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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

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over reacting?

351 replies

dancingwiththedevilonmyback · 06/09/2012 18:11

so for the last few months my rather antisocial hubby has started going out with a group of mates, im really happy about this as i think friendships outside the marraige are really important and healthy.
his best mate is a girl who is into the stuff he likes, wrestling, computer games ect. he goes out to watch films with her a lot and they socialise with others regualy, i have no issue with this, my best mate is a bloke (although he is gay) she has even kipped on our sofa when they went out so she didnt have to drive home. i have had no suspicions that anything other than friendship has occurred.
she is in a bad relationship, talks about it to him all the time, and seems to say lots of leading things like "my bf doesnt like my breasts, what do you think?" and that suggests to me she may be having thoughts towards him in a romantic way... i have told him that platonic friendships are great but its important not to give the wrong idea...
he assured me she didnt have thoughts like that.
i have become aware that his workmates have been gossiping about them, and that makes me uncomfortable, he assuered me it was one comment from someone really stupid and to take no notice.
well today he left his facebook open and thier messages were there, hundreds of messages, really really flirty.
he calls her sugar tits, says he needs to clear his mind of dirty thoughts of her, many messages of sexual teasing, nothing hardcore, all wink winky, things like, i'll let you dominate me, i'll lie there and take it, he replies i am dripping with antisipation (this is in reference to being beaten in the computer game, but its suggestive and sexual.)
he says, if we carry on going to see films together, people will be even more suspicious, more than normal" which means lots of people at thier work are already suss...
i text him and said, u left your fb open, and i read your msgs, sorry for invading your privacy but i am glad i did,
the level of flirting is unacceptable, and really dismissive of your wife. i feel humiliated after all the bending over backwards i did to accommadate your new mates.
i want this flirting to stop, i am not asking you to end your friendship, or cancel saturday (she is kipping on the sofa again) or to cancel the wrestling (they are going with 2 others to wales to watch the wrestling, him and her are sharing a twin room) i just want you to know the boundries and not overstep them.

he phoned and said nothing was going on, i said it doesnt matter if his penis stayed in his pants, the fact he has been texting her this means he has at least had an emotional or sextual affair. he said nothing had happened, and he was sorry for upsetting me, (sounding irritated now) i said i didnt need him to be sorry for upsetting me, that meant nothing to me, he needs to be sorry for doing it. he doesnt talk to me like that, so he needs to talk like that to someone else.
i said, if you want out of our marraige, tell me, i want to know, dont string me along, and drag it out, if you want out, just go. i wont stop you.
he said he loved being married to me and he loves our children, i said well that wouldnt change would it?
then i said i had to go and get kids ready for bed, and hung up.
was i overreacting?

OP posts:
ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmm · 10/09/2012 22:40

I hope you're wrong too no offence Grin

I've invested a lot of time and emotional energy into this including pointing out things about him i shouldn't have to if he was brought up right

But i can't blame his upbringing totally because when you become an adult regardless of your upbringing, you have the ability to choose between right and wrong and the ability to say no, and think for yourself.

But nonetheless i have pointed things out and he has bent over backwards to change them. I never wanted to go into a relationship to change someone, but i am a stubborn bastage and will hang in there even if we eventually split up at least i hope some of this will be passed on to another woman and he will treat her better and not repeat his mistakes

As i said i still have days i want to stab him in the face quite literally because its a certain day when i know for 100% he was off shagging OW

Its very painful and stays raw for years

I don't think i chickened out of leaving, i think i made a decision and am doing my best to stick to it. FWIW i just read this post and my reply out to him and he has gone upstairs in tears :( i tried to say i had to explain the bad before the good, i know what he did still hurts him.

I still look objectively on the situation and think i did the right thing for us at the time.

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmm · 10/09/2012 22:41

He had to take anger management classes before the SS would let him have contact with me or DS again and the person who ran them said he was the most committed person he had ever met

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmm · 10/09/2012 22:42

Thanks AF i know you secretly pull your hair out at people like me but you have also always been supportive just like EH has and i think you for that

Aaaaaaaaanyway .. OP .. whats going on hows things honey

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmm · 10/09/2012 22:43

Tch thank not think

BerylStreep · 10/09/2012 22:50

Do you think you told him your post to hurt him?

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmm · 10/09/2012 23:28

Honestly? Quite possibly my evil streak told me to read out all the gories rather than mince round it saying 'i have posted in reply that things are shit at the beginning but now are a lot better'

He's been a bit of a moron this week so i guess its a bit of a whuppin yes BUT if he hadn't done it i wouldn't be able to say it would i. None of it is untrue. So the moral of that story is, if you dont want the repercussions then dont do the shitty stuff

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmm · 10/09/2012 23:30

I know it sounds awful but this goes hand in hand with my PTSD and the fact that i have flashbacks now and again from what he did.

Not that that makes it right, of course. But it kind of makes it easier on me for deciding to stay, he hurt me so i hurt him with what he did.

I know its unfair

AnyFucker · 10/09/2012 23:34

It's not just unfair, it is horrific Sad

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmm · 10/09/2012 23:42

I guess it is
:(

I think i opened it all up writing to the OP

Bugger

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmm · 10/09/2012 23:44

I think i actually was trying to say 'look DP i've moved on so much that i am using situation to help someone else' and its had a total wrong turn

Best go apologise Confused

AnyFucker · 10/09/2012 23:59

No, I meant this a horrific way to live (for you)

fgs don't apologise to him

And do carry on using your experiences to help people, love

People are.just shocked that you are still with someone who treated you so badly and, in the absence of op, the thread has got a bit hijacked with your situation

Don't be second guessing yourself just because of this thread

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmm · 11/09/2012 00:08

Oh lol i thought i had been a bit rotten to him

Four years ago i was sure of everything i said and knew i was being straight with people without being worried they would be hurt by what i said, because i'm just not that kind of person.

Haven't apologised as he's asleep

I hope the OP comes back, am secretly hoping she will say 'ta dah.. i drop kicked him and ST out of my life'
Everything crossed :)

PS sorry for naffing your thread OP but i helped keep it at the top lol

AnyFucker · 11/09/2012 00:28
Smile
NormaStanleyFletcher · 11/09/2012 06:09

Dancing How are things? Hope you are ok.

Inertia · 11/09/2012 06:31

Things I didn't know your back story, but what happened sounds horrendous.

It's worrying that you think you need to apologise to him because you've told people what he did and now he's upset because it's so horrific . He did it ! And you are absolutely right - he has to face up to the consequences of what he did.

Hope things work out for you.

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmm · 11/09/2012 12:12

Ah its ok when he does the silent treatment thing. Peace and quiet :)

I wouldn't wish my life on my worst enemy but i made the decision to stay and try to work things out

This is three years on, i just hope i show the OP what kind of life she can expect unless she's a bloody saint

Now i really want an update :) even if she decides to stay i know she will get support here even from the get rid of the fucker DP brigade Grin

ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmmm · 11/09/2012 12:13

I just felt like i'd been a bit harsh last night i could have sugar coated it a bit more but then after speaking to AF i grew a pair and thought why the fuck should i sugar coat anything for him

We'll see when he comes back from work lol

AnyFucker · 11/09/2012 12:24

It shouldn't be this hard

Can you ever just relax, love, and not have to "manage" his moods and tailor your own response to them ?

dancingwiththedevilonmyback · 11/09/2012 13:14

ok, hello! taken a wee break and i am back.
i havent slept really since thurs and couldnt really eat, i very almost fainted at work yesterday so i need to start looking after myself.
well, things have taken good turns and bad turns since i last posted.
we spoke over text yesterday, which was good because he got to listen to me without getting angry.

he has chosen to end their friendship and cancel wales, he said he felt i was srong about her, she never meant anything by it, only ever wanted friendship, but he understands why i dont believe that and isnt going to try to change my mind.
he is happy to give me space, not coming home till i am in bed ect untill i feel i am ok.
he is going to be more gentle and compassionate and not be friends whith her untill i tell him if i tell him its ok.

he feels that he has explained and explained and said sorry over and over again but i wont accept it, this is why he got angry.
i still cant get over his words to her one phrase keeps going over and over in my mind he said to her "i need to clean my mind of dirty thoughts of you" i dont know why i cant get past that one little bit.

but really its been his cruel behaviour that i am stuck on, the way he treated me between thurs to sunday. but he doesnt address that, he just goes back to how the messages were innocent and just flirtatious and cant see anything else.

but he is really trying now which is a positive step.

the negative is that he is sulky angry and aggressive in tone to me, he was horrible last night staring at me with real hate.
he threw a wobbly because i was meant to come home and go straight to bed (i had suggested this as i was so tired) but when i got home i felt like i was so confined to my room for days i wanted to be downstairs and watch a bit of telly and eat something.
he didnt like being asked to go upstairs to watch a dvd, he stomped and sulked and tried to storm out, throwing his shoes and when i reminded him i have had to stay in there, he shouted fine! fine then and stormed back upstairs.
in the end it didnt work out because dd2 ended up being ill, so i had to take her into bed with me, so i ended not getting much sleep again last night. sigh.

he was abrupt with me again this morning, and when i asked him about it he balmed it on the fact he had been heavily drinking.
and the fact he is only doing what i wanted, giving me space.

i want space. not passive aggression and rudeness.

but still i'm sure it will settle down, and at least he is doing things to try to help.

i still feel very shaken and sick. and fearful, because i'm not sure where this will go now, if we can get through this, not the messages but his actions, he is so different to the guy i married and i am tired of eggshell treading.

i hope we can sort it, because when it is good, it is really good.
and i hope we can sort it for the kids sakes, its not fair on them either way right now.

OP posts:
MadameOvary · 11/09/2012 13:24

How is that "really trying"?
It seems he is fine if you do what HE wants and suggests, but if you show any independence whatsoever, he sulks.

There is always some "good" in even the worst relationships, and even if there isn't we can convince ourselves that x behaviour is an improvement on y.

But really, if it's only good when you are doing what they want, then it's not really good at all. Sorry. Sad

Inertia · 11/09/2012 13:26

Glad to see you back, Dancing.

I know why you can't get over that phrase, and so does he, and so does everybody else on your thread. You can't get over it because it's an utterly unacceptable thing for a married man to say to somebody who is supposed to just be a friend (or indeed, to anyone).

You know how you say he's trying? His actions don't really show that. He's acting like a tantrumming toddler who's had his favourite train taken away because he couldn't play with it nicely. He says he's sorry, for as long as it takes to get his train back to play with again, even though he refuses to accept he wasn't playing nicely to begin with and doesn't intend to behave once he gets it back.

Wishing you lots of strength Dancing.

dancingwiththedevilonmyback · 11/09/2012 13:30

i do think he is trying, because he has told her he isnt going to see her outside work anymore and he had cancelled wales.

i dont think he is able to deal with his feelings, and not be able to just fix it with a click of his fingers is making him upset, which he deals with by being angry.

i know it sounds like i'm making excuses but i have to, i have to give him a chance or its as good as over isnt it.

OP posts:
Knobbers · 11/09/2012 13:30

Agree with Inertia

dancingwiththedevilonmyback · 11/09/2012 13:31

he has allowed me to take the lead and dictate what i need to move on.
he just cant seem to be able to do what i ask without being rude and agressive in tone.

OP posts:
AnyFucker · 11/09/2012 13:34

Good luck dancing

I don't think it will be long before he is back taking the Piss though

Men with this amount of selfishness and contempt for their partner don't cxhange into mr wonderful overnight, they just bide their time until you STFU and then it's back to business as usual

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