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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Contemplating leaving my husband

71 replies

Tiredmumma30 · 07/01/2026 08:35

God I just need a rant about my husband but I can’t tell if I’m overreacting and being a bitch.
We have two young children, and one has extra needs which means I can’t work until he goes to school next year. When I found out I was pregnant with my first 3 years ago my husband (not married at the time) wanted me to get an abortion but I refused and said I would do this with him or without him. He decided to stay with me.
Fast forward two years we start talking about having another baby. I fall pregnant without us even trying but thought my husband would be happy as we were openly talking about trying soon. He wasn’t happy. Demanded I get rid but I said I was ready for another and would be the perfect age gap and I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it. We had a traumatic birth and my husband never bonded with the baby and refused to acknowledged them for quite some time. He found them very annoying and anything they do now he still finds irritating. He even texted me last night saying he doesn’t understand how I can love our youngest… wtf😳
We had a falling out last night as our second child is having really bad tantrums and he says he can’t cope. He works 7-5 5 days a week and doesn’t have to deal with them like I do yet he can’t cope… he does the bare minimum. He pays all the bills, food shop rent etc and always throws it in my face. His job is pretty easy, he just drives from factory to factory every day but says he has no energy to deal with the children. He does 0 jobs around the house on weekends and would rather sit on his phone playing games than going out and doing things as a family.
I’m the one that solely gets up in the night with our youngest, and he doesn’t sleep so I spend most nights up every 30 mins. My husband puts our eldest to bed but all he has to do is lie in his bed as he falls asleep pretty easily. But he complains about EVERYTHING. I suffered really badly from sleep deprivation and postnatal depression after our youngest and my husband couldn’t have cared less haha.
He has very little patience when it comes to the kids as well and flips out about tiny little things.
I also get universal credit (£90 a month) and my child’s disability allowance and carers so comes to £600 a month yet I’m the one that buys all our boys clothes, shoes, nursery meals and he still expects me to pay for a food shop a month (£100) and fill the car up one week (£60) and I also have to pay for all my own direct debits I had before I stopped working (£400 a month) don’t really know how he expects me to pay for all this🙄 he makes nearly £3000 a month but spends most his money buying trading cards 🥲 am I being unreasonable expecting him to chip in more? I know it’s his money but we’re married and a family so surely his priorities should be slightly different. And am I being unreasonable expecting him to help more around the house and being more present in the family on weekends? I get he works full time but I’m also at home full time with the kids which is draining. I love them so much but it’s tiring. Yet he doesn’t seem to care and just says “you wanted them” or “I never wanted them” and always throws it back in my face 🥲

OP posts:
EuclidianGeometryFan · 07/01/2026 10:48

Tiredmumma30 · 07/01/2026 09:52

He never once told me he didn’t want to be a father. We were in open discussions about starting a family and having children but when I actually got pregnant his feelings clearly changed. I gave him to option both times to leave if he wasn’t happy yet he decided to stay. I even told him the first time if he decided to leave I wouldn’t expect him to be involved. His feelings changed as soon as he saw the scan and he even cried and got excited. He was a great father to our first. And we even spoke about having a second baby and starting to try and when I got pregnant he didn’t want me to keep it. It’s broken my heart twice now that he’s wanted to try for children then immediately changed his mind when I fell pregnant. And with regards to our second he will make comments like “oh he’s being cute” and then immediately go “I don’t know why you love him” it’s a mind fuck

You are giving too much weight to his words and not enough to his actions.

Yes, there were "discussions" about having children, but when you actually got pregnant, both times he wanted you to have an abortion.

He decided to stay - but not because he wanted to be a father. Any man can get excited and cry about a scan - that is just pride at having procreated, and/or a performance of emotion suitable to the occasion.
The real reason he decided to stay is that he has a roof over his head, sex on tap (I assume you still have sex?), a live-in maid who does all his cooking, cleaning and laundry for him, and he still gets to keep all his money!!

If he left he would have to pay his way, sort out his own meals and laundry, and go and find another woman willing to have sex with him.

So even though he does not love you or his children, he stays because it suits him. Make no mistake - he does not love you. If he did, he would share his money with you.
He will most likely have an affair and leave you as soon as he has another woman lined up (but he won't leave unless the other woman has a house he can move into).

Kick him out and divorce ASAP. You will feel so much better off emotionally and financially when it is all over.

nam3c4ang3 · 07/01/2026 10:49

No OP - he DID say he didnt want to be a father - he told you twice, loud and clear, YOU didnt listen and because he didnt utter the exact words 'i dont want to be a father' - you are using this to justify having the babies. Honestly - you can raise them on your own - as you said to him when he asked you to have an abortion for both - you said you told him you were going ahead with it - which tells me you can and you are strong enough to. He knew he wasnt fit to be father, and true to form - hes showing you he isnt. It's time to listen to him - and leave him. Good luck with the children - im sure you will be fine, he sounds like an awful human being anyway, but you have the kids and thats more than enough.

KarmenPQZ · 07/01/2026 10:53

Not sure how you got pregnant a second time when you weren’t trying. If I was the dad I’d infer from that that you’d decided and just assumed he’d be ok with it. Turns out he isn’t. Well he’s obviously partially responsible here but it just doesn’t sound like a great relationship either way.

Bobloblawww · 07/01/2026 10:54

You had two kids with someone who didn’t really want them.

GeorgeMichaelsCat · 07/01/2026 11:00

Tiredmumma30 · 07/01/2026 09:45

He never said he didn’t want to be a father and we spoke about having children a lot but when I actually fell pregnant he decided on both those occasions it wasn’t the right time even though he had previously spoken about it. He was a good father to our first but when our second came along he changed

He was stringing you along with those conversations about having children.

99bottlesofkombucha · 07/01/2026 11:03

I think you should get your kids as far away as you can from this man, absolutely you cannot let that be the father figure in their main home that they grow up with. I would also not let him have contact with just the eldest if that’s what he wants when you separate, it’s so emotionally damaging to them both, it’s not in your eldests best interests either.

minipie · 07/01/2026 11:05

Not sure how you got pregnant a second time when you weren’t trying

Indeed. Seems reasonably clear that on both occasions OP decided to start trying before her OH wanted to.

Saying you want kids or another kid in the future is very very different from saying you want to have one right now. Many men never progress from “sure, in the future” to “let’s do it now” and I suspect your OH might have been one of those if you hadn’t “accidentally” got pregnant.

Regardless of how the kids got here, it’s clear he doesn’t want to be a father to them, so best for you to separate, seek maintenance payments and accept that you are a single mother. You basically are anyway.

Nibblerscribbler · 07/01/2026 11:20

OP seems to be spending her kids disability money on her Direct debits and her husband seems to be spending lots of money on ‘trading cards’ . What even is this? Like Pokémon? A grown adult?

You need to leave but you clearly cannot afford to, and I don’t see why the state (ie us taxpayers) should pay for you to when you didn’t check he wanted kids in the first place.

Can you and the kids move in with your parents? If not I’d say you have to just suck it up for now until you can get a job.

Passaggressfedup · 07/01/2026 12:14

Talking about having children and actively planning to have them is two different things. Did you say to him that you had stopped any protection?

If not, you took the decision on your own and it seems that it is not one he wanted. There might potentially be some resentment on his part too and feeling he's been trapped.

As said already, you can't turn a man who didn't actively planned to be family man into one.

Passaggressfedup · 07/01/2026 12:14

Talking about having children and actively planning to have them is two different things. Did you say to him that you had stopped any protection?

If not, you took the decision on your own and it seems that it is not one he wanted. There might potentially be some resentment on his part too and feeling he's been trapped.

As said already, you can't turn a man who didn't actively planned to be family man into one.

Iceshine · 07/01/2026 13:09

As other netters from different comments have already said some of what i would say.

Kids money going on your direct debit.
Having kid's when he said he didn't want them.
Staying with a man that says he don't love the kids.
Are you there just for the money?.

Poor kid's in all this mess.
Your benefits alone are more than my income.

Did you have the kids in the hope it would change him?
Because it looks like you only trapped yourself to this man for the next 18 years.

2026x · 07/01/2026 13:30

Tiredmumma30 · 07/01/2026 09:46

I pay for our car and insurance which comes to £350 and then I also pay my phone bill, road tax etc🙂 hope this helps

Probably not the point... but £350 a month in car insurance?? £4200 a year?

EuclidianGeometryFan · 07/01/2026 13:35

2026x · 07/01/2026 13:30

Probably not the point... but £350 a month in car insurance?? £4200 a year?

Car and insurance. The cars must be leased.

2026x · 07/01/2026 13:36

EuclidianGeometryFan · 07/01/2026 13:35

Car and insurance. The cars must be leased.

Ah... Thanks!

Lamentingalways · 07/01/2026 13:42

RosaMundi27 · 07/01/2026 09:31

He works 10 hours a day and pays for everything? I'd say count your blessings and learn how to manage a household.

Count your blessings with a man that openly admits he doesn’t love his child? Okay Rose West.

HorrorAndHaagenDazs · 07/01/2026 14:40

nam3c4ang3 · 07/01/2026 10:49

No OP - he DID say he didnt want to be a father - he told you twice, loud and clear, YOU didnt listen and because he didnt utter the exact words 'i dont want to be a father' - you are using this to justify having the babies. Honestly - you can raise them on your own - as you said to him when he asked you to have an abortion for both - you said you told him you were going ahead with it - which tells me you can and you are strong enough to. He knew he wasnt fit to be father, and true to form - hes showing you he isnt. It's time to listen to him - and leave him. Good luck with the children - im sure you will be fine, he sounds like an awful human being anyway, but you have the kids and thats more than enough.

Agree with this.

He was clear, he's still being clear - leave, before his transparency damages your children.

PrincessASDaisy · 07/01/2026 14:49

You keep saying he has never said he doesn’t want to be a father. He asked for an abortion TWICE. That’s him saying he doesn’t want to be a father, why are you in such denial?

Whenlifegiveslemons · 07/01/2026 23:14

Tiredmumma30 · 07/01/2026 09:52

He never once told me he didn’t want to be a father. We were in open discussions about starting a family and having children but when I actually got pregnant his feelings clearly changed. I gave him to option both times to leave if he wasn’t happy yet he decided to stay. I even told him the first time if he decided to leave I wouldn’t expect him to be involved. His feelings changed as soon as he saw the scan and he even cried and got excited. He was a great father to our first. And we even spoke about having a second baby and starting to try and when I got pregnant he didn’t want me to keep it. It’s broken my heart twice now that he’s wanted to try for children then immediately changed his mind when I fell pregnant. And with regards to our second he will make comments like “oh he’s being cute” and then immediately go “I don’t know why you love him” it’s a mind fuck

He doesnt want to be a dad "yet"/dislike his kids/a great father to your first..then ask how you can love your second - all at once?! He cant just change bis feelings, hes a father & has two kids - time to accept it. He sounds an utter tw+t. You shouldnt br making excuses for him. You set your own rules with regards to what you can afford. Stop letting this man dictate to you.

mamabelli · 08/01/2026 01:48

What a vile individual your DH is! Please leave him, you’ll be so much happier! I was in a similar position for over 20 years and I left, best thing I ever did for my kids

mrssunshinexxx · 08/01/2026 03:50

I will never not be flabbergasted daily at these type of threads. Is this an adult female posting?! LEAVE HIM!!!

Homegrownberries · 08/01/2026 12:28

And am I being unreasonable expecting him to help more around the house and being more present in the family on weekends?

Yes, yabu for expecting this because he has shown you who he is and you know it's never going to happen. He's not a good person.

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