings and as a partnership you're supposed to listen to each other and support each other? I guess not.

PerfectTravelTote · 16/06/2024 11:10

I'd be very tempted to regularly bag up things belonging to him until he gets the message that his things are not of greater importance than yours.

SOxon · 16/06/2024 11:13

People who behave like this are often good actors- they practise in front of a mirror how to look surprised, hurt, pleased, SORRY, emotions they may need to indeed ‘mirror’ as they have no sincere, genuine emotions of their own.
OP there is so much reading up you need to do, consciousness of forms of abuse, controlling behaviour, removal of agency, covert narcissism, bullying, emotional aggression, etc etc etc.
That you do not believe he is abusive is a stumbling block for sure.

SOxon · 16/06/2024 11:14

@Ooopms I’m also going to explore this, thanks.

Ooopms · 16/06/2024 11:19

SOxon · 16/06/2024 11:14

@Ooopms I’m also going to explore this, thanks.

You're welcome. It helped me a lot understanding. It was jarring having a really lovely well intentioned person do things so insensitive without a clue they were. Theory of mind is essentially an inability to put themselves in anyone else's shoes

SOxon · 16/06/2024 11:20

@JollyJanuary this is apparently the thrust of ‘theory of mind’ as
@Ooopms advocated reading, I’m going to research it thoroughly later,
but you just put your finger right on it

Balloonhearts · 16/06/2024 11:28

I really hope he finds the bear at least. Honestly I would divorce him over this. He has no regard or respect for your feelings or your things.

VSadMum · 16/06/2024 12:02

Can’t get any of it back. The guys at the tip were really sympathetic. I’ve just had a full blown meltdown at the tip screaming at DH that I hate him and I will never forgive him and then I threw up. I’ve told him to get out after I told him that the only time it’s “ok” to throw anybodies things away is when they are dead. I’m beyond angry now. I am so so angry I made him stop the car and let me out because I am so mad I don’t trust myself around him.

OP posts:
gamerchick · 16/06/2024 12:10

BirthdayRainbow · 15/06/2024 19:29

What you need to go is bag up a load of his stuff and hide it somewhere. Then tell him you've chucked it.

I thought the same.

It's not going to stop him doing stuff like this though. I think some sort of storage with a lock is needed for someone who goes in someone's personal desk and throws stuff out. That's not accidental, that's some sort of punishment thing imo.

DracoDormiensNumquamTittilandum · 16/06/2024 12:12

I can't say I blame you. It's literally unforgivable. It wasn't an accident. He's a horrible person, honestly. Either horrible or too stupid to function in a relationship.

RandomMess · 16/06/2024 12:14

I'm so sorry.

IncognitoUsername · 16/06/2024 12:19

Oh I’m so sorry @VSadMum I was hoping you would get at least some of it back. Do you have a friend you can go to, at least for today? And is he capable of looking after the children?

CatChant · 16/06/2024 12:22

Oh lovely, I am so, so sorry.

gamerchick · 16/06/2024 12:26

I don't think he'll get that throwing away that bear is like grieving for your baby all over again. Can you go and see a friend, have some space from him for a bit? I can't part with anything belonging to my bairn. Anyone taking it on themselves to throw any of it out would be in actual physical danger. I'm so sorry OP, I was hoping you would get it back.