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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

Red flags I should have heeded - share yours for womenkind

999 replies

ParsleyTheLioness · 16/04/2012 21:13

There were various red flags that meant I should have headed for the hills, but I was vulnerable at the time, and he only upped the ante several years and a child down the line. I will share mine, in the hope that someone may take it on board, and hopefully others will share theirs too.
In no particular order: very early on in our relationship, he would throw a strop for no reason that I could discern, and looking back, still didn't know what had triggered it. I just knew I felt bad afterwards.
He was always unaware of personal space, and would frequently invade mine. Eg in the car, he would suddenly lurch accross me to access the glove box, without any warning. His car, his space.
Subtle undermining tactics. I am very particular about the perfume I wear. Anything else is a bit of waste of money really. He knew this, but would always try to 'convert' me to another one.
There were many others, and things got worse, with lots of EA, some dv, but I am just thinking of the things that had my Twat Detector been working, would have encouraged me to get out before I had emotionally invested. Please feel free to add. I'm sure I shall think of lots of other things later.

OP posts:
ParsleyTheLioness · 18/04/2012 21:51

Cygno you mean give ammo to the abusers?

OP posts:
LesAnimaux · 18/04/2012 21:51

Well, I don't think I have much self esteem.

When I say "6th sense" I mean when you know something might happen, but you can't explain why, and you just have to get out of there" Everyone gets that sometimes. I'm certainly not special.

I am seen by others as not being very trusting. Sometimes that can be a bad thing, sometimes good. My DM and DSis seem to believe most people are good people. Has been their relationship downfall.

cgno · 18/04/2012 21:52

I've tried to help people too. But you have to let go after a fixed time limit.

ParsleyTheLioness · 18/04/2012 21:55

Cygno have you seen my question? May have cross posted, this is a fast thread...

OP posts:
LesAnimaux · 18/04/2012 21:55

The "fixing" thing rings true.

Women need to stop thinking they can nurture a man into perfection. (If that makes sense)

PillarBoxRedRoses · 18/04/2012 21:56

Actually garlic, that campaign seems to have got better since I was last in Oz!

PillarBoxRedRoses · 18/04/2012 21:57

Oh..that one is in America...but same premise.

cgno · 18/04/2012 21:58

parsley

maybe, they do react to trends quite quickly. For example I bet there all 21st century men now .... etc.

perceptionreality · 18/04/2012 21:59

One particular relationship yielded the following things:

I saw him get angry with people and resort to violence very quickly. He also punched walls. I am sure his temper would have eventually turned on me more and more.

He was a sadist and enjoyed hurting me in various ways - he seemed to get off on it. Crushing my feet, squeezing my ribs hard among them.

He had a beautiful ex girlfriend who seemed to me like a very nice person. She had lots of friends and was popular. However, according to him she was 'crazy' and it was her fault they broke up.

He refered to women as 'bastards'

His family viewed him as the one who always rocked the boat.

ParsleyTheLioness · 18/04/2012 22:02

Perception glad you got out...
Cgno I will spell your name correctly. But that is so...sad....isn't it?

OP posts:
cgno · 18/04/2012 22:06

Parsley

well maybe i'm wrong, but I bet any current abuser's didn't admit to old fashion attitudes.

ParsleyTheLioness · 18/04/2012 22:11

I'm not saying you are wrong. What I am saying, I think, is that it does not seem unreasonable to have a partner who is pleasant to us,most of the time, does not put us down or abuse us and cares about our wellbeing. And yet, for many of use, that didn't happen happen. What kind of damaged mind thinks abuse is preferable to this, as a 'relationship'.

OP posts:
cgno · 18/04/2012 22:13

It's down to the persons personalty. If they're superficial they will go along with any trend that suits them. Why not an internet trend to make them attractive to women.

ParsleyTheLioness · 18/04/2012 22:14

cgno, have you just joined mn? You seem to have no other mn history other than this thread?

OP posts:
cgno · 18/04/2012 22:19

it's not unreasonable to have a partner that is pleasant nearly all of the time. I think you just have to relay on your gut instinct. If you feel a bit uncomfortable some of the time then thats not acceptable. But don't get confused with sometimes things are difficult, but you feel like you can cope.

cgno · 18/04/2012 22:20

yes I have. but I've been reading for sometime.

cgno · 18/04/2012 22:21

I meant it is unreasonable -- see above

garlicnutter · 18/04/2012 22:21

Oops, PillarBox, I thought I was looking at an Australian one!
Never mind, it's still not bad :)

I disagree your parents warn you about red flags, cgno. A lot of red flags look identical to green flags. Love at first date: ideal romance or suspiciously quick? Could be either. Buys you gifts: ditto. And so on.

It's all in the context. Love at first date and he seems to be hurrying towards mortgage & pregnancy? Alarm bell. Buys beautiful gifts and asks you to wear them? Alarm. Texts you 15 times a day? Sweet. Keeps texting even when you don't reply? Creepy. Perpetrators do announce their intentions but, if you're floating on a cloud of oxytocin, you need people around you to hear the context. (Or to be a walking compendium of Mumsnet's harsher wisdom!)

garlicnutter · 18/04/2012 22:27

Yes, we nearly all have healthy instincts for danger. Unfortunately most of us are too willing to override them. Anyone can make this mistake, especially if they come from a dysfunctional environment, but it's almost universal in women because of our social conditioning to "be nice".

cgno · 18/04/2012 22:33

Hi garlic

I'm a bloke btw, but my mum has an amazing nack for chancers.

MyDogShitsShoes · 18/04/2012 22:33

In my marriage it was him who had the low self-esteem. I was the confident one with the great friends, own house, nice car, good job etc.

I think self-esteem is the route of a lot of his problems tbh.

BibiBlocksberg · 18/04/2012 22:49

"I disagree your parents warn you about red flags" - agree to that, if my 'D' mother had spent less time going on about when to buy a hat for a wedding and just once had told me 'he's treating you appalingly, at least think about leaving the bastard' it would have helped a lot. Even if I wouldn't have admitted it openly, it would have supported what I was already thinking.

Having said that, I have lost friends over telling them they don't have to put up with the way their being treated in relationships and am generally seen as a bit of an angry sad case with only cats for company these days in other circles for pointing out clearly twattish behaviour.

Maybe I'll just carry out the 'stealth ninja' mission I thought of - printing this thread, sorting into handy categories and leaving a copy in every publicly accesable space I can think of :)

aftereight · 18/04/2012 23:01

Ah, so many of these, and at the time I really thought he was THE one!
I often wonder if we all named names we could find our own exes twats and warn each other off Grin

cgno · 18/04/2012 23:10

Bibli

I'm thining of going on a similar mission, cull freinds which basicly aren't nice people.

Pumpster · 18/04/2012 23:17

Feeling like you are treading on eggshells, stomach in knots.
All bad signs.
I sometimes push and push my dp to see if he will explode. He doesn't because he is a good one.

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