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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.

How to handle guilt tripping H

24 replies

Thecrocodilewhodidntlikewater · 25/01/2024 08:14

I’ve told my H I want a divorce. Years of emotional abuse & joy sponging & negativity & I tried to fix things for ages but it didn’t work. He is now trying to guilt trip me re our 7 yo daughter. He says I will ruin her life by breaking up her home & she will be traumatised for ever, will hate herself, blame herself, not have a home or a family etc etc. I really don’t see how I can stay together (even in the spare room, as he suggests) but I am starting to feel the guilt. Has anyone got some ways of staying strong & responding to this? He keeps saying I am doing this for no reason or because I’m spoilt or selfish & only care for my own happiness. When I say I don’t want our daughter to witness this toxic conflict relationship, he rejects that & says it never was like that. We are going to have mediation but I worry he will manipulate it.

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DustyLee123 · 25/01/2024 08:18

If you stay you will teach your daughter that it’s ok to accept manipulation from a man.
Kick his arse out and show her what a strong woman looks like.

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 25/01/2024 08:46

You've recognised the years of emotional abuse and negativity and taken steps to leave them behind. This is just a contiuation of same old, same old. Unless he has a gift for seeing the future he's no idea how your daughter will grow up and turn out - but it'll probably be a lot better than it would be growing up with a father like that.

I’m spoilt or selfish & only care for my own happiness

Nothing wrong with that; except he'd rather you stay and be miserable and abused.

olderbutwiser · 25/01/2024 08:49

You’re in the eye of the storm; stay firm, don’t respond, you will be free of him soon.

JadziaD · 25/01/2024 08:53

I'd say that this behaviour from him just actually just solidify your decision to leave. He's behaving in a completely unacceptable way and it's just MORE proof that this relationship is doomed.

Be careful however - he might start saying this stuff to your DD so watch out for that and be prepared. I don't know if you've told DD yet, but if not, I'd get proactive about it and make sure you're controlling the narrative. Be prepared, after she's spent time wit him, for her to come back and say things like, "why are you so mean to Daddy? he loves us so much and you won't let him live with us anymore."

You can try to reason with him but I 100% guarantee that he will not listen or make any effort to improve things. But I guess it's worth a try - tell him that if he was truly a loving father he'd want her to have happy parents and would be doing all he can to make this transition easier for her.

Thecrocodilewhodidntlikewater · 25/01/2024 08:54

Thank you.
I guess if he keeps refusing to separate then I just file for divorce? My lawyer said ideally I should try to get an agreement about our child before doing that but so far he won’t budge.

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JadziaD · 25/01/2024 09:01

The thing you have to remember with abusive men, is that just because you've said you're not in a relationship with them anymore, doesn't mean that the abuse magically stops. Unfortunately, it will continue indefinitely.

All that you can do is change how you react and how it impacts you. You are doing the right things - starting divorce proceedings, seeking to arrange things re children. You just have to keep plodding away at that.

If he won't agree re children, what's the next step according to your lawyer? I assume it's mediation? Be prepared - it's unlikely he'll go, and if he does, he won't agree in mediation OR if he does, he won't actually stick with it.

I know nothing about you or your relationship but I can make some guesses. Of course he he wants to keep things as they are. I'm guessing you probably do the bulk of the practical things, thinking, planning, housework and childcare etc. I wonder if you're also financially more secure? He thinks he's a victim and it's mostly your fault so he also doesn't see why he should be inconvenienced?

Just keep working at it. I'm sorry that it can't happen instantly.

DustyLee123 · 25/01/2024 09:33

Get your financial ducks in a row and file.

Isheabastard · 25/01/2024 09:36

I have realised very late in the day that some partners who are verbally/emotionally abusive will say anything to keep control of you.

As others have said, this is just further proof of his need to win mentality.

You can’t have a logical discussion because they will just say everything and anything. Sometimes they might even believe themselves, more often not.

You say you feel guilty, and then describe his behaviour. It’s obvious that this is exactly what he is trying to do - make you feel guilty, and it’s working.

Accept that feeling guilty is just a phase you go through. Sooner or later it will dissipate. Many times it turns to anger, when you begin to realise how manipulated you have been over the years.

Just let his comments wash over you, grey rock, don’t engage. You cant make someone see your point of view when they long ago decided your opinions and beliefs didn’t matter to them, and it was only his feelings/views that he cared about.

keep strong.

DustyLee123 · 25/01/2024 09:37

My parents divorced when I was about 6 due to DF getting another woman pregnant. My life was not ruined, it was the only life I knew, my life was normal to me.
I wasn’t traumatised, I don’t hate or blame myself, I had a home with my mum, and of course I had family - grandparents/cousins etc.
Don’t listen to his desperate attempts to keep you where you are unhappy.

JimnJoyce · 25/01/2024 11:37

Unfortunately you will never be truly rid of him because you have a child with him.

Thecrocodilewhodidntlikewater · 25/01/2024 15:10

thanks everyone.
Yes, @JadziaD the plan is to go to see a "non-legal mediator" first who can hopefully help us reach agreement. He is prepared to go but he seems to think that she will make me see the error of my ways rather than help us reach agreement.
And yes, I have ended up in a situation where I do most of everything & am more financially secure & he hates change & when things change, he will lose a lot, including socially as most of "our" friends are my old friends. But that's not my fault & while we've been together I've done my best to share everything, including friendships. But I won't be doing that any more.

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Windymcwindyson · 25/01/2024 15:13

I just filed for divorce.. Still in the same house... He knew I meant it then and scurried back to mil...

pheonixrebirth · 25/01/2024 15:19

Just keep your eyes on the prize which is the pure, sheer, breathtaking joy that you will feel when you are on the other side!
I promise you a life without him will be amazing, i remember the lightness i felt when i left my ex. So happy for you.Flowers

JadziaD · 25/01/2024 15:27

@Thecrocodilewhodidntlikewater I was hoping that not ALL of my guesses would be right.

I don't want be a scaremonger, but at this point I think you need to be very careful. The good news is that it sounds like to any rational person, it's clear he's NOT being rational. The fact that your friends are remaining "your" friends is good - these sort of men can be surprisingly good at alienating you from even your own family or friends, but they can often go too far and the wool falls from everyone's eyes (my favourite being the man who rang up his ex's friend to scream at her because he had not been invited to her 50th. The bizarre bit is that afterwards, he couldn't understand why, once he'd "explained" it to her, she still didn't send an invite...)

Nonetheless, you need to be on the lookout for him to start threatening you and use any small perceived weakness against you and/or to blatantly lie. You're a bad mother. You are drunk all the time. You shout at the kids. You are working and he is doing all the childcare. On that vein, be prepared for him to threaten to take the DC from you.

As much as possible, it's grey rock time. Don't engage, don't argue, don't debate. Accept that he is irrational and that nothing you say or do will change his mind. Be prepared to pick up the slack once he starts using the DC to punish you by being unreliable, flakey etc.

I assume you own the house which is why you can't just kick him out? Does your solicitor have experience in dealing with divorce in the case of emotionally abusive men? I believe - but don't know details - there are things that can be done to try speed things up in that case.

Mediation is unlikely to go well. He's already expecting to be told that HE is right and YOU are wrong. Unfortunately, this sort of delusional thinking means he won't engage with the mediation process and might even come out of it thinking that x happened when everyone else can see that it was y.

JadziaD · 25/01/2024 15:28

Also, I don't have any experience or knowledge of domestic violence (physical) but I have seen people comment on here and in articles and the like that when a woman tries to leave is often when violence starts/escalates. That it can be very dangerous for her. I'm sorry, I really am worst-case-scenario-ing here but just please be careful.

Thecrocodilewhodidntlikewater · 25/01/2024 16:15

Thank you. I have good support & am being careful. It’s not much fun though.
thanks everyone here for making me feel stronger.

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Thecrocodilewhodidntlikewater · 30/01/2024 19:00

As everyone predicted mediation is not going great so far. It is early days so I am not giving up yet but if not, I am confused…I can file and hope that makes him see I am serious but we do have to come to an agreement about child arrangements somehow & if it’s not mediation does it have to be through lawyers?
I also wonder if he’s not being serious because I have been doing my best to keep things the same at home for our child so it’s been quite calm and polite and cheerful & I am still eg doing all our laundry. Should I stop or will that sort of thing give him ammunition to say I am not being a good mother?

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JadziaD · 30/01/2024 22:04

This is actually a very difficult question to answer. I think it would be reasonable to make it clear that as you're separated, until he leaves the house you'll be housemates, and not partners. So yes, he must do his own washing etc. Ideally he is sleeping in a separate room so that's his responsibility. In the perfect world, other cleaning, cooking etc would be done on a rota but based on what you've said about this man, it seems unlikely he'd agree to that.

I'm sorry that the mediation is not going well, but sadly not surprised. I think, yes, you'll probably need a legal process and a judge to make the final calls and force him out. Have you asked your lawyer about how you can get him out of the house at all in the shorter term?

JimnJoyce · 30/01/2024 22:22

i am surprised you've been able to have mediation, he doesn't sound suitable.

kiwiane · 30/01/2024 22:47

It sounds like you need to file for divorce now; you could attend shuttle mediation and see if that helps move things along. Each of you takes turns talking to a mediator who passes on info and questions between you in order to reach agreement.

AluckyEllie · 30/01/2024 22:52

Stop doing his laundry, stop cooking his food. He will probably get nasty unfortunately but just grey rock him. Make sure you are financially okay- have you already split finances? Change all your passwords in case he goes into any of your accounts/emails. Give anything especially precious to a friend/family until you have your own place. Give your daughter lots of love and reassurance, don’t get involved in mind games with him. She will be happier with a happy mother. She needs to grow up knowing it’s okay to leave a bad situation. You are doing the right thing.

Thecrocodilewhodidntlikewater · 31/01/2024 06:33

Thanks everyone. Cooking is tricky as we take turns & our child is still so young but will get a separate laundry bag going. Separate rooms already.
The lawyer thinks I can’t get him out till we all leave or he buys me out.
i am trying to tread a line between keeping things normal for our child until we know more what we are doing & making sure he is clear that it’s finished.

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AluckyEllie · 31/01/2024 13:25

That’s fair if you take turns, just think of it as living with a friend. You probably can’t get him out before, would you mind selling and finding somewhere else? If so, start thinking about getting the house on the market if possible. Then you are decluttering for your new life at the same time as getting the house ready.

Thecrocodilewhodidntlikewater · 31/01/2024 14:20

Thanks @AluckyEllie the decluttering is keeping me sane! But he is dead set on staying here so no selling it yet.

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