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Divorce/separation

Here you'll find divorce help and support from other Mners. For legal advice, you may find Advice Now guides useful.

Does It Get Better Thread 2

251 replies

scotgal2017 · 02/02/2018 18:26

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/divorce_separation/3009364-Does-it-get-better?pg=40

Can't post anymore on orginal thread so started a new one!!

OP posts:
JooMooMies · 06/02/2018 20:15

@Scotgal2017 Well done you! Glad to hear you’ve had a great day & keep smiling :)

Lonelycrab · 06/02/2018 20:44

Well sunday into Monday morning was probably the worst moment of my life. I hit rock bottom completely, and then at about 5am went passed that point and actually into the abyss. For about 2 hours I thought I was going to die. My poor parents rushed me straight to the doctors for an emergency appt.

He calmed me down a bit, and said to me meds were not going to help as they take time. Have had no more than 2 hours sleep again for about 10 days now I asked about sleeping pills, but he said he can’t offer them as I’m classed as a heavy drinker. I had been hitting the wine extra heavy due to everything. That made me realise what I had to do - stop completely until I was more together. Stayed completely sober last night and it’s really helped.

When you hit rock bottom it can really take you over the edge, booze gives you a boost but then as it wears off it takes you even lower: that’s the bit that is really dangerous.

So that’s it, herbal tea for me now till I’m out of the tunnel. Managed to drag myself back to work and just finished a full day and feeling all the better even though I feel like a zombie.

Alfiemoon1 · 06/02/2018 21:45

Dh is still here he works permanent night but was off last night so had a nice family meal which leaves me confused I love him but can’t put up with his behaviour with her

Alfiemoon1 · 06/02/2018 22:04

He wants a divorce now which is a mixture of I want to make it work we can make it work and a sigh of relief that’s it’s over I can go to bed when I am tired without the guilt trip of I text other women because u go to bed early I am bored I am lonely.

Wellyboots86 · 06/02/2018 22:30

lonelycrab alcohol is a depressant and so will only make you feel worse afterwards. If drs were to prescribe antidepressants to help then you can’t drink on them as stops them working, it can mess with sleeping pills too.

scotgal good for you, I’ve also made up a few things to stop being at stbxw’s beck and call, feels good!

I’ve been off my meds now for about a week and a half (own choice as wanted to see how it goes) and feel pretty good, more like me again

Alfiemoon1 · 07/02/2018 10:35

I need to cut down my alcohol intake as well as I seem to be living on caffeine nicotine and wine at the moment none of which are probably helping the situation lol

scotgal2017 · 08/02/2018 13:13

Afternoon guys, been a busy few days. I'm out and about (yay, some "me" shopping. ...well probably just window shopping but still out and I'm even wearing makeup. I'm a tomboy and only usually wear it when forced i.e special.occasions). Feeling good, had a good counselling session yesterday, did a stones exercise. It's amazing how something simple like that can make you think about people and events in your life. I just had a message from STBX, his hire car has a puncture and could he use the electric pump in my car when I collect the kids from his later on. I feel like telling him to F OFF. Who is he going to ask
When me and the DCS move in June??? Or is OW who apparently has never set foot in this country suddenly going to be moved in as nurse maid lol??? Tosser. Will be on later, hugs to all! X

OP posts:
scotgal2017 · 10/02/2018 19:38

Well, where has everyone gone lol??? Hope everyone is doing well and having positive thoughts and feelings.

What a hoo-haa I had with STBXH after my last message. This could be long (you know how I love to post short posts lol) so settle in with a cuppa and a biccie!

As above, I left to go and get kids. The were loading up car and STBXH was dressed in his motorbike gear which I found odd. Turns out he wanted to borrow the pump to do his bike tyre not the hire car (should have known really, the bike is numero uno, even above the "family car"!!).

Anyway, tyre won't inflate so he asks to borrow car to go and get new one if I'm not using the car. I said it's fine. So he drops me and kids at our house and goes off to get new tyre. When he comes back I had to pop out for face paints etc and so met him at my gate with my bag etc to jump in car and go. He asks for lift, I said yes.

Driving in silence he says, "I have a proposal for you. The gearbox is about to come out of the car and it needs sorted or replaced so i thought about going halves on it". I cut him off there and said "I'll sort it myself thanks anyway". he started to get annoyed and asked how I would fix it. i said that was not his concern. He said "Why did I pay the car insurance then if it's not my concern?". I said "well, you still want to use it to drive kids about when you have them so you need to be insured".

Now, I know gearboxes are expensive but I refuse to take from this man (as much as possible, as previous post says was begrudged to ask him to pay car insurance as dad had offered) who was quick to leave his family and is using money to try and take away his guilt (not the first time he's offered to pay for car to be fixed since he left and I refused then too). And also my dad has said he will help me out in anyway he can.

he ended up arguing and shouting at me til we got back to his apartment. he ended up really angry and said to me "Get off your lazy arse and fix your fucking car". My response was, "Don't think you are allowed to talk to me like that any more since you are not my husband". The I said, "Can you get out of my car please, I have things to do". He then said "Oh yes, and you leave my kids on their own and go out whenever you want". he closed door and swanned off.

Then i get text with the proposal: He says, get price for repair/replacement of gearbox. Then, I can use 1000 Euros of MY savings from the savings account (He says up until July last year which was when he said he was leaving, there was 4000 Euros total, so I am ENTITLED to 2000 Euros of that) and he will put forward 1000 euros as well. he says if it costs more than the 2000, he will put in the difference. Then i get a second text, bla de bla, about "how HE can't talk to me without it turning into an argument and for that he apologises(???) because he doesn't hate me, he just hates what we've become".

I didn't answer his message until today which is another story i won't bore you with at the moment lol.

I basically have a few things to say about this event on Thursday, sorry need to rant!!

  1. What a cheeky fecker for wanting to have a go after me being kind enough to let him use my pump and then let him use my car and then give him a lift home in my car instead of him having to walk, which would have taken 10 minutes (who's the lazy fecker here??). I could have been a right bitch and said no to all!!

  2. DD is 14 and DS is 11. DD is very grown up (especially in the last 6 months because of what he has done!) and yes occasionally i leave them for 1 or 2 hours if I have to go somewhere where i know I'll get harassed every 5 minutes by DS asking when we are leaving. I don;t think its a bad thing to leave them on their own to learn a little bit of independence....they certainly aren't cooking, rewiring the house or mowing the lawn when I'm out - in fact they are usually still in the same position as when I left them when I get back! DD has a mobile and I make sure I text every hour to ask if all is okay.

  3. So we're starting the money game it seems......the joint savings account (which is part of the joint bank account, which I don't touch, he puts a set amount into a separate joint account that i am using every month) is now only HIS money it seems and I am only entitled to 2000 euros from the savings account and nothing more???? This information will be stored when it comes to deciding what lump sum payment I would like to agree the divorce!!!

  4. As money , and the saving of it, is so important all of a sudden, you would think he would be glad that i refused his proposal - i was trying to save him money!! It would seem he didn't like my answer and so he threw his toys out of the pram about it - what gives?

  5. Indeed, if I'm no longer of importance, why get so angry, why send me a message apologising and using "we've become"?. Surely he doesn't give a fig whether he can talk to me nicely or not since he chose to leave me and his kids??? I don't consider us to have anything in terms of a relationship except co-parents. I get angry at him in private and now am learning to control my emotions when I have to talk to him. Someone told me her friends was married to a Narc and the best answer is always "Okay" - think i might start doing that!!

  6. And anyway, months and months before he left, the transfer box was on it's way out and mechanic said he could get a reconditioned one.....so both he and I knew there was something else wrong with the car.....as usual it was left to me to sort out and I never got round to it as busy doing everything else as secretaries do!! the car was making a funny noise in November, i took it mechanic who was busy and said bring it back next week....this was at the time I was going to rome and so i said to STBXH, as he had the car to ship kids about, he could take it to mechanic.....did he? Guess if he did or not?? So again, because i wasn't there to do it it didn#t get done. And this man has the cheek to call me lazy??? if it's his bike, it's at the garage and fixed in a shot but if it is/was the family car........nah, not so urgent.....it's been the same with many things throughout the whole marriage. The best word to now describe him I feel is man-child!!

Sorry for the long rant, needed to get it off my chest as only have a few friends here and my Dad on the telephone poor bloke.!!

Thanks if you read this all the way through lol. Flowers

OP posts:
JooMooMies · 10/02/2018 20:11

Hey scotgal2017, just wanted to say first of all, rant away, it’s what we’re all here for!
Don’t worry about the kids, you know yourself if they are responsible to be left by themselves a bit, I know my teens end up sat in same position whenever I’ve left them 😂
Hugs 🤗

Wellyboots86 · 11/02/2018 08:56

scotgal hi, I’ve been quiet recently as not much going on tbh. House sale no closer to happening (yay) and stbxw continues in much the same way.

To your post 1) he should be grateful he got a loan of the pump let alone a lend of the car!

  1. if the children are old enough and mature enough to be left alone for a few hours then no issue, I was at that age.

3)he’s trying to flex his muscles financially to see what control he still has and the anger is because he has started to realise you don’t need him as a problem solver anymore

scotgal2017 · 11/02/2018 15:57

@JooMooMies thanks for the message, was good to have a rant to clear the head! And it's true, i can honestly come back an hour later and neither of them have moved!!

@Wellyboots86 forgive me but we have had so many messages, I forget what the situation was with the house?? (also my excuse is a pint of beer with my lunch lol).

As for the points you cover, they make sense.....except I already knew number 3 a llooonnngg time ago as I'm usually the one solving the problems - appears i still am, certainly where the car situation is now!

I'm shaking my head this afternoon at his sheer selfishness all round - he accidentally sent me some photos on whatsapp that were meant for DD. they are of his bike (of course), a mountain covered in snow and a snowy landscape. Can only deduce he is on a long weekend away with bike group or similar......so yet again HIS needs and wants come above taking care of his kids.....he had them for 7 DAYS after not seeing them for 8 WEEKS, then he sods off for 4 days.....unbelievable!!!!!

OP posts:
Wellyboots86 · 11/02/2018 16:55

scotgal house being sold as part of divorce but I still live there with the kids so I’m in no rush to sell.

Sounds like he’s trying to be the “fun parent” which is fairly typical.

I get the feeling that I’m being lied to again by stbxw. She says bf is getting a lift to hers tonight so will be with the kids for a little bit before I pick them up but I have a pretty solid suspicion that he actually stayed over last night - would prefer it if she was just honest about it tbh as I can’t control it either way

Alfiemoon1 · 11/02/2018 21:55

I’ve been quiet as we have had a lovely week he’s not been in contact with her and like a fool I have been sleeping with him raging hormones since coming off the pill. Have asked him for a straight answer if he wants a divorce he refuses to answer as he knows my terms are he has no contact with her. I think she is the only person he WhatsApp as nothing all week then it shows he was online on Saturday around the time they usually accidentally meet up dog walking. ( he dog walks for the owner of our stables usually includes Saturday but wasn’t need the week ) so of course I presume he was messaging her saying he wasn’t going which makes me question this accidentally bumping into her. As I have always told my kids if u lie about stupid stuff I will doubt everything u say

Wellyboots86 · 13/02/2018 19:20

Been a bit of a shit one today. Took one of the dogs to the vets which has resulted in her needing an operation tomorrow. Met up with stbxw and bf as they were in town and they helped look after boys whilst I was in the vets. Took boys to get some tea together after and realised how happy the two of them seem together.

It’s so weird, I’m both happy for her as genuinely do want her to be happy (I think) but at the same time it’s hard to see. Also, he’s opening up a bit more and talking to me instead of ignoring me which has helped me see a bit of what she sees in him which again helps but doesn’t!

Brain (and heart) hurt from the mixed emotions of it now...

newtonml64 · 14/02/2018 06:44

Wellyboots86 you are such an honest and decent person. You’re trying to see some good in the OM and what your stbxw sees in him. I could never do that. You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t feel the mixed. emotions. Your boys are happy because you are a loving Dad who is putting his own feelings and emotions aside so your boys can have a life with their mum which includes the choices she had made. Take some time for yourself and do something you enjoy! 🙂

WeeWheels72 · 14/02/2018 07:58

Wellyboots I agree with newtonml64, you are amazing the way you are handling this for your kids. Its no wonder your hurting, someday she will regret what she has done, I do think this.

My STBXH has now gotten himself into a love triangle....he is with his new gf, but is also in touch with the ow that he left me for. He wont admit to being with either of them......don't ask me how I know....better not asking lol.....I'm lucky because I'm in a different country, so will never see them.....but instead of getting upset, I'm going to sit back, let karma kick in....and watch the entertainment for afar! It is showing me what he is really like. Down side to it, the kids have gone way down the line of who comes first....its them I feel sorry for, but we have each other, and I now don't have that dread that they don't have their father about, hes not worth it.

Happy valentines day to you all.....from me :) x

Wintersnow17 · 14/02/2018 08:56

Hello all, I think we've all been quiet lately- possibly we're all at similar stages? Feeling stronger as time goes on? House nearer to being sold? Having to concentrate on next steps? I tend to feel ok now, but it's when we have to contact each other about things that it goes pear shaped and I have an angry or really emotional day.
Wellyboots86 - I'm dreading ever seeing them together- as much as I want to tell her what I think of her, I don't think I would want to actually even be in the same space. You seem very accommodating- isn't there a way to sort children without seeing him?
Anyway hope everyone has a good day. It doesn't really bother me that it's Valentine's Day , I think because we never really celebrated apart from a card and its months on now. However - over 20 years of cards to each other. its odd to think that it all gone.Flowers X

JooMooMies · 14/02/2018 09:01

Happy Valentines lovelies 😊

Am looking fwd to a trip to the theatre this eve with my 2 youngest & glad I had the foresight to book the tickets a couple of weeks ago as his shifts have suddenly changed this week meaning he is off tonight instead & we would have been all stuck in a crap atmosphere again for the night, (he works nights - separated but still sharing same house together due to finances) now instead, I get to have some quality time with my (big) Bairns away from the house for a couple precious hours 🙂
Take care all x

Lonelycrab · 14/02/2018 09:26

Morning all,

Welly you are being amazingly strong for your kids. Karma points will be adding up for you. Although my ex assured me there is no one else, the way she just seemed to turn on me makes me think otherwise. I’ve been in a couple of long term relationships where the other has met a new person and the traits were exactly the same - all the things that she accepted as part and parcel suddenly became a problem.

I’ve been off the booze for about 10 days now and I’m feeling so much better for it. I haven’t got much to celebrate right now (or have I?). Shares in Twinings have probably gone up due to my newfound herbal tea habitGrin

Got a meeting with xp and ds at the weekend. I feel like completely ignoring her the daft bitch at the moment but will do what I have to to present a calm front for my son. Must focus on not putting any of my resentment into him the poor little man. His world has been turned upside down, all for her pathetic aspirations, and now he’s got to grow up in a tiny flat paid for by her m+d.

Anyway trying to put together finances to buy the ex out of our house. I realised it would be best for ds if I stayed there; he said many times how much he loved that house and wanted to stay put. Got a meeting with mortgage advisor tmro wish me luck!

Wellyboots86 · 14/02/2018 10:09

wintersnow he’s spending every Sunday-Wednesday at hers nowadays so I’ve seen him every Sunday for the last three weeks and feel like it’s only going to get more and more regular so trying to just adapt and embrace the new dynamic as much as I can.

There were a few moments yesterday when I saw him holding ds2 or stbxw and him sharing a joke where it felt like a kick in the gut but nothing I do/say will alter their relationship so figure the best thing to do is try and find a place where we can all get on as best as possible. He’s said before he has no intention of getting between me and kids but at the same time it is good to see that he isn’t ignoring them/neglecting them when he is around?

I really wanted to hate him after all that’s happened and it’s confusing the more I see him as in another set of circumstances he’s someone I probably would’ve been friends with. Feel like I’m a fool for “forgiving” their relationship so easily but maybe it’s just a sign that I’m processing it like an adult and looking to the future rather than the past?

lonelycrab congrats on your sobriety and hope all goes well at the mortgage appt.

Hope we all make it through today, yet another first ticked off. Stbxw was never a big valentines person but can’t help picturing them having a big old romance fest - stupid brain!

WeeWheels72 · 14/02/2018 10:10

I dont believe this......he has just sent me a message on whatsapp, happy Valentine with a photo! Wonder how many of those he sent.....I didnt open it.....

Wellyboots86 · 14/02/2018 10:29

Jeez weewheels! Some people are just unbelievable

Wintersnow17 · 14/02/2018 11:06

Wellyboots you are right that nothing will alter but it must be so hard for you, I can't even bear to hear her name. I wouldn't be able to exchange pleasantries , not with knowing the way they got together ( some things I can't share on here) . And I might be a horrible person but I don't want to see him happy after all he has done and said to me,
You sound like a very forgiving, good person.
Maybe I've just not got to that place yet.

Wellyboots86 · 14/02/2018 11:31

wintersnow it’s very tough to do but the only one being angry affects is me so what’s the point?

Spent about 5 mins lying on the floor in boy’s room last night crying after they’d fallen asleep and in a weird way that helped as previously the meds had suppressed all emotion and although it’s tough seeing the person you loved (love still?) with someone else I just keep telling myself it’s over so why dwell on it?

Wintersnow17 · 14/02/2018 12:47

I think crying and letting the emotion out is good. Strangely I find it hard to do on my own and often end up crying down the phone to a friend instead. Yes, I think I don't dwell on it now and they are out of my mind more often than they are in. But it's the times when I have to speak to him- I try not to get angry but he says something stupid or thoughtless and then it makes me cross. I know I need to be calmer and that's what I'm working on. Thanks for your posts. I won't ever want to be near of talk to her but it gives me hope for be future. Hope today is a good day X