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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

Big fight with DP, still a little shaken

345 replies

SoggyGingerBiscuit · 16/01/2012 11:30

I'll try and shorten a long story but basically saturday night DP and I ended up arguining as I'd arranged to go out with friends and he was looking forward to spending the child-free evening with me. I didn't realise he was looking forward to it or I wouldn't have booked it but by then it was too late to cancel my plans so we argued over it before finally he stormed out and went to the gym.

He came back around 6pm and the children had gone by this time (to their dad) and he asked if I'd reconsidered the evening. I said I hadn't and was still going and it erupted into another argument where he said I was selfish and never think about him and he's always bottom of my list of priorities (untrue) so anyway he walked over to me and shouted in my face "Do you the fuck you want, you always do anyway". So I told him I wasn't discussing it further with him until he'd calmed down. He then grabbed me by the arm and dragged me from the kitchen into the living room saying "go on then, fuck off, go and get ready, less I see of you right now the better anyway" etc. and he was really hurting my arm and in panic I lashed out and hit him in the face.

We both stopped, I was mortified and gobsmacked and he just looked at me. I said I was sorry and hadn't mean to actually hit him and he stormed up to me forcing me to back into the wall (although he didn't actually touch me) and snarled at me "don't ever hit me again". I've never seen him so angry and close to losing control and was actually quite frightened, he's a big bloke (6ft 4) and it was intimidating. he said then "do you understand?" I nodded and he said "get out of my fucking sight" so I went upstairs. Had a good cry, came down about 20 minutes later to apologise again and explained that I hadn't meant to hit him, it was a reflect and he said "well lets hope I don't start getting mad reflexes then". I got a bit cross because the fact that he'd dragged me around by arm before this seemed to have been forgotten so I said "you're not 100% innocent in this either" and he absolutely lost it and started saying stuff like "so I take it it's ok for us to hit each other when we're pissed off then?" he then grabbed me, knocked me onto the sofa and pinned me down and raised his fist as if he was going to punch me in the face. I screamed and begged him to stop. He got off me and I ran upstairs. He came up a few minutes later and I screamed at him to leave me alone and he said he was so sorry and had gone too far and that he'd never hurt me.

Anyway long story short I was just so glad it had all stopped I let him hug me and we 'kissed and made up' but I cant let it go. I was so frightened when he did that and its made me wonder how far hed go. I admit I should never have hit him, I know that so I kind of feel that I can't play little miss innocent on it all either. Is it just a 50/50 thing that I should accept and move on from?

OP posts:
ChickensGoMeh · 16/01/2012 11:33

How long have you been together? Because none of this sounds good.

LesserOfTwoWeevils · 16/01/2012 11:36

No, it's not 50/50.
Was he frightened when you hit him?
Thought not.

SoggyGingerBiscuit · 16/01/2012 11:36

About a year and a half and have lived together for the past 6 months. This is the first time anything like this has happened.

OP posts:
DioneTheDiabolist · 16/01/2012 11:37

No. Don't just accept this. This weekend your relationship became physically abusive. Get help to make sure it will never happen again. I understand that you are scared, but that fear will not simply go away if you ignore it.

Please please get help.

catherinea1971 · 16/01/2012 11:37

Has he apologised for dragging you about at all?

ISayHolmes · 16/01/2012 11:39

You lashed out after he was physically threatening and hurting you in order to get him to stop.

That is not something to apologise for. You were afraid. You MUST get away from this man, this will only get worse. I'm so sorry.

catherinea1971 · 16/01/2012 11:40

Not that I think him apologising matters to be honest, you need to seriously take stock of your situation, sadly I believe this is very likely to be the start of things to come.
What is he generally like with you?

SoggyGingerBiscuit · 16/01/2012 11:40

Yes he apologised and said he was out of order from the minute he got at me to change my plans. I really don't think he's a violent person and I did hit him first. He said he never intended to hit me he was just trying to show me how bad it was for either of us to hit each other but admits he went about it totally the wrong way

OP posts:
SpikeInTheBasement · 16/01/2012 11:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Vicky2011 · 16/01/2012 11:40

It seems a massive, massive overreaction to you arranging a night out with friends. Leaving aside the intimidation (and I do think that was worse than what you did - though I'm sure I will get flamed for that), is he normally controlling about your friendships? I think that is a big indicator of whether this man is a bully or whether there is some other explanation (not that anything would justify it!)

As Chickens says, none of this sounds good :(

ChickensGoMeh · 16/01/2012 11:40

I can only tell you what I feel about it. I think that there is a line, and physically dragging/slapping/pushing/hitting someone else crosses it in a relationship (well, generally). You should be able to disagree, or fall out, or just be in a shitty mood without for ONE SECOND worrying that the other person will react with ANY KIND of violence. It isn't normal, it isn't ok and it doesn't bode well for the future. This argument had you both lashing out. The next one might end up with you being hurt. The one after that might see you in hospital. It's never ok to intimidate and throw your weight around in an argument. People that do are, imo, bad news.

SpikeInTheBasement · 16/01/2012 11:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SoggyGingerBiscuit · 16/01/2012 11:41

He's usually lovely to me, honestly he's the kindest, funniest guy I have ever known, there have been no signs of abuse or anything before and we have argued before and this has never happened. Usually he's the first to walk out to go and calm down, it's me that keeps pestering him to carry on arguining

OP posts:
StickAForkInMeImDone · 16/01/2012 11:42

No. Your relationship has just crossed a line. Imagine if he had behaved like that when your DC were at home.

catherinea1971 · 16/01/2012 11:42

He physically attacked you first, you hit him out of fear...HE was making you have that fear.

Sorry this will not end well.

IMO if you stay now you are giving him the red light to treat you this way again, next time it may be worse.

YuleingFanjo · 16/01/2012 11:42

you need to get away from this man.

At first, reading it I thought that you were actually being pretty rude arranging a night out and only telling him about it on the night you were going... however the rest of it is just awful and you and your kids should not stay with this violent bully.

OurPlanetNeptune · 16/01/2012 11:44

You life OP, but is this the kind of environment you want your children to grow up in? Because I would put money on it that this will happen again, and soon your dc will witness it.

Vile behaviour from the both of you. He sounds frightening and I would not stay in a relationship with a man who frightened me.

StickAForkInMeImDone · 16/01/2012 11:45

Going by your last post, I would then say that you should not be living together at the moment. When someone has been abusive/lost their temper to that extent once, it is easier for them to do the same again.
If you are so sure that you want your relationship to continue then I would say stop living together (your DC do not need to be around this behaviour) and get help. His response to this should tell you all you need to know.

SoggyGingerBiscuit · 16/01/2012 11:45

I don't want to be accused of drip feeding but he had bought wine and was planning on cooking for me. I kind of knew this too :( I had told him 2 days ago I was thinking of going out and he asked me not to as he was buying wine etc and I said I'd try and get out of it but I never did and didn't know how to tell him so just left it. I was 100% in the wrong here, the argument WAS my fault, I know that was a shitty thing to do and I feel awful :( the rest of it just escalated so quickly though.

OP posts:
singingprincess · 16/01/2012 11:45

The first time maybe, but it will not be the last time. He believes he is entitled to behave like this. Normal people do not believe that, ever.

Get out now.

singingprincess · 16/01/2012 11:47

Hmmm, manipulative as well. Nice chap. :(

catherinea1971 · 16/01/2012 11:48

The difficulty you face now is that in your own words you are 'still shaken' which isn't surprising. However next time you think of going out or maybe doing something that he might not quite like or agree with you will think twice as you will remember this episode.
I would bet money that prior to this had anyone asked you would have said that he would never be violent that he is just not that type of man.

ChickensGoMeh · 16/01/2012 11:48

Oh, you deserved for him to have the arse ache no doubt. You didn't treat him well. But did you deserve to be physically dragged around and frightened? Bollocks did you. This isn't a healthy relationship, OP. Really.

StickAForkInMeImDone · 16/01/2012 11:48

You are allowed to go out. You are allowed to see your friends. He could buy wine and cook for you any other night of the week.
You told him you were thinking of going out and he tried to persuade you not? Am I reading that right?

catherinea1971 · 16/01/2012 11:50

Why did you feel unable to tell him that you couldn't change your plans?
Also did you end up staying in or did you go out with your friends as you had planned?

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