Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Divorce/separation

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

Hand hold and advice on first steps

4 replies

sunshine1901 · 14/01/2024 16:08

Hi. I’ve read a lot of threads on here but feel I need support tailored for me please. I’ll have to do this in bits as I have to keep putting my phone down and the message I type disappears.

ny husband is abusive and has been for many years and I now want to leave.

why I never married him I do not know. Why I didn’t leave before our baby was conceived I do not know. Why I didn’t leave earlier I will struggle with for a long time. I feel a huge sense of shame at the situation I am in

the abuse can be physical in so far as he pushes me out of the way if he’s arguing or in his stonewall moods. But mainly it’s emotional and verbal abuse.

he stonewalls for days on end. He began stonewalling me on Wednesday night after he fell out with me, to me it wasn’t a thing but he lost his temper and told me we were done. It’s obviously Sunday afternoon now for timings

we have a baby who turned 1 very recently. I’m on holiday from my maternity leave. I’ll be starting a new job at the end of this holiday. We have no family support within 1 hour.

I understand he can’t be compelled to leave. We own our house. We’re married. I feel vulnerable as im not working and have depleted my savings on mat leave.

things I want to know:

  • what sort of biding time and ducks in a row stuff do I need to do?
  • is it advisable or wise to report his behaviour to the police? Does this bring peace knowing that he’d maybe be spoken to or a future woman can gather how his anger and temper affect his behaviour?
  • he’ll want 50/50 purely to avoid maintenance. Is this really appropriate? The child is so young and he’s a nice father in many regards but has a short fuse and leaves most parenting to me. I find it deeply distressing when he snaps at the baby when he loses his temper because the baby is just frankly being a baby. He has also subjected the baby to being a witness to abuse. While of course he’d not see this once we’re not together as it should stop I worry about the care he’d provide after a long day at work and our baby struggling with nursery and new emotions of toddlerhood etc.
  • ive started a diary on an app on my phone which can be padlocked so he wouldn’t be able to open the diary even if he found it on my phone. On there I’ve recorded what he does with our child on evenings and weekends and overnight. I’ve also recorded the behaviour I consider abusive.
  • I have audio recordings of him vitriol from the other night. He won’t find them as they’re emailed and filed away and otherwise deleted off my phone. Should I continue to do this if he subjects me or the baby to further abuse?

I struggle to know where to begin and see how it’ll pan out. I’ve had enough though as it’s no environment for our child to be brought up in

typically he’d end the stonewalling by making me apologise for my conduct and offering no apology himself.

im of course not perfect but genuinely I’ll forgive a lot of things ans talk stuff over. He has never apologised to me over the years for anything. He has once and it meant so much to me i told him so. It matters as while I can forget stuff so easily nor should I have to I’ll move on positively so forgive. But when he makes me apologise I know and have known for ages it’s gaslighting. The issue on Wednesday truly wouldn’t have been an argument for me. It erupted due to him and was a non issue. He has told me for a while we don’t get on and he mentions divorce and doesn’t like me. He’ll never make a step though. It feels controlling to leave me to have to navigate it and sort it.

rhanks for reading for this far. Sorry it’s wordy and waffle. I haven’t got a clue!!

OP posts:
sunshine1901 · 14/01/2024 16:23

I’ve found having a baby the usual. Easy at times and hard at other times. It’s changed the relationship for all the usual reasons. We’re less intimate. I’m a lot more tired. My focus is elsewhere. I’ve less time. I’ve needed support from him and not always felt j have it. Equally I’ve not necessarily supported him well, I’d say in light of the above. I’ve criticised his parenting ar time often when I’m desperate for help and frustrated by his approach. Perhaps that doesn’t excuse it but I find it hard how he swears at the baby and loses his temper. He doesn’t play with the baby per se but will watch the baby while he binge watched Netflix if I’m busy. As I’ve bf the baby I’ve done huge parts of it on my own. We have a dog and I’ll be criticised for not walking the dog one day yet he doesn’t do anything for the pooch either. While he cooks all other housework is left to me and it’s incredibly hard to manage a baby, dog and big house.

I’m aghast I’m in this situation. I feel that society pressure that this should happen to people other than me.

OP posts:
Mayhemmumma · 14/01/2024 16:46

No shame needed, hold head high and make steps towards a nicer life for you and your baby... yes to police report but be mindful when an abuser knows you are trying to leave the risk increases to you, so tell family or friends as well.

AutumnFroglets · 14/01/2024 16:52

I'm confused. You said you never married him, then said you married him. Which is it as advice is different.

In the meantime contact Women's aid as they might be able to support you better.

https://www.womensaid.org.uk/

Home - Women's Aid

Women's Aid is a grassroots federation working together to provide life-saving services and build a future where domestic violence is not tolerated.

https://www.womensaid.org.uk

sunshine1901 · 14/01/2024 17:40

Sorry I wasn’t clear. Really struggle to type in the box on my phone. It clears when I close my phone and doesn’t autocorrect in the way I expect!

we’re married. Been married 4y. Together 10y beforehand.

goven we’re married, have a baby and I consider there to be abuse I wanted to understand what sort of steps I ought to take before divorce starts and I have to make him aware of my intentions. I feel safe enough to bumble along sorting things privately. I anticipate he will be obstructive and hard to deal with when we sort finances and childcare arrangements

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread