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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Want I fresh start but maybe I’m not brave enough to do it .

13 replies

Anatess7861 · 15/12/2025 19:46

Just had a baby 2 weeks so maybe a bit too g the baby blues . Been married over Ten years but my partner is a Jekyll and Hyde character but as I hey older my patience has worn thin with the treatment.
He is a bully and a narcissist when we have an argument, I pay half the bills and it’s like I’ve got no say on nothing and if I voice my opinion I’m shut down . Eg I mentioned the baby bootle was cold and need warming and it’s turned in an argument called an idiot and then blanked for 4 days now. Arguing that’s the child is not his and not touched her even if she cries.

I have 2 other children 8 and 11 and I’m worried that is too much for the kids especially the name calling and being shut down ect . We are in the process of buying a house but I feel like counting my losses just for a peaceful life . Not got a large support system and where we live at the moment is close to school, nursery ect .

Anyone start over and had it worked out for the better?

OP posts:
Absolutelydonewithit · 15/12/2025 19:59

Honestly op - it sounds like he’s a selfish git and you’re doing all the work there anyway so I’d say you’d be well able to cope. What is his relationship like with the older two kids?

MummyWillow1 · 15/12/2025 20:01

Read what you have written back to yourself as if the post is from me.

What would you say to me?

Lmnop22 · 15/12/2025 20:02

He says your 2 week old baby isn’t his and hasn’t touched them?!

Leave.

Anatess7861 · 15/12/2025 20:10

He is good to them if we are on good terms but the moment we have an argument he drop everything like he is meant to take them somewhere he doesn’t take them. He always say the kids aren’t his if we have an argument.

OP posts:
Whatwouldnanado · 15/12/2025 20:12

You and your children deserve so much better than this abusive toxic situation. Make a plan and leave as soon as you can. What support do you have?

SunMoonandChocolate · 15/12/2025 20:17

I wouldn't put up with being accused of being unfaithful, and having another man's child/children, every time my partner gets the hump OP! Get rid of the useless bastard, before he ruins all your lives. You're definitely MUCH better off without a man like this. Don't carry on with the house purchase, as it will only make things more complicated. I'm assuming that perhaps you're currently renting, if that's the case, can you afford to take over the rent, or would you be able to afford somewhere else, even if things might be tight?

Anatess7861 · 15/12/2025 20:21

Thank you , not got a lot of support but can call on a few persons if needs be .

OP posts:
Anatess7861 · 15/12/2025 20:35

Yes I can take over the rent and it would be better for kids if I stay but I doubt he will make it easy for me as he will a very spiteful and petty.

OP posts:
Lmnop22 · 15/12/2025 20:41

Anatess7861 · 15/12/2025 20:10

He is good to them if we are on good terms but the moment we have an argument he drop everything like he is meant to take them somewhere he doesn’t take them. He always say the kids aren’t his if we have an argument.

That’s really bad and I really feel for you. He should not punish you by emotionally abusing you and punishing his children when you don’t agree with him….

SunMoonandChocolate · 15/12/2025 23:37

Well the good thing is that you can afford to pay the rent, and presumably the bills from what you've already said. So tell him, the marriage is over, and that you want him to find somewhere else to live, as it is unfair on the children to have to move them out of the marital home, when it's so close to their schools, etc.

Are all the children his OP, only I notice you say you've been married for over ten years, but have an eleven year old? Just to be clear, I'm NOT accusing you in the way that he does, just wondered if their are any other parents in the mix at all.

In the back of my mind, having read your post, I felt sure that I'd read somewhere, that the 'silent treatment is abuse, and so decided to check with Google, this is the answer I got:

'When Silence Becomes Abuse

Silence in a marriage becomes abusive when it is part of a pattern of behaviour designed to exert power and control over a partner. Key indicators that the silent treatment is abusive include:

  • Intent to punish: The goal is to make the other person feel guilty, hurt, or make them "pay" for something they did.
  • Prolonged duration: The silence lasts for days or even weeks, beyond a reasonable "cooling down" period.
  • Manipulation: The silence is used to pressure the victim into apologising, changing their behaviour, or giving in to demands to restore communication.
  • Power imbalance: The person using the silent treatment dictates when, how, and if communication resumes, leaving the other partner feeling powerless and helpless.
  • Emotional invalidation: It makes the victim question their own feelings, perceptions, and sanity (a form of gaslighting).
  • Withholding affection/attention: It involves a refusal to acknowledge the partner's presence, including avoiding eye contact or physical touch, as a form of rejection.

The Impact of Abusive Silence
The psychological impact on the person on the receiving end can be severe, causing feelings of:

  • Anxiety and fear
  • Low self-esteem and self-doubt
  • Loneliness and isolation
  • Depression

Research indicates that being ignored or socially excluded activates the same area of the brain that is associated with physical pain. '

If this is what life is like for you OP, then 'In the UK, you can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline for free, 24/7 on 0808 2000 247' and ask for help.

I suggest that you do this, as I dare say, from what you've said about suffering a 4 day silence because you commented that the baby's milk needed to be warmed up, that this is not the first time you've suffered the silent treatment. At the end of the day, it doesn't sound like you have anything to lose by calling for advise, and maybe a lot to gain. Either way, you can't go on like this, it's not fair on you, or your children, as I know only too well, having been raised under very similar circumstances. Sadly my poor Mum couldn't walk away, as in those days, there wasn't the support that we women have today, and so she suffered many, many years of bullying, silent treatment, and living in misery, and we lived it with her. We don't have to do that any more OP, so please get some help, and put an end to this.

Anatess7861 · 16/12/2025 07:45

Yes all the children are his been together 16 years and married for 12. I told him to get a DNA but he doesn’t want to as it will be one less thing to argue about .

Things have always been like this . The slightest thing can trigger a massive argument and even if I step back he carries on, The name calling , the dropping importance things , taking the car , not speaking to the kids :, and as you can imagine has taken its tole on me emotionally , For this reason I always set a little money as side and tried to leave several times but never following through. But having the baby and same thing happened again!!

OP posts:
Lmnop22 · 16/12/2025 09:54

Anatess7861 · 16/12/2025 07:45

Yes all the children are his been together 16 years and married for 12. I told him to get a DNA but he doesn’t want to as it will be one less thing to argue about .

Things have always been like this . The slightest thing can trigger a massive argument and even if I step back he carries on, The name calling , the dropping importance things , taking the car , not speaking to the kids :, and as you can imagine has taken its tole on me emotionally , For this reason I always set a little money as side and tried to leave several times but never following through. But having the baby and same thing happened again!!

I really hope you find the courage in these replies to leave finally. This sounds like a very toxic environment for you and your children to live in. Remember that your children learn from you what to expect in a partner and how much value to place on themselves and this is modelling abusive relationships as forgivable and the norm.

SunMoonandChocolate · 16/12/2025 11:43

While I totally feel for you OP, I can't help wondering what made you go ahead and have 3 children with this man, if he's always treated you this way? Not criticising, just wondering what your thought process was.

That aside, please give the Domestic Abuse Helpline a call as I suggested. Let 2026 be the year that you start your new, and much better life. I promise that while it will feel hard at first, that life WILL get better for you and the children, without your husband in it.

Keep posting here for support, you are NOT alone!

Make that call - TODAY!!

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