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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

I don’t know what more I can do

177 replies

PinkUser · 25/01/2025 00:14

I’m not too sure what I’m hoping to gain from posting anything here, I think I’d just like some perspective that I’m not going insane.

My partner and I have been together 4.5 years. We have a 3 year old and I am 4.5 months pregnant with our second.

I work part time, 2.5 days (having given up a very well paid full time role to have our child). I look after our child 1 day a week one of of my 2 weekdays off, and the other day she is at nursery and the day is dedicated to housework / chores / “working for the family”.

I am responsible for all the housework in the house, laundry, cooking, cleaning, shopping, making beds, organising bills, and do the vast majority of the care for our child. I do bedtimes every evening, only I take her to and pick her up from childcare. I take her to her classes on the weekend. I make and clean up all her meals. (Please don’t mistake that as me doing that begrudgingly. I adore her - just for an idea of how domestic things are split.)

2/3 of my wage are for nursery fees and our family car, house insurance and minor bills which totals around £1200. The remainder is for my personal bills (phone etc). Our mortgage, utility bills, council tax, food shopping and holidays and paid for by my partner. He owns his own business and earns around 6 times my income.

Our Relationship is generally great, but occasionally come these outbursts which feel like a complete character assassination. I am called insults, lazy, sworn at, and a liar for lying about the amount of jobs / chores I am completing on my day of work for the family.

He doesn’t sleep in the same bed as me anymore, and has recently made comments (when going through my first trimester - rough!) that I’ve let myself go and I need to make more of an effort with myself.

i dedicate every hour of my Friday to cleaning our sizeable home, car, and doing all the invisible workload.

This evening before bed he asked what I’d done all day. He said I was a liar and nothing had been done, that I was watching tv or sleeping (I wish!).

In reality I’d take some bits over to a poorly relative on my way home from the nursery drop. Cleaned out our car and cleaned all apholstery. Cleaned the house and bathrooms. Hoovers the stairs, cleaned the windows, 2 laundry loads. All bedrooms and done a food shop, between the hours of 9:30-3:30.

picked our child up and of course played and made her dinner. He arrived home maybe 2 hours later to a home cooked meal.

i can provide timestamps and pictures of things I’d done but he’s says he’s not interested, that I’m lazy and I’m a liar.

Am I deluded? Am I lazy? I feel like I’m starting to go crazy and that I need to document my day as proof to him. I have never ever given him a reason not to trust me and I don’t understand any of this.

please help me

OP posts:
LeavesOnTrees · 25/01/2025 00:17

You are in an abusive relationship.

redgingerbread · 25/01/2025 00:18

You need to leave him - he sounds like a monster, not ‘generally great’ by any means!

WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 25/01/2025 00:25

You’re not deluded, he’s an abusive prick. Honestly, you might not want to believe it but he really is. Is your name on the mortgage? I’ve a horrible feeling you’re going to say no, in which case, if you’re not married, you’re in a very vulnerable position.

Dont bring your children up in this kind of household. Make a plan to leave, no matter how daunting it seems. You deserve better. Your children deserve better.

StormingNorman · 25/01/2025 00:28

Men only question their partners like this when they don’t see them as having an intrinsic value. Your only value is what you can do for him. And right now you don’t add enough value to his life so he wants to extract more from you. He’s unhappy and probably wants out is my guess.

RogueFemale · 25/01/2025 00:40

@PinkUser Our Relationship is generally great, but occasionally come these outbursts which feel like a complete character assassination. I am called insults, lazy, sworn at, and a liar for lying about the amount of jobs / chores I am completing on my day of work for the family.
He doesn’t sleep in the same bed as me anymore, and has recently made comments (when going through my first trimester - rough!) that I’ve let myself go and I need to make more of an effort with myself.

I don't see anything in your post about how your relationship is generally great. It sounds like your partner is a really nasty and cruel man, and he's gaslighting you to make you feel like shit (because it makes him feel like a big man in control, who knows why they do it?).

I don't generally say LTB with such alacrity, but in this case it's obvious you need to leave and make a new life. It's only going to get worse if you stay with this fucking loser.

TwistedWonder · 25/01/2025 00:44

How on earth can you say your relationship is great when you are being abused by a nasty, bullying cunt of a man? You barely knew him when you got pregnant and now you’re seeing his true repulsive colours.

You need to protect yourself and your DC from living in an abusive household.

Quite honestly OP, this man is a fucking disgusting disgrace of a human. You are so much better walking away and being a single latent than being bullied by this prick.

savethatkitty · 25/01/2025 00:45

So you got pregnant pretty early on... I'm willing to bet he has always been an arsehole.

You are not lazy. Aside from financial support what does he bring to the table?

Oodiks · 25/01/2025 00:47

Do you have somewhere else to go? Family or friends you can stay with?

Coldanddamp · 25/01/2025 00:47

is the house in both your names?

PinkUser · 25/01/2025 00:51

TwistedWonder · 25/01/2025 00:44

How on earth can you say your relationship is great when you are being abused by a nasty, bullying cunt of a man? You barely knew him when you got pregnant and now you’re seeing his true repulsive colours.

You need to protect yourself and your DC from living in an abusive household.

Quite honestly OP, this man is a fucking disgusting disgrace of a human. You are so much better walking away and being a single latent than being bullied by this prick.

Edited

thanks for your post :))

We did fall pregnant early into our relationship. However we had known and been friends for almost 9 years before hand. So while I do appreciate it was early, it wasn’t that I felt I barely knew him. (But possibly now likely that more so being the case)

OP posts:
PinkUser · 25/01/2025 00:52

Coldanddamp · 25/01/2025 00:47

is the house in both your names?

yes the both on the mortgage

OP posts:
PlantDoctor · 25/01/2025 00:54

He sounds awful. All the nasty comments and imbalance. Why bother?

BobbyBiscuits · 25/01/2025 00:54

You need to stop acting like his domestic slave. He's abusing you severely. Verbally, coercive control, financially, emotionally.
Honestly speak to a solicitor. I hope you can get out of this 'relationship'. You could do so much better. Nobody who loves someone treats them that way.

Startrekkeruniverse · 25/01/2025 00:56

RogueFemale · 25/01/2025 00:40

@PinkUser Our Relationship is generally great, but occasionally come these outbursts which feel like a complete character assassination. I am called insults, lazy, sworn at, and a liar for lying about the amount of jobs / chores I am completing on my day of work for the family.
He doesn’t sleep in the same bed as me anymore, and has recently made comments (when going through my first trimester - rough!) that I’ve let myself go and I need to make more of an effort with myself.

I don't see anything in your post about how your relationship is generally great. It sounds like your partner is a really nasty and cruel man, and he's gaslighting you to make you feel like shit (because it makes him feel like a big man in control, who knows why they do it?).

I don't generally say LTB with such alacrity, but in this case it's obvious you need to leave and make a new life. It's only going to get worse if you stay with this fucking loser.

Edited

“Fucking loser” nailed it for me. I’d leave him personally.

redastherose · 25/01/2025 00:59

Having been in a relationship like this there is nothing you could do which would make him happy. If your house was spotless you'd cooked a cordon bleu meal and you did everything else in the whole world to make him happy he still wouldn't be because he enjoys making you run around after him and feel inferior. He is abusive and you need to leave with your little one. This is no way to live. Please tell your family if they are supportive of you and get away from him.

junebirthdaygirl · 25/01/2025 01:02

I was a stay at home mom full time when dc were young. Dh never once asked me what l did all day. Even on days when l got very little done on top of minding the dc. As soon as he came home he got stuck into bath times etc. This is not normal behaviour. Could you keep your dc home from day care that extra day and begin to save some money to get away. Do you have supportive parents who would help and support you. This man is a monster and doesn't deserve to have anything done for him. Go to your family if you possibly can and get that house sold.

RogueFemale · 25/01/2025 01:02

BobbyBiscuits · 25/01/2025 00:54

You need to stop acting like his domestic slave. He's abusing you severely. Verbally, coercive control, financially, emotionally.
Honestly speak to a solicitor. I hope you can get out of this 'relationship'. You could do so much better. Nobody who loves someone treats them that way.

Edited

This.

TwistedWonder · 25/01/2025 01:04

It actually makes me sad the number of threads on MN where women are in horrible, controlling, abusive relationships with repulsive pricks and they always ask ‘what more can I do? How can I make him change? How can I get through to him? etc

neilyoungismyhero · 25/01/2025 01:05

I've voted you're unreasonable for the sole reason that you're a) still with this abusive piece of shit and b) that you're having another child with him. Why would you think either of these things was a good idea? He is vile to you. Why would you even consider you're going insane when he's an abusive arsehole. If you have other support anywhere you need to access it before he squashes your self esteem completely.

username299 · 25/01/2025 01:08

OP you need to leave this relationship as he's abusive. It sounds like he's financially abusive as well as emotionally and he's just not going to stop, in fact they normally get worse.

I don't know your background but what you're experiencing is far from normal. You're in a highly dysfunctional relationship.

Someone who loves you doesn't subject you to a barage of criticism, treat you like a servant, force you to pay for all childcare and not lift a finger to help.

You luckily had a great job and probably have a lot of experience and are on the deeds to the house. I would aim to get back to work, sell the property and get far away from this man.

You'll receive support from a domestic abuse organisation.

RogueFemale · 25/01/2025 01:10

neilyoungismyhero · 25/01/2025 01:05

I've voted you're unreasonable for the sole reason that you're a) still with this abusive piece of shit and b) that you're having another child with him. Why would you think either of these things was a good idea? He is vile to you. Why would you even consider you're going insane when he's an abusive arsehole. If you have other support anywhere you need to access it before he squashes your self esteem completely.

I'm fortunate not to have extensive experience of this, but I think it's well known that some (nasty) men coercively control women and it's not a case of OP having a rational choice in the matter when this man is crushing her on a daily basis. She just needs some support and help to see her through to the light at the end of the tunnel.

PinkUser · 25/01/2025 01:12

Thank you everyone for taking the time to post. It’s all been a little bit overwhelming and I don’t think I was quite expecting the nature of everyone’s comments. It’s quite a lot to take in, especially when everyone seems to be of similar thought.

I am a people pleaser by nature, I grew up with an emotionally and psycho abusing single mother and craved approval from her, so I guess maybe this relationship for a long time has felt was love is very much meant to be like. Proving your worth to someone. I’m not sure I can prehend anything else.

Thanks all for your car and kindness, as abrupt as some may be - I appreciate it’s coming from a good place.

Trying to get my head around it all.

OP posts:
PinkUser · 25/01/2025 01:14

RogueFemale · 25/01/2025 01:10

I'm fortunate not to have extensive experience of this, but I think it's well known that some (nasty) men coercively control women and it's not a case of OP having a rational choice in the matter when this man is crushing her on a daily basis. She just needs some support and help to see her through to the light at the end of the tunnel.

Thank you for this perspective ♥️

OP posts:
TwistedWonder · 25/01/2025 01:16

PinkUser · 25/01/2025 00:51

thanks for your post :))

We did fall pregnant early into our relationship. However we had known and been friends for almost 9 years before hand. So while I do appreciate it was early, it wasn’t that I felt I barely knew him. (But possibly now likely that more so being the case)

The thing is that knowing someone as a friend is not the same as really knowing them as a partner.

Ive got male friends who are absolutely brilliant mates but would make dreadful partners. It’s a completely different dynamic

RogueFemale · 25/01/2025 01:17

PinkUser · 25/01/2025 01:14

Thank you for this perspective ♥️

You will get through this. You have come to the right place to ask for help.