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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to let things from a couple of years ago still affect my feelings/relationship?

14 replies

HappyHourAgain · 05/03/2010 23:50

Ok, I've namechanged.

Basically, recently things haven't been wonderful between DH and me. Things have just been strained and it has been one thing after another. DH is not very hands on with anything, he lives in his own little world which often comes across as selfish and recently it has been getting me very down, especially as I have recently been quite ill and suffering with exhaustion after traumas earlier in the year.

The thing is, I have spoken to him about these feelings so many times. And he looks at me with a forlorn expression on his face, and honestly I hear the phrase 'I wasn't thinking' or 'I didn't intend to..' at least every night. It is usually after 'forgetting' to do something important, or messing up money.

It is making me feel very depressed to be honest, and I don't feel like I have any support or anybody to look after me. I look after him and the house and our daughter, and usually don't sit down with my own tea until 11pm. But when he says things will change, they never do, and when I say it he looks at me with that sheepish expression and says 'But I thought things were getting better, I did the pots last night and bought you a bag of crisps from the shop.' (Seriously) And he expects that everything should be forgotten.

There are several things he has done to hurt me over the course of our 4 year relationship, and just before I found out I was pregnant with DD, I found some rather disturbing porn on the computer. Something along the lines of 'Mums&Teens' and it really disturbed me, and despite my questions he said there was no particular reason behind it, nothing sinister. And so then when I found out I was pregnant I forgave him and he has stayed away from those things since. But there were other things back then, like when I was very depressed and suicidal when a close relative died he ignored my pleas for help and went out for the night saying he needed a break from me etc.

However since DD was born, it's been smaller things, just acts of selfishness, us not coming first and him blaming it on 'not thinking', and recently I have been doing a lot of thinking about our marriage and whether i want to continue with this. Am I wrong to still take into account the situation with the porn and other incidents, despite them being a couple of years ago? I just can't help but evaluate our marriage as a whole, but DH thinks I am wrong to take those things into account. But honestly, they still hurt, and everything he does now that hurts me just piles on top. The porn thing especially bothers me since having my daughter, and I am still niggled by what he liked about it despite it being a couple of years ago.

Sorry for such an essay, I hope somebody can make head and tail of all this. My brain just feels like mush!

OP posts:
HappyHourAgain · 05/03/2010 23:56

Because my mother says that if you can't deal with these things, they eat you up for years. And things must bother people for years right? That's why people have counselling etc? I'm sorry I'm rambling, my head is just a bit fuzzy.

OP posts:
Joolyjoolyjoo · 06/03/2010 00:01

I have a theory that men are intrinsically selfish- they may have the best intentions in the world, but they don't seem to think too much beyond what they want/ need. (I'm sure I will get flamed for that, but anyway!) I see it in my beloved dad, my DH, my male friends. I also think we women expect them to see what we need them to do, but they don't. I would say that you have to tell him, in specifics, what it is that you need from him. I know it's not very romantic but it works (sometimes!)

the porn thing is a more personal issue. I know that my DH has looked at porn- I don't know know what and of what type any more than he is privvy to thoughts in my head, and I don't get upset by it, but if it upsets you, you should maybe talk to im about it. Sorry, I'm not really very knowledgable about it all, but sure someone will come alongsoon with more expertise

HappyHourAgain · 06/03/2010 00:06

Thankyou for your response. It's not just the selfishness, I don't expect him to be able to read my mind, but it is extreme and I feel like his mother/maid. And the thing is when I get upset he acts as if he had no control over his actions and says how he hates himself.

It's not porn that bothers me, it doesn't generally. It was the 'mums&teens& thing that upset me, as I found it very strange and weird!

OP posts:
organichairbrush · 06/03/2010 00:51

YANBU. And as the mother of a girl, however young, I can understand the mother-and-teen porn thing (whatever that is... OMG don't even want to ask ) really upsetting you. It just seems to me that you need more support in general in life, and you're not getting it from him,,,

HappyHourAgain · 06/03/2010 00:57

That's it organic thinking about it makes me feel sick to my stomach, and I never got any real answers about it, because it got sidelined after I discovered I was pregnant. But now it's really playing on my mind, along with other things, and I can barely look at him. Is it unreasonable though to let it bother me now despite it being a couple of years on? I don't think i ever really dealt with it properly, but now I have a baby girl I'm just sickened.

OP posts:
YanknCock · 06/03/2010 01:05

Deciding whether or not you want to continue in your marriage is an emotional thing, to say the least, so I think you are kidding yourself if you think you can have a cut off point for incidents you will use to make your decision. Right or wrong, those things happened, and they are still bothering you.

There's forgiveness, but there is also 'I've forgiven you for what happened but it has changed how I feel about you'.

Heracles · 06/03/2010 02:15

YOu don't want to get hung up on the porn thing. It's just a constant search for novelty and the titles often have little relevance to the content. Mums & Teens would just indicate there are two women in it: one older, one younger.

OnceACheater · 06/03/2010 02:38

Hope I'm not offending anyone (really) but it sounds like he is somewhere along the less common ends of the spectrum of autism disorders.

Especially after reading Hercule's post. It sounds like he just isn't aware.

Maybe you can talk to each other about how each of you feel AND how each one of you can help the other person to feel more supported and supportive.

Something a bit like this:
OP: When ... ... happens, it makes me feel like ... ... Think about how you would feel if you were in my shoes.
DH: I find it hard be more supportive because ... ... I might find it easier if you do ... ...
OP: I'll try to do that. Maybe you could focus on trying to ... ...
(this could be specific stuff like 'I'll get the kids ready for school on weekdays/whenever we agree' or more general stuff like 'I'll let you know what I'm really thinking/feeling')

Again, sorry if I'm just talking rubbish.

SolidGoldBrass · 06/03/2010 02:53

Fretting about the porn is a bit of a waste of time and not that relevant. The problem is that he is continually taking no notice of you, promising to 'do better' and not doing so. Basically he is quite content with the situation (you doing all the housework, childcare etc in return for the odd bunch of flowers from the petrol station or equivalent) so he will say oh dear, sorry dear, i will be a good boy now, but not do anything.
OK maybe he does have some kind of ASD and can't entirely help it. But that doesn't mean that you just have to put up with it indefinitely - I think there are some threads on here about dealing with ASD partners but also, if you ca't bear it, you do have the option of ending the relationship. You don't have to stay there and sacrifice your own mental wellbeing to his.

groundhogs · 06/03/2010 09:52

Agree with SGB, oh and jooleyjooleyjoo, your first paragraph was illuminating!

Agree on the porn, if he's no longer looking at it, let it go. Judge him on the present, not the past.

If he's crap at coming good on his promises to help you, then can you sit down and agree what gets done, when and by whom?

Draw up a --bloody- rota and point to it with a very long stick if you have to.

lemonmuffin · 06/03/2010 10:43

Jooly, i agree with you, i've had that exact same theory for years!

skidoodle · 06/03/2010 10:54

"I have a theory that men are intrinsically selfish- they may have the best intentions in the world, but they don't seem to think too much beyond what they want/ need."

That just doesn't reflect my experience at all.

junglist1 · 06/03/2010 11:01

I agree with jooly that a lot of men are like that in one way or another. Not all obviously.
I think the porn thing wasn't dealt with at the time properly and that's why it's come back to haunt you, in addition to the "didn't think" line. I reckon there's only so much people can take after a while. You're not wrong to take it into consideration at all.

majafa · 06/03/2010 12:56

Agree with jooly,
Lets face it, and In My Experience, the majority of men, can only think think of one thing at a time, mainly sex of some sort, and can very rarely do 2 things at a time, let alone multi-task like the majority of women

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