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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

What would you do? Am I stupid for considering it?

9 replies

Kanne · 20/08/2012 13:23

I am looking for some advice (perhaps a quick kick up the bum too). This is a long story but I will try to give you the shortened version.

H and I were married for 12 years, 3 children age 9 (autistic), 7 and 5. Youngest starts school tomorrow! yay!. After I had her I had major complications which has resulted in severe chronic pain and limited mobility. Due to this I have had to give up work. I had a job that I loved and could work round the children so it was perfect.

H then had to take a better job but with much more responsibility and travelling. He hated this. He couldnt deal with being away. After 18 months he was made redundanty and as if that wasnt enough I discovered that he had joined dating agencies when he was working at the other end of the country. I only found out as my DD put his phone in the washing machine and I took the sim out and put it in an old phone to see if it worked and there were new messages. They were from people on the Dating sites. After much more snooping it appears that he never replied to any of them but denied everything.
Our DD was then really ill and was hospitalised. He was so good with everything and showed so much remorse that I eventually thought things were better and after 5 months he got a new job with no travelling and was happy.
Then last September we were on holiday and I had borrowed his laptop to check my emails and typed in the address bar H and it came up with HOTDATES instead of hotmail. I was devastated and couldnt believe he had done it again. He said he was at a work function and got drunk and was just looking for pictures. I am not stupid but felt I didnt even want to snoop this time as I had had enough. I throw him out. The kids were devastated but we have been doing okay. They see him loads. He come round anytime he can even just to take them for a walk or to the park because I cant.

However recently he has been telling me things. Stuff about the past that I didnt know. He was never very good at communicating but recently he has been. He has been seeing a councillor since last year and now thinks that we should go to the councillor together as he hates the way he hurt me and wants to try and explain what happened and why it happened. He says he loves me and I do believe that. He has been staying at his Mums and when he isnt there he is here with his children. He says he could never look at another women as she would never measure up to me.

I am not sure what to do. I have never stopped loving him but have had really awful depression and only now feel like I have it under control and dont ever want to go back there. When we separated I was in a really dark place and hated myself and now I feel like I am a brighter person.

I really long for a happy future but dont know which way to go. Should I go to meet the councillor? Should I just keep my distance? I feel so lost :-(.

OP posts:
ImperialBlether · 20/08/2012 13:51

What sort of things has he been telling you? How hard it's been for him? What he's been up to?

CarnivorousPanda · 20/08/2012 13:55

Can you ever trust him again? If the answer is no, that should guide you.
He has already lied to you about using these sites.

I would find yourself your own counsellor and go to see them on your own.

LoopyLoopsOlympicHoops · 20/08/2012 14:05

Perhaps you could just try and help him deal with his 'things' without thinking of entering into a relationship?

Kanne · 20/08/2012 15:05

Thanks for the replies. I really cant speak to anyone in RL. He has been telling me about how he was feeling at the time. About dealing with insecurities, feeling inferior at work. Struggling to provide for the family, being out of his depth. He has always struggled with stress and normally gets really bad acne because of it (even though he is nearly 40).

There is a large part of me that would love to sort it out as I feel like I never got closure on any of the issues we had. He would rather run away instead of actually talking about things.

BUT......I just dont think I could let him in again. He hurt me so much.

I suppose my ideal solution would be friends with benefits at the moment (I cant believe I just wrote that!!! But 10 months is such a long time to not have any ???) I dont want to give him false hope.

I am certainly not in a place where I could see myself with anyone else.

You must all think I am mad.

OP posts:
cestlavielife · 20/08/2012 15:10

go to the councillor with him. with open mind.

but also book your own councillor separately.

but you cant fix him. he is an adult. only he can fix himself and sort his problems. you can support if you want to but you ahve enough to deal with focusing on you and your dc.

CarnivorousPanda · 20/08/2012 15:18

When you caught him out, he denied it and then the second time,tried to dismiss it. He lied to you.

I wouldn't worry about giving him false hope. Anyway, if you do decide to get back with him, it needs to be from a position of strength and choice not desperation because you're feeling lonely.

You are capable of a life without him if that's your choice. You've proved that.

Crinkle77 · 20/08/2012 15:23

The reasons he has given just sound like excuses to me. If it was his first offence I would say give him another chance and go to counselling with him but this is the second time he has done it now

Heleninahandcart · 20/08/2012 15:45

The reasons he did it are because he thought he could get away with it. You know lots of men have problems, the vast majority do not join dating sites.

He cannot justify it. Instead of wanting you to see his counsellor for a pity party he should be demonstrating to you in every way he can that he knows he was wrong and has taken steps to sort it himself. These were his actions, he has to do the work to sort it.

Kanne · 20/08/2012 16:37

Thank you all so much. These are all things that I said 10 months ago but for some reason I have lost my focus. Perhaps it is my DD starting school. It is almost like I am starting a new chapter of my life and it is feeling slightly lonely.

OP posts:
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