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Wanting to leave angry husband. Long post

11 replies

pacey80 · 01/04/2025 04:13

That's it really. 2 kids 8 and 10 with lots of neuro, developmental and lifelong medical issues. He treats them so badly emotionally despite knowing their issues. Been like this from the beginning. Extremely low bar for tolerance for all of us. Hasn't attended church for years. I've gone from working full time to not working at all as I was always carrying the children's care and other needs as well as the household load. He grew up with an extremely mentally and physically violent (towards his mum) stepdad who died recently. My husband's own meltdowns are terrifying. He never met his birth dad.

We had lovely Christian visitors on Saturday whose car we bought. I gave my son my laptop to play with asking him to stay near us in the lounge whilst we transferred ownership online. The visiting couples 2 girls were playing with our girl upstairs, so the laptop was something for my son to do separately. My son got up with the laptop to go show his sister something and my husband went ballistic due to him leaving with it. Trying to get the laptop off him, of course my son reacted and it was WW3. I told him at the time we could all hear him but my husband was just shouting 'what about him?' as though he too is a child. He doesnt see how he goads, reacts, escalates and denies things with the kids. It was the first time he was like that in front of any friends, and it was those particular (my) friends first visit to our home. Their girls were shocked and questioned my daughter about it. She's learned by now and said to them just stay out of the way. It was so embarrassing and later all 3 of us confronted him saying how much he was screaming and shouting. Of course kept denying it and blaming my son.

The next day was mothers day dinner with his family with a walk in the woods in advance. He never tells me any details so I turn up in my Sunday best, everyone else in jeans, boots etc. Throughout the time at his mum's later, all the other couples were sat together. Whenever I sat with him he just got up and moved. At one point a picture of us was taken. You could see the concern in everyone's face looking at us whilst the picture was taken. We are so distant.

He rarely takes or picks them up from clubs and refuses to help with the school run despite working from home full time. Many people in our situation (adopted kids) have both parents working parttime. We even know a couple who both had to give up work altogether to meet the significant needs of their children. My son has t1 diabetes too, hence me never sleeping and being up now. My husband chooses to sleep on the sofa in the lounge, I've never asked him to do so our bed and room are very comfy. But it means he removes himself from nighttime diabetes care as I'm upstairs with the hyper and hypo alarms going off, meanwhile he silences his phone alarms and gets sleep. We have been married 12 years and honestly have probably been intimate about that many times. No sex for at least 5 years.

I sometimes ask him to take them to brigades. I dread it because he can't regulate himself at the slightest infraction. Never apologises and is horrible to our daughter. He came back tonight literally telling her to her face that she is a nasty person and a bully. I said he can't call her names like that and he doubled down and said sometimes you just meet people in life you can't stand and that he couldn't stand her. He said that he didn't say that part to her face, as though that makes a difference.

So I'm done. Have been for a while. Waiting till the kids finish exams then leaving kike many ded up women do is not an option. I fear the family would cave in before then as things are getting worse. I plan to pick the kids up from school tomorrow and find a refuge. I'm not living in the same house as him. He has point blank refused counselling post marriage, or working on himself and only did an adoption course last year when I threatened separation.

I've been wanting to divorce for many years and now wish I had done so when the children were younger with fewer memories. I've gotten back to church recently, I tend to take the kids weekly anyway and am in the bible more. So the attacks have reigned. But we have not been close most of our marriage. I need help and respite and to be away from him for my and our children's mental health. My mum raised me singly before my lovely step dad came along and I am also a step mum to his oldest child, we 3 lived together for 5 years. I say this as being a step parent can teach you how to live peaceably with someone else's kid. I'm not perfect I have lectured my kids angrily and shouted all too often. And maybe my resentment with my husband has been because I had to bite my lip for years with his daughter. I jump to our kids their defense often because of their many issues, despite them being much more emotionally mature than my husband at times and because franklyhe can be cruel and unfair. He needs serious trauma therapy himself. And now that I have neuro kids, I so recognise possible conditions with him too.

He talks a good talk about being a steward for the children and the children being God's whilst being absolutely awful to them and very rageful. Their forgiveness is astonishing but I worry about the scars. I need to get them and me out. Going to try to sleep now. Sorry for extremely long post.

OP posts:
pacey80 · 01/04/2025 04:44

leaving kike many ded!

Meant to say 'leaving like many fed up women do'

OP posts:
ChristmasStars · 01/04/2025 07:30

This is awful, horrible for you and your children. You really do need to protect them and yourself from him.

Do you have support around you? Your mum? Church? Please talk to people in real life so you can start to remove him from your day to day lives.

LeaningOnTheEverlastingArms · 01/04/2025 09:27

Your story has strong echoes of that of one of my relatives. She stuck it out for ten years, covering for him, until she couldn’t any more.

This is extremely abusive behaviour from him and you are right to protect yourself and your children as much as you can. I say “as much as you can” because if he seeks contact with them he will probably get it, however you can at least provide a safe, loving and abuse-free home for them in which to shelter in and be nurtured.

My relative found Womens’ Aid extremely helpful. They supported her for two years. That time was almost like a ‘de-programming’ time because when you live so long with mental and emotional abuse it affects you deeply. Their support helped her “find herself” again.

She also found Leslie Vernick’s book The Emotionally Destructive Marriage and online resources extremely helpful. Leslie approaches marital abuse from a Christian perspective. You can find her on YouTube etc.

I pray you find strength and grace to break free from the abuse, find respite and comfort and begin to rebuild 💕🙏🏻
DM me anytime if you want. xxx

Thegreatestoftheseislove · 01/04/2025 11:22

That is a very sad post. It was not clear from what you said, but are you Christians? The first place to start is seeking help from your Minister ... a good one will ensure that you and the children are safe and will help you both, guiding you to a good Christian counsellor/mediator.

LeaningOnTheEverlastingArms · 01/04/2025 12:03

Thegreatestoftheseislove · 01/04/2025 11:22

That is a very sad post. It was not clear from what you said, but are you Christians? The first place to start is seeking help from your Minister ... a good one will ensure that you and the children are safe and will help you both, guiding you to a good Christian counsellor/mediator.

I would agree with this, provided your minister / counsellor is one who will not pressure an abused woman into a premature “reconciliation” with an abuser. I’ve seen this happen all too often, especially in Christian counselling, and it’s a recipe for disaster. Sad to say ministers and Christian counsellors are often shockingly bad at dealing with marital abuse.

I agree that the safety of the abused is paramount and must take precedence over everything else.

Next the abusive partner needs to be held very firmly to account in a Galatians 6 v 1 kind of way by his brothers in Christ and, if he is willing to change, for that to be evidenced over a considerable period of time before the abused partner & children are back under the same roof with him.

I would strongly advise against “couples’ counselling” in the case of abuse. It only perpetuates the cycle and adds to the pain of the one who has been abused.

Thegreatestoftheseislove · 01/04/2025 12:09

LeaningOnTheEverlastingArms · 01/04/2025 12:03

I would agree with this, provided your minister / counsellor is one who will not pressure an abused woman into a premature “reconciliation” with an abuser. I’ve seen this happen all too often, especially in Christian counselling, and it’s a recipe for disaster. Sad to say ministers and Christian counsellors are often shockingly bad at dealing with marital abuse.

I agree that the safety of the abused is paramount and must take precedence over everything else.

Next the abusive partner needs to be held very firmly to account in a Galatians 6 v 1 kind of way by his brothers in Christ and, if he is willing to change, for that to be evidenced over a considerable period of time before the abused partner & children are back under the same roof with him.

I would strongly advise against “couples’ counselling” in the case of abuse. It only perpetuates the cycle and adds to the pain of the one who has been abused.

I agree 🙂💐and as we both say, a good Minister will ensure that this is handled as well as it can be and within Biblical principles. 🙏 That is, of course, if both parties are Christian believers - things are different if we are in any way dealing with any secular approach. It's all very sad and very complicated and nuanced. The most important priority is that everyone is safe.

pacey80 · 01/04/2025 15:12

Thank you all. In some ways it's more upsetting reading replies calling this out. I phoned a couple organisations today. Don't want a distant refuge as the kids are settled in a new school that better meets their needs. One org may have something for me tomorrow. Failing that they have recommended claiming homelessness at the council. Not sure what the implications of doing that is for separation/divorce proceedings though. Feeling broken. Would usually be at a church food bank thing today, but had to take my daughter to a hospital appointment. The minister there seems understanding as someone to confide in IRL, I'll try to see him again. He's already seen me in tears there. Another friend (which sold me the car) is praying for us too.

OP posts:
LeaningOnTheEverlastingArms · 01/04/2025 17:09

Keeping you in prayer, dear xxx

LeaningOnTheEverlastingArms · 08/04/2025 09:41

🙏🏻 Thinking of you, @pacey80 xx

clappydays · 31/05/2025 15:36

I’m so sorry you’re going through this but I echo what others have said, if you have a good minister/pastor, please do talk to them. They’ll be able to offer wisdom and maybe some practical help too when the time comes to separate.

shrewdasserpentsinnocentasdoves · 09/08/2025 16:53

Any updates, OP?

Are you still living with your husband or have you moved out?
How established are you in a church, and how much support have you had from them?

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