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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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I think ive fucked everything up

496 replies

whatdidididido · 29/08/2024 14:38

Name changed ofc.

Ive been with my partner 2.5 years, but known him closer to 20. I have 3 teens from my previous marriage, ds19 and dds 18 and 15. Their father walked out and have been NC since 2014. Its just been me and them since 2014. About 6 months ago we started discussing partner moving in, paying 2 sets of living expenses just seemed silly. He would come here almost every other weekend anyway, but he lived and worked over 100 miles away so there was a big travel expense. But if he was moving closer, it would be in with us as he couldnt afford to live in my town as a single person. Me moving was never an option as my childrens lives are here.

So he moved in. About a week ago. Moved his job here, gave up his rented place, left his family and friends, and came here.

I cant do it. Little things are making me rage. I have a small 2 seater and a 3 seater sofa. I have always used to 2 seater, kids the 3 to watch tv, i dont want tv, i watch my laptop with a headset. He keeps sitting next to me on the 2 seater watching my screen. I feel like im under a microscope. I feel like a i cant breathe, its claustrophobic, i need space to relax. I suggested getting an arm chair or something for him and he looked at me like i kicked his puppy! We even set up his tv and games etc upstairs in the bedroom but hes not even gone on it. Just sits next to me expecting me to change how i relax and involve him. But thats my space and my way of enjoying downstime. I need my little sofa to my self as my own space.

I have no space generally. He has started his new job granted so is out in the day, however, i work nights in a very draining, physically and emotionally, job, i do 4 12 hour shifts a week so tend to stay in a kind of night time sleep pattern all the time. This means the time he is at work mostly im asleep. Then when im wide awake at home he is going to bed so my bedroom is out of bounds. Theres no where that is my space which ive had for 10 years. The bedroom was my quiet place away from teens on voice chat etc. now its gone. I have no place to go in my own home that feels like mine. The bedroom is taken over by him and his stuff.

Hes done no tidying or cleaning since he got here. On night i was away for the night with my 2 dds at a show. Came back and everything he used is in the kitchen unwashed. Ive left it still 2 days later in the hope he gets the message. He hasnt.

He has brought 5 times the amount of shit we discussed. My living room has no fewer than 13 boxes in it we have no where to move them to, and multiple pieces of ugly old furniture cluttering up the living room hallway landing and bedroom. Its disgusting old furniture. Sitting even in my living room, as well as being basically sat on top of and constantly watched, all i can see is boxes and a cabinet i want to burn. Its making me irrationally angry to the point o cant even talk to him. My home, and my kids home, has been invaded by stuff i never agreed to. When we discussed what he was bringing none of this shit in my living room was mentioned.

He told my youngest daughter off. This is the biggest. When we were getting ready to leave i said to dd15 to go and dry her hair as we had to leave in 45 minutes or so. Now despite long, and multiple conversations about how my kids dont need a new parent, they are mine, i deal with them, its been just us for so long that if this has any hope of working, he cannot come in and try to play parent to teenager's, he chimed in with "yeah dd name, get up now go dry your hair and get ready to leave and dont come back down till its done". This may not be any thing massive in the grand scheme of things, but the minute i left with them she burst into to tears about how he isnt her dad and he cant talk to her like that. I agreed. I apologised to her for not calling him out immediately, but i was taken aback he had said anything, as he knows my stance on this. They are my children, he does not get a say.

What do i do? Hes left his job, his home, his family, everything to come here. It was fine for the night twice a month as we did something, not normal family life. But a week in, i cant live with him, i cant do it. But i also cant tell him to leave.

Ive fucked up. Havent i.

OP posts:
Suzuki70 · 31/08/2024 07:51

There are hundreds of thousands of adults for whom gaming in the evenings is the norm. It's a £7bn industry in the UK. It's no different to reading a book - I'm not exactly chatty when doing that either.

Summerpigeon · 31/08/2024 08:06

What happened to the old Mumsnet saying of
You don't need a reason to end a relationship..
I heard that on here many times
If someone doesn't want to be in a relationship,they dont have to be
Life is all about risk ..he took a risk moving in with her and her children
He's a big boy ,I'm sure he would cope with a relationship ending
Do people think she needs to stay in a relationship she doesn't want ..keep a man in her house because she made a mistake,so what ,,she has to put up with it
For how long , should she put up with it before she is allowed to ask him to leave?????
My opinion
The sooner you ask him to leave the better for all concerned,if he's quick he may be able to get his old job back
You don't owe him anything op ..he's a grown man ,he's responsible for himself.
He won't want to go , because he's got a nice easy life now .but hopefully he won't be difficult about it .

Honourspren · 31/08/2024 08:18

LaurenHutton · 31/08/2024 01:19

Really quickly read some of this thread and read all of OPs actual posts/replies..

MNs - I appreciate and have done all my life that humans all have different hobbies and some hobbies I just don’t ‘get’ but I appreciate and respect that they important or ‘fun’ to the person etc BUT OP talks about ‘gaming’ like doing dinner ot having a bath

Is it the ‘norm’ for fully grown (i’m assuming from this post’ middle aged adults to ‘game’ ?

The only person i’ve ever heard of is a guy (men child) smoking stuff , sitting in the dark and gaming (he apparently had multiple children with multiple women )

And even if this ‘gaming’ stuff normal but it’s just not my ‘norm’ as i don’t know anyone who games .. but for gamers - isn’t is something one would do alone , in between relationships, in between studying online ..
is it not BAD MANNERS to game in company especially your life partner who has just moved in AND wearing headphones too?!
I’d get my belongings and walk out the door if someone did this

  • exceptions - if on a working day / ie not relaxing abd television for the night .. and someone had headphones and laptop completely fine if they’re WFH etc but this isn’t the case

Of course gaming is a normal hobby!

Just like any other hobby, it takes up time, commitment, it's far more active and interactive than watching TV, takes communication and strategy. Going from the posts I'd say it's World of Warcraft, which has thousands of players worldwide. I used to play and made some incredible friendships through the game over the years and only stopped from a cost and time perspective, because of the commitment needed.

Headsets are essential for social games like this. They drown out background noise (both from your end and that of other players) much better and allow you to focus on the instructions of your team leader.

OP, you're getting a really hard time here, in part, I believe, because some MNs don't understand the feeling of being "touched out" (which I still have after a day with my kids and physical space and just not being touched for a bit is so important), some don't understand the need for mind space where your social battery needs to recharge, and some just don't understand gaming.

Most importantly, though, they have deliberately not seen all of the points you have made. You have been left with a mess - why is it YOUR responsibility to find storage space for all of the stuff he bought? You have been left with what appears most, if not all, of the housework - when MNs would normally crucify any man for leaving it all up to the woman.

Your boundaries have been overstepped multiple times and he's only just moved in and when you tried to address all of this you have been stonewalled. We all do know that the silent treatment the OP gets is abuse, yes?

Sure, it's not easy on both sides. He left his life behind (but is now dominating OPs to the point she doesn't even get to sleep in her bed?) and she hasn't lived with anyone for a long time. But the OP doesn't deserve all the crap that's being thrown at her here.

LaurenHutton · 31/08/2024 08:29

Well I’m glad that i don’t ’get’ gaming .. call me ‘old fashioned’ but having guests abd then shoving a headset /headphones is not just rude imo it’s down right depressing … hard enough to find the balance of work and good quality family time
Sitting around a table over dinner and chatting about your day .. finding out about your ds friend at school or their new subjects or teachers etc..
Sitting in the living room with snacks and background music , or a board game or a movie or strumming on a guitar .. laughing .. chatting ,

these things are precious and give me those over a bunch of robots wearing headphones anyday

Summerpigeon · 31/08/2024 08:32

I also don't understand why he is only paying 1/5 of the bills ..that's a very low amount..1/3 or1/2 would be appropriate
Who decided 1/5.
I think you have yourself a cock lodger
Andi think he's going to very difficult to remove
Especially as he's not payed any money so far
Andis leaving mess and washing up for you .
He really needs to go op
This is not going to get any better
He's only just moved in
This is him on best behaviour,he will get worse

Suzuki70 · 31/08/2024 08:32

LaurenHutton · 31/08/2024 08:29

Well I’m glad that i don’t ’get’ gaming .. call me ‘old fashioned’ but having guests abd then shoving a headset /headphones is not just rude imo it’s down right depressing … hard enough to find the balance of work and good quality family time
Sitting around a table over dinner and chatting about your day .. finding out about your ds friend at school or their new subjects or teachers etc..
Sitting in the living room with snacks and background music , or a board game or a movie or strumming on a guitar .. laughing .. chatting ,

these things are precious and give me those over a bunch of robots wearing headphones anyday

I mean I don't really think the OP is up for strumming a guitar or playing Mouse Trap after watching people die throughout her shift, but you've obviously not absorbed that bit. Nor the bit where he has known this about the OP for 20 years and used to game at the same time.

And he's not a "guest". He lives there.

Ace56 · 31/08/2024 08:38

Sorry but didn’t you think of all these things before he moved in? The simple fact of ‘how is this going to work when I’m on night shifts’ seems obvious - of course he’s going to need the bedroom to sleep in at night time when you’re wide awake. Ditto the sofa issue - surely you thought about how an extra person is going to fit into your house? Where he would sit, where his stuff would go…

You are being pretty unfair to him imo.

Honourspren · 31/08/2024 08:41

LaurenHutton · 31/08/2024 08:29

Well I’m glad that i don’t ’get’ gaming .. call me ‘old fashioned’ but having guests abd then shoving a headset /headphones is not just rude imo it’s down right depressing … hard enough to find the balance of work and good quality family time
Sitting around a table over dinner and chatting about your day .. finding out about your ds friend at school or their new subjects or teachers etc..
Sitting in the living room with snacks and background music , or a board game or a movie or strumming on a guitar .. laughing .. chatting ,

these things are precious and give me those over a bunch of robots wearing headphones anyday

The OP still does this, though. She even games with her kids now - they share a hobby, which her partner also used to share, but hasn't participated in since he moved in. One of their foundations - the way they met and interacted, the way they used to spend time with each other with - has evaporated since he moved in.

In these types of games you have phases you need to listen, and phases where you can put everything on mute and chat while completing routine tasks. And you chat to others about life, too - it's a very social environment without the need to leave the home if it's late/ the kids are asleep/ you just don't fancy getting out and about in the rain.

One of my children is more heavily into games than the other, so we share the hobby, too. It's no different than any other hobby. I currently paint miniature figures for a D&D style game, which will then be played. The board game broadly follows the same kind of role playing environment. No different playing it on a table top than on the screen, except the latter allows you to connect with people worldwide rather than having to find your own nerd group and a convenient time for all at home.

lazyarse123 · 31/08/2024 08:50

I'm with you op. We have lots of women on here who complain about their partners constantly touching them and are advised to tell them to pack it in or leave. This is no different, if there is a sofa a available he should use it unless you live in a mansion.
As for all his stuff I can't count how many times you've explained about the conversations you had beforehand. People are just making stuff up.
You don't even need a reason if you're not happy kick him out.

MrsLeonFarrell · 31/08/2024 08:50

Ace56 · 31/08/2024 08:38

Sorry but didn’t you think of all these things before he moved in? The simple fact of ‘how is this going to work when I’m on night shifts’ seems obvious - of course he’s going to need the bedroom to sleep in at night time when you’re wide awake. Ditto the sofa issue - surely you thought about how an extra person is going to fit into your house? Where he would sit, where his stuff would go…

You are being pretty unfair to him imo.

The OP has been very clear they discussed everything before he moved in. He hasn't stuck to any of it.

Morningcrows · 31/08/2024 08:57

His response is everything you need to know. As him to leave asap so he can start rebuilding his life elsewhere again.

Tulipsareredvioletsarebue · 31/08/2024 09:09

@LaurenHutton

I think you are the one missing the point. You judge others because you dont understand/dont approve of their hobbies (do you have any yourself?) and that colours your judgement of her actions. Your view of gaming/games is very narrow and is limited to someone you once heard of.

If her hobby was anything else you would not be saying this, which you actually admitted- because if it was exercise you would approve of, it would not be an issue. But it's something that does not finto in your idea of the world, so you think it's rude.
My partner games twice a week in his office WITH HEADPHONES ON (because he gets better quality of the sound and it's more immersive), can you imagine? With two friends who are a company owner and a teacher respectively and none of them struggle with face to face comms. I'm not controlling and Im happy for him to do something he enjoys. Just like when I do my hobby I dont like it being interrupted, but I do it outdoors so dont face the whole pressure of having to be available 24/7 for the sake of doing small talk for the sake of it.

OP does her hobby three times a week, which is not excessive. She has got older children who do their own things. She may be gaming for an hour or two- I would expect an adult male be able to occupy himself at this time doing his own hobby (coincidentally the same as OPs, but could be anything else, he can take up knitting or reading or go for a run), or maybe, you know, cleaning after himself.

Do you maybe personally spend every moment entertaining your husband and think it's normal? I think this is the issue.
Many people don't share every single second entertaining others and actually like having a bit of time to themselves. It's not how you roll, but it does not make it wrong/bad/rude.

gamerchick · 31/08/2024 09:11

And even if this ‘gaming’ stuff normal but it’s just not my ‘norm’ as i don’t know anyone who games .. but for gamers - isn’t is something one would do alone , in between relationships, in between studying online ..

That's the crux of your opinion. 'its not your norm'. So your opinion isn't really valid as you have a set picture of what time together should look like.

If you can't understand everyone has different hobbies then your opinion doesn't matter really. The picture in your head is wrong.

Notamum12345577 · 31/08/2024 09:13

Summerpigeon · 31/08/2024 08:32

I also don't understand why he is only paying 1/5 of the bills ..that's a very low amount..1/3 or1/2 would be appropriate
Who decided 1/5.
I think you have yourself a cock lodger
Andi think he's going to very difficult to remove
Especially as he's not payed any money so far
Andis leaving mess and washing up for you .
He really needs to go op
This is not going to get any better
He's only just moved in
This is him on best behaviour,he will get worse

Because he is one of 5 people in the house, and the OP has made it very clear her kids aren’t really anything to do with him?

LaurenHutton · 31/08/2024 09:14

I mean I don't really think the OP is up for strumming a guitar or playing Mouse Trap after watching people die throughout her shift, but you've obviously not absorbed that bit. Nor the bit where he has known this about the OP for 20 years and used to game at the same time.

@Suzuki70

ohhh ok then so beautiful guitar music = really weird and ‘dark ‘ after seeing people dying but gaming is uplifting and oh so light and normal after ‘seeing people dying’ errr ok ….

Tulipsareredvioletsarebue · 31/08/2024 09:14

Suzuki70 · 31/08/2024 07:51

There are hundreds of thousands of adults for whom gaming in the evenings is the norm. It's a £7bn industry in the UK. It's no different to reading a book - I'm not exactly chatty when doing that either.

I love how some posters here think gaming is some sort of dirty thing you do sitting in a dark room and you have to be a middle aged porn addict smoking in a dumspter of a closet to do it 😂 And you have to be single to do it as well, not in a relationship because once you are in a relationship you can't game lol.
I am not sure they even saw how amazing some of the games look and how complex the world building can get!

Mylovelygreendress · 31/08/2024 09:27

gamerchick · 31/08/2024 07:24

This sounds like it wasn’t a very well planned move by either of you

Dunno, reading the OPs posts, I don't think it could have been any more well planned. He's not stuck to his side of the deal of how much stuff to bring with him. That just sets the tone. Now he's upsetting the resident kids, he's expecting others to pick up after him, his shits all over the place with no room to put it and he's not paying his way.

But people seem to be focusing on settees and headsets for some strange reason

I have been following this thread and commented earlier but I continue to be bewildered by some of the comments . How many times has the OP said they had multiple conversations before he moved in ? He is the one who moved the goalpost !
Like you @gamerchick I don’t understand this fixation with sharing a settee . I have been married over 30 years and can’t remember when DH and I shared a settee in our own house ! Does that make us weird ?
Time for him to take his boxes and go .,

PePePe · 31/08/2024 10:09

@whatdidididido Is it because now that he has moved in he has lost interest in gaming and wants to have more regular sex hence the unwanted intimacy and touching?

SerafinasGoose · 31/08/2024 10:29

The peculiar 'me-rail' into gaming and manners, whichever side of the argument you happen to hold, is a broad swerve from the point.

The gaming/space issue is only one small part of an increasingly concerning picture that's escalating rapidly in only just over a week. The riding roughshod over boundaries and pre-agreed conditions, leaving others to clean up his mess, overriding his pre-agreement with OP as to how many belongings could be brought, reneging on the small amount he'd agreed to pay (which was far too small a portion of the costs in the first place, IMO), and perhaps even more concerning, the stonewalling and laying down the law with OP's daughter against the express agreement made between the partners before moving in.

The gaming is the least of the issues arising here. This is a compelling and fairly depressing picture of incompatibility, the endgame of which, if he's allowed to stay under any pretext, is equally as depressingly predictable. It's only a good thing that he's shown his potential cock-lodging cards as early as he has. It isn't a question of compromise. That has been OP's approach from the time they agreed to live together. When she attempted it this time, his response was to dish out the silent treatment. This, and his treatment of the 15-year-old DD, are the biggest red flags amongst a very eye-catching and not particularly pretty display of bunting.

Not least, OP has made up her own mind what she wants to do. The point is therefore moot.

SpikyCoconut · 31/08/2024 10:49

Do you have ASD OP?
This whole thing sounds very odd.
I agree with others about headphones on etc. Very rude. He lives with you now. A real life heart to heart needs to be had.

OriginalUsername2 · 31/08/2024 10:53

SpikyCoconut · 31/08/2024 10:49

Do you have ASD OP?
This whole thing sounds very odd.
I agree with others about headphones on etc. Very rude. He lives with you now. A real life heart to heart needs to be had.

Seriously, you’ve never heard of gaming? Feeling touched out? Wanting to have some time to decompress after work? Boundaries?

Suzuki70 · 31/08/2024 11:15

LaurenHutton · 31/08/2024 09:14

I mean I don't really think the OP is up for strumming a guitar or playing Mouse Trap after watching people die throughout her shift, but you've obviously not absorbed that bit. Nor the bit where he has known this about the OP for 20 years and used to game at the same time.

@Suzuki70

ohhh ok then so beautiful guitar music = really weird and ‘dark ‘ after seeing people dying but gaming is uplifting and oh so light and normal after ‘seeing people dying’ errr ok ….

What? It's not about "uplifting". You are odd.

Wimbledonmum1985 · 31/08/2024 11:36

LaurenHutton · 31/08/2024 01:19

Really quickly read some of this thread and read all of OPs actual posts/replies..

MNs - I appreciate and have done all my life that humans all have different hobbies and some hobbies I just don’t ‘get’ but I appreciate and respect that they important or ‘fun’ to the person etc BUT OP talks about ‘gaming’ like doing dinner ot having a bath

Is it the ‘norm’ for fully grown (i’m assuming from this post’ middle aged adults to ‘game’ ?

The only person i’ve ever heard of is a guy (men child) smoking stuff , sitting in the dark and gaming (he apparently had multiple children with multiple women )

And even if this ‘gaming’ stuff normal but it’s just not my ‘norm’ as i don’t know anyone who games .. but for gamers - isn’t is something one would do alone , in between relationships, in between studying online ..
is it not BAD MANNERS to game in company especially your life partner who has just moved in AND wearing headphones too?!
I’d get my belongings and walk out the door if someone did this

  • exceptions - if on a working day / ie not relaxing abd television for the night .. and someone had headphones and laptop completely fine if they’re WFH etc but this isn’t the case

Agree. It sounds like a dismal, antisocial way to spend every evening. I cannot imagine it.

Debs2024 · 31/08/2024 11:36

Massive period of adjustment. Cramped living conditions make things worse. Can you move with extra income? Otherwise the furniture has to go and one box a night for him to go through and get rid of unwanted stuff. Give him stuff to do while you do your thing. Make it clear chores are shared and not to be left for you. Give him a list. Try to do something out of the house together and with family. It has to be give and take you have lived alone with kids and your routine it can be hard to change. If you care for him try if not off he goes.

gamerchick · 31/08/2024 11:56

LaurenHutton · 31/08/2024 08:29

Well I’m glad that i don’t ’get’ gaming .. call me ‘old fashioned’ but having guests abd then shoving a headset /headphones is not just rude imo it’s down right depressing … hard enough to find the balance of work and good quality family time
Sitting around a table over dinner and chatting about your day .. finding out about your ds friend at school or their new subjects or teachers etc..
Sitting in the living room with snacks and background music , or a board game or a movie or strumming on a guitar .. laughing .. chatting ,

these things are precious and give me those over a bunch of robots wearing headphones anyday

What part of he's not a fucking guest do you not get?

That is what YOU like to do on an evening. Thankfully, you don't set the standards.

Playing a game side by side is how I find out about my sons life. We've got a family night planned this weekend with snacks and whatnot all playing a game together. We like monopoly but I don't get any info about his life from that because he's so focused on taking all my money.

YOUR normal isn't the benchmark. We all have our own way of doing family time.

When you have guests.. which the OP doesn't. Yes you don't plug in. But none of this thread has been about having guests.

Seriously dude. Go get your guitar out and try and play away your prejudice.