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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Right. First one here under real name... go easy please.

40 replies

JarethTheGoblinKing · 01/01/2011 02:04

I'm not sure I want to do this..

We were watching a film tonight, normal, fine. DP is stressed and depressed at the moment (he often is) and I remarked on the squealing rowdy teenagers behind our house. He rolled his eyes, made the V sign at me (behind his arm) told me I was being stupid.

I called him on it, like I always do. It sounds enormously petty compared to some of the stories I've read in this topic, but the way he talks to me riles me.

If he's shitty with me, he denies it. If he does something derogatory towards me, he denies it. Its weird, I'm not sure it's a control thing, but he can't admit it when he's done something shite that he shouldn't have.

gah, rambling... sorry

OP posts:
pagwatch · 01/01/2011 10:16

Jareth

I do symaphise. Dh has never done the things you are describing but has over the years been able to be astonishingly bad tempered. It was never abuse or anything that came close but the tight lipped misery was hard to be around without feeling I was being blamed. There was an attitude of eye rolling when I had done nothing wrong. It wears down your affection, makes it hard to be relaxed, open and loving.

I never tolerated it but it was all 'i don't know what you are talking about, I am just tired, you are imagining it' stuff. It was deeply upsetting.

Eventually I just talked to him about several times in completely neutral situations.
I am rubbish at articulating what I said without saying it so excuse the Enid blyton style...

I said to him ' I should be your support, youbshould be mine. If we can't turn to each other when we are feeling angry and frustrated - if we chose to snip and chip at each other we will stop being a team. You can deny it when you do it -of course you can but how stupid is that?. I know you have turned on me and so do you so all you are doing is adding the tactics of a lying guilty toddler on top of the disrespect.
You need to see a gp, or find a different way to process your gp. Because I am telling you that every single time you do that to me, I KNOW what you are doing and it makes me like you less. And how many times do you think you can do that without damaging us forever. I will help you with your stress in any way I can. But I won't tolerate this. It will diminish us. You are choosing that. Think about it'

Didn't work first time but it opened a conversation , gave me the approach when it happened rather than being on the back foot.

isore · 01/01/2011 10:26

Google passive aggressive men. Your dh is textbook IMO.

NoNamesNoPackDrill · 01/01/2011 10:49

And google gaslighting as well. That is what the denial afterwards is about.

Whether deliberate or not he doesn't want to own up to his disrespectful behaviour.

Is he unkind to your DS too?

Binfullofgibletsonthe45 · 01/01/2011 11:46

Jareth - it probably is all related to a stressful job, but I agree with a previous poster that he shouldn't carry it in and pile it on your shoulders.

My dh hated the forces towards the end and it was a nightly process of grumpy, depression etc.

I have had depression for most of the last decade but I self manage it in the way that you described. He however feels that he should cut a huge slice of his depression and land it onto my plate. I found he was making me worse!

I didn't contemplate leaving him, I remember the good times and that is what got me through it.

I just got tough - and dismissive, embarrassing to say but just like I treated my ds when he was learning behaviour.

If he starts on about work - I'd say, right is this a problem I can actually help you with, no, then I can't really see how I can help.

If he did the put downs or gestures I would just get up and say " right, when you want to act like an adult and admit you have been a prick, I'll be In the bedroom/kitchen/ conservatory waiting for an apology."

I stuck to it, too, sometimes I didn't get the apology but I got better behaviour. He didn't get my attention and time of day when he was behaving ( and it was only behaviour I have to add, not a personality disorder) like a respectful adult.

Sad to have to treat him like a child, but he was acting like one.

Lots of people have stressful jobs, tell himvto find a way of dealing with it - a game of squash, a bath, half an hour to himself, and then he has to come back to planet bloody normal.

JarethTheGoblinKing · 01/01/2011 12:46

I've saved the thread, thanks for all your support.. I've taken it all in and some excellent ideas, thanks very much.

I can nitpick, definitely.. I need to ease off when he is particularly stressed as that clearly doesn't help the situation. :)

I think I might have to ask for this thread to be deleted though..

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 01/01/2011 17:41

Pagwatch, I think you are brilliant.

HaveAHappyNewJung · 01/01/2011 17:46

Can you choose a time when neither of you are stressed and talk then? I found if I call DH up on any grumpiness, it only works if he's not stressed.

mamas12 · 01/01/2011 18:03

Google gaslighting for that is what he is doing and you will gwet a whole new perspective on this shitty behaviour.

JarethTheGoblinKing · 01/01/2011 18:05

Hmm interesting.

Not gonna fall for that shit though..

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 01/01/2011 18:27

Gaslighting is spot on.

FanjoForTheMincePies · 01/01/2011 18:54

It's no way gas lighting with my dh, he is just denying it because he is embarrassed/ashamed like a little kid.

JarethTheGoblinKing · 01/01/2011 20:39

Actually, maybe Fanjo is right, I don't think he does it intentionally, and doesn't seek out to belittle me, it's just that he reacts like a child sometimes and then tries to cover it up.. Hmmm

OP posts:
ItsGraceAgain · 01/01/2011 22:14

Yeah, but it means he sees you as his bossy nanny or something. Let's face it, if he'd spent his evenings slipping you the V and calling you stupid when you met him, you wouldn't be here now would you? So he's stopped seeing you as Jareth, the woman, and transformed into his mum or granny, or whoever he used to disrespect as a boy. It's go to stop.

I like Pagwatch's spproach, obviously, and I also think there's a couple more things you can do.

First off, watch your self - chances are you've started acting like his nanny/granny/mum, becuase that's how this dynamic works. So step right out of that script. If you want him to do something, ask helpfully & respectfully - like you'd ask a health visitor, etc. If you feel like moaning about your day, frame it as a request for advice from someone you respect (health visitor again).

Second, pull him up EVERY TIME he insults you. Do it calmly & gently. You may have to practise this in the bathroom mirror, but it's actually easier than it sounds. He says you're being "stupid", you go "You just called me stupid, that was unkind / wasn't very loving / was unfriendly / etc." Don't engage with his response unless it's an apology - make "mmh" noises or "Sorry to hear you think that", etc.

Making sense at all? Good luck :)

ItsGraceAgain · 01/01/2011 22:16

Making sense despite all the typos, I hope!!

JarethTheGoblinKing · 02/01/2011 01:03

Grace, thanks. I'm very good at pulling him up on his behaviour, don't worry about that Grin
(I think maybe too good at times.. Hmm)

See what you're saying about the bossy nanny/mum thing though. I am definitely guilty of reprimanding him in Mum Voice if/when he talks to me like shit which, lets face it, is no better than what he's doing.

I definitely will be using Pag's advice, definitely the way to go

OP posts:
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