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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

At the end of my tether

7 replies

gloucestergirl · 14/09/2012 11:27

I have a 6-month old with my husband - we have been together for 5 years, married for 3. He has always been a bit of child. I believed that he would grow up once our child was born. Of course he hasn't. He is a good man at heart, but the only I can describe him is as f**king useless.

I am the end of my tether. I am responsible for everything organisational, finiancially and domestically. He is working and thinks that if he works hard (he is a very hard worker) that that is sufficient. It's not - I need a partner who provides support.

Basically, out of my maternity benefit I pay for rent, food, bills (even clothes for him this month - why???!!!). He pays for the pub and cigarettes. All the time he promises to change, but never does. He never puts two and two together to realise that changing means helping with the little boring things that need to be done.

I feel that I have infantilised (spelling?) him by doing all this stuff and then puting up with it. We have had serious conversations, raging arguments, everything (for years) about this stuff. But now that my daughter is here I want a proper life for her and me. By a proper life I mean the things that go with being adult: car, house, holiday once a year to somewhere nice, new clothes every so often. Instead we have none of this. Would you believe that I have a phd, am a teacher and nearly 40?

Reading this I think that the problem is with me. I want to leave him but don't have the guts. He is basically a really nice, charming, hard-working man with a heart of gold, but has an irresponsible teenager's mindset. And I have been entangled and am too scared to get myself out. The questions is would I rather have my daughter grow up without her father but have a stable life or grow up with her father with all the instability?

OP posts:
cannotseeaway · 14/09/2012 11:49

I could have written your post! I don't know if I have a huge amount of advice to give but I can offer some sympathy. I am 2 children down the line with a manchild who has f%$&ed up so many times financially and emotionally I am also at the end of my tether. I have been a seething ball of resentment for so long, and cannot even bear to have sex with him at the moment.

I have also suffered the big chats, the promises to change, the raging arguments, and nothing has changed. I have now come clean with him and told him that I don't think I love him and I will leave him if our relationship does not seriously change because it is his actions that have caused this, and I have also told him to prepare for the fact that it may already be too late. It is painful for both of us me being completely honest with him regarding my negative feelings towards him, but I feel like a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and he has made noises that he understands this time and wants to make things better. It is too early to tell if his words are going to be followed up with actions, but I think he realises the brevity of the situation now.

I suppose my only advice is to be brutally honest, in a calm and rational manner, about how his behaviour is driving you away. He may never be able to change, but at least you can say you tried if things don't work out. I would also advise counselling for yourself, to straighten out some of those tangles you feel you are stuck in.

AdiVic · 14/09/2012 12:01

Hello, how frustrating. I kind of know how you feel, although my moan is slightly different.

Having a baby is so life changing, and at 6 months, things are still so new and it takes so much getting used to. You are clearly very bright and perhaps the shift to being a new mum, being with the baby blah blah and not working etc is slightly frustrating?? I knew I found it really hard to start with (still do with 2 children, and not working - I feel a bit like a useless invaluable nagging frump).

What does your husband do for a living, does he earn a good wage? When I first met mine (who also has a phd) he worked at the university here, and earned shit money, lived in this bubble, and then got made redundant. Went and got a job in industry and still feels some resentment towards me for dragging him out of his uni life (which I did not, he was made bloody redundant). After having baby no 1. it took a while for him to realise that he couldn't spend weekends in the workshop 'pottering' about with tools and stuff, and he still seems a bit resentful now and again when I ask him to help/look after HIS kids. My view is, I told hiim I wanted marriage and kids, he had 9 months to get his head round it, so cop on Mr! When we first we were out all the time having a whale of a time, fab holidays, I could buy clothes/stuff for house etc, but kids put a stop to that. It's hard/dull work for the most of it, and this may sound snobby/superior, but if you have had a good job/life where you contributed or made good money it does take some getting used to.

Sorry, I'm rambling, what I'm trying to say is it seems as if he still hasn't' realised he has to make some sacrifices - he can't go to the pub each evening, he can't puff away on fags to his hearts content (and I LOVE my wine and occasional naughty puff, but hey, not so often now, what kid wants to smell it's mum reeking of booze and fags).

It's unfair for you to have to pay rent/bills and even clothes for him out of your maternity pay, tell him to buy his own fu**ing clothes! Either that or he goes out and gets cold/laughed at. Does he expect you to buy him stuff? Could you not have an agreement, like he pays the rent, you get the food, he pays for this, you pay for that? I'm sure you have already written a list of all outgoings and split them??

As for new cars, nice holidays, welcome to parenthood. Me and my pals moan that we can't go on hol abroad, god, even camping costs a bomb. That's how it is these days for lots of us. When we were young, many of us went abroad with our folks, our dad's got a new car, but these times are so different. It's unfair and bloody annoying but hey.

I would say that most of us girls feel like dumping our sometimes useless men, but is the grass that much greener? Mine is irritating the living hell out of me at the mo (hence why on relationship section, ready to let rip) and I feel like going, but I look at my 2 year old, and my 3month old and think they need their dad. I wont' meet anyone as nice as him, he's a good kind man as you say yours is.

Could you try talking to him kindly and explain that you would like him to address some issues (remember, you have to talk to some men as if they are thick/toddlers, if you 'tell them off' they did their immature heels in and moan to their mummys) Try and get an action plan/financial agreement, or perhaps 'bills' account, which the money goes into by direct debit or whatever? Maybe he could go for beer and smokes on one night a week?

My OH just hears miserable noise when I try and complain, the shutters come down. Maybe yours is the same? Anyway, I'm rambling again, hope you sort it out, but pls remember that having a young baby is no picnic, it's not the romantic sweet lifestyle many people think it is, bringing them closer to the person they married. It's bloody hard work, tiring and thankless. Maybe try and go out with your OH without the baby and try to remember why you married him (make him bloody pay). Good luck and sorry for war and peace here

gloucestergirl · 14/09/2012 12:44

Thanks for the advice.

@cannotseeaway: Sorry to hear about your problems. I hope that your other half changes his actions. That I feel is a lot of what this about with these menchildren - words are easy, but actually doing something is the difficult thing.

I am seriously thinking of counselling for us both. Just have to try and find some cheap (!) counsellor.

@ AdiVic: My husband is a chef and maybe it is the gulf between his world and mine (academia, education) that is part of the problem. Actually it is good that you brought that up as thinking about all the father collegues he has had over the years, my husband is the model of maturity and responsbility. No wonder he thinks that a couple beers everynight is no big deal in comparison what his fellow chefs are up to. Whereas my work collegues wouldn't even admit to one beer on a school night - or if they did it would be a "naughty" one.

I will follow your tips about talking and making sure that responsibilities are shared.

OP posts:
cannotseeaway · 14/09/2012 13:06

There is free counselling available out there, or for donations only. I found loads of information on my local Mind office's website. Google Marriage Care as well, they are a national organisation who offer marriage counselling on a sliding scale (and a lot more affordable than the sliding scale offered by Relate).

I advocate the not-so softly, softly approach only because it sounds like you have already tried that and it has not worked. I think that the softly-softly approach I adopted with my P didn't work because he didn't realise quite how much his actions were ruining our relationship until now, when I have had to really lay it on the line.

bogeyface · 14/09/2012 13:38

So...he contributes nothing to the household finances, doesnt do anything for the baby or towards housework and pisses his wages up the wall?

What, exactly, are you getting out of this relationship?

He has had his chance to shape up, he didnt take it, so now would be the time for him to ship out.

PooPooOnMars · 14/09/2012 13:43

I would stop enabling him to live his life like a child. If he spends all his money down the pub don't buy him clothes or pay for anything for him. Don't organise his life for him. He won't learn otherwise.

Numberlock · 14/09/2012 13:59

He has always been a bit of child. I believed that he would grow up once our child was born

I'm afraid this is the key to it all and I'm not sure what can be achieved by counselling. You are asking him to change his very nature, frankly.

My advice would be to work out the best way to get out of this relationship.

Sorry.

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