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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

DH just kicked me

125 replies

Help1 · 02/08/2011 15:35

DS came home and was GRUMPY, I started unpacking the groceries and I had a go about the fact that he is miserable (AGAIN) when he walks in the door. He walks out the kitchen, I have my back to the door, he walks back in and kicks me from behind!! Full force on my back. I have no idea how to handle this. I yelled but the kids were there ( :( ) He is now sitting on the pc like nothing happened :( This happened about 15 minutes ago. Please, please help.

OP posts:
mollymole · 02/08/2011 20:26

there is NO EXCUSE and reporting this is NOT over reacting
contact the police and womens aid - the more he gets away with this the more he will think he can do
you must tell some one close to you WHO KNOWS him - olothers need to know how he behaves behind closed doors -then he may think twice before he does this again
can you go to some one whilst he is asleep, he may hurt your children as well as he must be a bully
my best wishes for your safety and i hope you find the courage to report this

mathanxiety · 02/08/2011 21:44

You will find yourself modifying your behaviour and if you haven't called the police or if you are now talking yourself out of doing anything about the kick this time, you are modifying your behaviour out of fear of retaliation from him.

Please take a stand, even though it is really, really hard. If not for your sake then for your DCs'.

babyhammock · 02/08/2011 22:08

It was pre-meditated... he went away, obviously thought about it and came back with no warning.

He's not even pretending to be sorry and is acting like nothing's happened.

Jeeze, that is really dangerous!
However tempting it is to bury your head in the sand and deal with it your own way...PLEASE call the police x

Jux · 02/08/2011 22:19

Help1, people are not over-reacting here. If you've read any of the relationship threads which deal with this sort of violence, you'll find it starts with belittling, maybe some pushing at some point and then gets worse and worse and worse. There are people on this thread who have experience of this behaviour; people who have first hand experience, and have lived with the threat of violence, the fear of violence and the actual violence for years before they got enough nerve to get out. Their self-esteem at rock bottom after years of the abuse.

Others on this thread have experience of it from the point of view of helping abused people get away from their abusers.

Either way, a lot of people who know what they're talking about are on this thread advising you to at least report this to the police.

Please, please don't become another one who is ground down to the point where acting against the violence and fear is so so so hard that you may take years to do it, or you may never do it. Please don't be like my aunt who died in thrall to her vile husband, believing she couldn't leave him, believing she couldn't manage without him, believing she wasn't worth more or deserved better.

Act now, before it gets any worse. No matter what the bloke has said to you in the past IT'S NOT TRUE.

You should not be being name-called; he should not be always grumpy. He should be making the effort to be polite at the very least to his family, if not actually pleasant.

Bet you're going to say he's a great dad, aren't you?

Help1 · 03/08/2011 09:47

I am coming back to respond but I am terribly, terribly embarrassed. He came up to me after his nap and said he was sorry for kicking me. I didnt answer. He told me "its not like its pouring with blood is it".

I went for a bath and got into bed. I have no idea why I feel NOTHING at the moment. I dont know what to say, I dont know what to do - I dont even know what to feel. I literally have a heavy heart if that makes any sense. I dont have family or friends to turn to and feel like I have finally lost my mind completely.

He says I make him like that as I am verbally abusive and that actually, he is the abused one.

He has a terribly hurtful mouth on him and as I said before, has pushed me and twisted my arm a few times but normally he just breaks things or throws things.

I think one of the worst things about all of this is that everyone thinks he is a quiet, nice guy. He doesnt see his mother, brothers, dad or anyone really. They had issues growing up and he has over the years, cut them all out of his life.

Sorry if this is disjointed but my mind is all over. Its like its racing to make sense of everything but it is missing pieces so I am left feeling numb, insane and like a complete failure. I could hardly face the kids this morning, I went about the routine and kissed them without another word. What could I possibly say? Im so humiliated and embarrassed.

OP posts:
asecretlemonadedrinker · 03/08/2011 09:53

It is such a classic line from an abuser than they infact say that you are the abusive partner. You really need to get out. Is he there? You need to call the police (local number) for advice, or womans aid. Do you honestly want to stay with him? Honestly?

TheOriginalFAB · 03/08/2011 09:53

You are in shock.

What so you want to happen?

asecretlemonadedrinker · 03/08/2011 09:54

how old are your DC?

asecretlemonadedrinker · 03/08/2011 09:56

"normally he breaks things and throws things".

Please read that. Do you have any RL friends you can talk to? This isn't normla - normal for you, yes, but it is NOT normal. Are your DC happy?

Nancy66 · 03/08/2011 10:00

Help1 - you KNOW this isn't right and you know you have to get him out.
Where in the country are you (roughly?)

Please don't just put up with it - it will happen again and next time it might be a kick in the stomach or a blow to the head.

Fast forward six months and you're lying on the kitchen floor with a broken rib, a knocked out tooth and concussion. How will you feel knowing you had the chance to prevent this?

Please act now. Let people help you - i know you don't have family or friends nearby but are there any further afield? If this was my sister or friend I would fly to the other side of the world to help her. Is there nobody that can come and support you?

Don't be afraid to ask for help.

malinkey · 03/08/2011 10:03

YOU have nothing to be embarrassed about.

HE should be grovelling and generally gnashing his teeth to apologise for the appalling thing HE did to you. The fact that not only has he not even apologised but has tried to make out it wasn't really that bad and that it was really your fault just emphasises what an abusive cunt he is.

It is never normal to kick someone you love in the back. There is NO excuse for his behaviour. You CANNOT make someone behave like this - it is ENTIRELY HIS FAULT.

Even if you were verbally abusive - which I can guarantee you're not - it is not a reason to kick someone.

It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of him. YOU know the real him, not the nice front he puts on for people who don't know him.

Please phone Women's Aid and listen to what they have to say.

ItsMeAndMyPuppyNow · 03/08/2011 10:03

Thanks for coming back, OP.

I'm really concerned for you: your husband does a lot of things that are wrong, so wrong, but they have become your version of normal. And he's blaming you, and you're also blaming yourself! You deserve so, so much better.

has pushed me and twisted my arm a few times

How would you feel if your best friend told you that her partner did this to her?

normally he just breaks things or throws things.

That counts as physical abuse too, you know. It is intimidating, threatening behaviour designed to make you afraid, make you shut up, and let him have his way.

Im so humiliated and embarrassed.

The shame is his OP. Don't you carry it for him!

malinkey · 03/08/2011 10:04

Sorry just read that he did say sorry - but nowhere near sorry enough.

Help1 · 03/08/2011 10:05

Asecret I called my Dad last night and he suggested I sit down with DH and chat to him as he must be having some stress. He asked me if we were having financial difficulties because that would explain his behaviour. I just said "Yes Dad, Ok I will help him with his stress" Which seemed to make Dad feel better. So no, nobody to talk to. I dont have any friends as we dont socialize at all.

My DC are struggling at school and imo are not happy, no.

I have for a while, wondered if my sense of normal has gone out the window. Then I wondered if it wasnt just me having rose tinted glasses on and that this was the real world. I dont know how other people behave anymore or how other people handle things.

While Im typing it, it looks worse.

OP posts:
fastweb · 03/08/2011 10:07

Im so humiliated and embarrassed

That can turn into a prison love.

Tell somebody. Doesn't matter who. Friend, family, authority figure.

But don't keep this a secret because it will trap you and your children far more efficiently than any cage made of titanium.

Your post is full of red flags. I am prepared to be every single eruocent in my bank account that you are going to get hit again. At least as badly, if not worse. That is how sure I am that this man is not a one off striker, he has prepped the ground in his head to make it a regular habit by placing the blame for what he does, on you.

Please consider going out for a while with the kids and calling the woman's aid number that was posted above.

This is not your shame, this is not your mortification, it is his, and you need to be in contact with people who will underline that for you.

do not beat yourself up for paralysis, do not beat yourself up for not knowing what to do in your shock and fear.

But for your sake and the kids sake do not inadvertently collaborate in your entrapment by keeping this secret and not seeking out some kind of help.

Right now, forget him, forget you, that's complicated and tied up in an 18 years history. think of you children and their vicinity to physical threat. You have no guarantees they won't witness him hitting you, you have no guarantees he won't start on them. Make them the priority in the here and now. He is currently a loose cannon so they need to be away from him and safe until you have time to work out what is what and where you as a family can or cannot go from here. Worry about the details later. Just get them out.

You need to leave that house. You need to be with people who will protect you from both the violence and the brainwashing that intends to convince you this is YOUR fault.

But it isn't, it never was. You do not control his central nervous system, he does. And he chose to kick you hard in the back when you didn't expect it.

He chose that.

Do not chose to protect him from public shame caused by his chosen actions, because it is denying him the ONE chance he has to turn this around for himself as a human being, by looking at his actions reflected in the horror and disgust of people who have not being creating ready made excuses in their heads.

Do choose to protect your children. Which you cannot do if you are in an environment which places you at risk of physical violence.

I know you'd die for your kids to protect them. I'm asking you to go to another place to protect them. You can do this love. No matter what he has told you, no matter how much he has made you feel worthless and useless, you aren't. And you can do this.

Big fat hug love, be brave for your children and do what needs to be done to keep them safe in both the short term and for their longer term emotional, mental and physical needs.

fastweb · 03/08/2011 10:07

xposted with half the board.

ItsMeAndMyPuppyNow · 03/08/2011 10:09

What matters is what you want, and how you handle things now that you are beginning to question his behaviour.

You probably don't have a very clear idea of what you want given the abysmal messages being fed to you by people like your husband and your father, but I believe that your sense of numbness and disconnect today is your body's way of telling you that what is going on is wrong, while your mind is still trying to put a brave face on things and accept the unacceptable.

Listen to your body. Listen to your instincts, your gut feelings: they are the real you, the protective force inside you that is trying to tell you something.

malinkey · 03/08/2011 10:11

No, this isn't the real world and no it's not normal. Your partner has probably spent years making you believe it is normal (and sounds like your dad isn't the greatest judge - stress is NO excuse).

Please talk to Women's Aid.

Anniegetyourgun · 03/08/2011 10:11

"Sorry, but it wasn't that bad" is not sorry. He has told you that unless it is bleeding it doesn't count. Who says so? Why should he get to define reality? If it hurt you, it hurt, whether he thinks it ought to or not.

Arm twisting is something that most of us either never did or grew out of by the time we were 10. It has no place in any kind of relationship, let alone a loving, adult one, regardless of how badly YOU were supposed to be behaving.

Blaming you for being the abusive one is a totally classic abusers' tactic btw. It keeps you on the back foot. Don't tell me he is really afraid of you so he lashes out to protect himself. It's another lie. Yes, I say lie. He is lying to you and he is hurting you. And the biggest lie of all is that you deserve it.

ItsMeAndMyPuppyNow · 03/08/2011 10:12

If you feel there are no friends or family you can reach out to, please consider calling Women's Aid.

0808 2000 247

They will listen. They won't judge. The person at the other end of the line will understand your confused feelings right now.

Help1 · 03/08/2011 10:17

Annie that is what I was thinking. He is close on 2 metres tall and weighs 242 lbs! How could I possibly be a threat! I have NEVER gone to hit him, ever. He is a huge man and the shoe he says wasnt a biggy was a size 12 caterpillar boot!

OP posts:
NevermindtheNargles · 03/08/2011 10:18

I've not been in a similar situation, so feel free to ignore me.

Initially I thought everyone was overreacting, I thought 'if my DH ever did that to me I would chase him up the stairs and demand to know what the fuck he thought he was doing.'

Then it became clear, the fact that you did not speaks volumes - I would do that because I am not afraid of my DH.

Get out.

NevermindtheNargles · 03/08/2011 10:18

I've not been in a similar situation, so feel free to ignore me.

Initially I thought everyone was overreacting, I thought 'if my DH ever did that to me I would chase him up the stairs and demand to know what the fuck he thought he was doing.'

Then it became clear, the fact that you did not speaks volumes - I would do that because I am not afraid of my DH.

Get out.

Anniegetyourgun · 03/08/2011 10:19

X-posted with your last message. Horrified that your dad seems to think it's ok for a man to kick his wife when he's stressed; effectively that you are no more important than a piece of furniture and your feelings don't count. Did this excuse for a father (sorry, I'm getting quite cross here) lash out at you and/or your mother when he felt stressed, or did he perhaps not understand what you were telling him, is he a bit too nice and didn't realise your H deliberately and coldly kicked you very hard? Because a decent man who heard these details would want to protect his daughter first and foremost.

I bet your H doesn't kick his boss when he gets stressed at work. He doesn't have to, because he has a handy punch bag at home. It's alive, but that doesn't matter, he tells it not to have feelings.

Hmm, I'm getting a bit worked up here Blush

Lemonylemon · 03/08/2011 10:24

"He told me "its not like its pouring with blood is it"."

No, but he could have done some damage to your kidneys.....

He hasn't really apologised - he's just turned everything round and blamed you for making him do it. Stress is not an excuse. The fact that he has cut everyone out of his life speaks volumes.......

Please get some support in RL from Women's Aid or CAB or whoever.