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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

Another relationship crisis, but is it? (rant alert- very long)

5 replies

midlifecrisis · 05/11/2005 12:58

I hesitated before starting this because there has been a rash of similar threads and I don't know if I'm making a fuss about nothing, but I'm so fed up. My mum is one of those people who if she asks you to do something expects you to do it immediately, or better still yesterday, so when I met dh he was a breath of fresh air because he was so laid back. Now it's this same thing I found so attractive that is driving me mad. His favourite saying is I'll do it later. That actually means, yeah yeah, if I can be bothered I might get round to it next month, just get off my case. Stupid things like the dog has run out of food. Oh I forgot. It'll be Ok today I'll get some tomorrow. Then I end up doing it.

There is a lot more going on but this is at the crux of everything. He is having huge problems with reorganisation at work, and they haven't paid him his full money for 4 weeks now. Every week he says it's Ok because they've promised to sort it next week. Last week I told him that it couldn't carry on because we were about to go into overdraft because of it. He'd leave it till Monday. They asked him to work Monday when he was supposed to be off, so in he toddled. Did you get money? No I'll sort it tomorrow. It was Wednesday before he finally went in to get the cash so almost another week, and surprise surprise still not enough this week. He won't sort it out. Meantime our account looks sick and he's putting more and more on credit cards.

Three years ago I got pregnant by mistake. Our youngest was just about to leave primary school and dh had been really looking forward to coming off shifts and doing a normal day job. He really didn't want another child and I didn't think it was fair to insist he spend another 11 years on shifts. He persuaded me to have a termination. It has haunted us ever since and put a wedge between us because I really regret it. Needless to say that he is still doing the same job he was so desperate to leave.

It is hard for him because he has no qualifications or anything, but there have been a few jobs in the papaer recently that he liked the sound of. They need CVs not application forms, and I brought some stuff home from work to help him. No he didn't want to do it with me, he'd do it later. Several weeks later he hasn't got around to it. We had a row- he says he is too thick to fill in the forms. Stalemate. Meanwhile his work calls him in when he's off, changes his shifts, changes his times, and he just goes along with it. They say jump, he says how high. He works EVERY weekend.

I am getting seriously depressed at the thought of my youngest leaving home in four years time because once he goes I will be completely alone every weekend and most evenings. I have no friends locally. I do have some hobbies but have to go everywhere on my own. Even trying to book cinema tickets for Harry Potter, he doesn't know what night he'll be free. He'll wait until it's too late to book before he gets back to me, because he does it for everything I want to do. I am seriously wondering why I have put up with this all these years and whether it is time to call it a day. I have thought about going before but we struggle to survive on two full time salaries, so I can't see how we'd cope with two households. I told him last month I wanted to leave and he was really shocked, but has done nothing about it.

Compared to a lot of problems MNetters have been having recently dh isn't actually a bad person, but I'm just so tired of living like this, and being the only grown up in the family. He isn't going to change but should I just put up with it?

OP posts:
colditz · 05/11/2005 13:08

Oh God, I really know where you are coming from.

Why can men be so selfish?

I can't offer you any advice to be honest. My own relationship isn't even what you would call a relationship now, and I have a baby on the way and a toddler. But I can offer lots of empathy.

steph1974 · 05/11/2005 13:13

I dont have advice as such but I just wanted to say I really sympathise with you,my ex was exactly the same,nothing would ever get done,anyway cut a long story short,he went to prison for 3yrs when my daughter was 3months old and I was so happy to be on my own and to not have to put up with his "I'll do it later" moods that when he came out I finished it for good.I have not regretted it for one minute,I felt stifled,like I couldnt do anything cos he just did nothing most of the time,I am a single mum of 2 now and I love being on my own with my kids.

Hope you can maybe get through to him.

Maryornot · 05/11/2005 14:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

midlifecrisis · 05/11/2005 22:28

Maryornot, oh yes, I definitely still feel very angry towards him because of the termination. But also angry with myself because I knew I didn't want to do it when I got to the clinic but was too scared to call him back. I had counselling afterwards but he would only come once, and then wouldn't speak. When I've tried to talk to him about it he says he feels the same way but what's the point in talking about it because it won't change anything. I think you are right about the self-esteem, but why does he put everyone else before me?

Tonight I was ready to go to a fireworks do and he just said he didn't want to go, and anyway he had to go to work... He had an hour before he needed to go. Then he couldn't see why I was upset. I spent another Saturday night with the TV. I will be old soon enough, and it's not as if we need babysitters anymore.

OP posts:
midlifecrisis · 08/11/2005 18:09

I'm so p'd off I could scream. I was out for lunch with my colleagues from my old office 20 miles away from home when my mobile rings. It's the school. DS (14)has broken his finger playing basketball. I try home, no answer. I try DHs mobile, no answer. Can't get FIL or anyone else. Ring home about 5 times (stupid 1571 kicks in after 8 rings so you have to keep redialling). I've still got a lot of work back at the old office before I can go home and I've no idea when I can get back there.

This is the second time this term I've been called at work for DS and last time we had a big row about it because DH puts his mobile next to the front door and goes upstairs to sleep, so of course he doesn't hear it. Once again, that's where it was. He isn't working today, so it wouldn't have hurt him to have got up, as it was 2pm when they called.

Anyway, finally got him and explained the situation. Would he collect him and take him to A&E. Thinking it was all sorted, I finished up at old office and went back to new office to finish off there. Left work at 4pm and up rolls DH for parking money. He couldn't take him earlier because there was nowhere to park! There is a parking attendant at the hospital. Surely commonsense to explain the situation and ask him to sort it out? Obviously not.

DH & DS are supposed to be at puppy class tonight. He tells me it's ok because they rang the woman.. we have paid £50 for a five week course and he feels it's ok to miss a class because he couldn't get DS up to the hospital until 2 hours after the school called me.

Bearing in mind that if I rang him in the middle of his working day to ask him to see to the children there is no way he would come home, plus I earn more than he does so it's not as if my job isn't as important as his, I don't think I'm being unreasonable in being really fed up with this situation. Nothing seems to be a high enough priority to get his ass in gear, unless it is his work. Is this a man thing or peculiar to my DH?

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