Dumpable?

[snoopdogg]

Been brooding about this. Don't want to drip feed so bit long.

Have been seeing bloke for five months. It has been fun - great sex, lots of social stuff. We both have kids but tend to see each other alone, mutual choice.

This weekend - no kids. Lovely Friday afternoon in bed, both left work early so could spend a bit of quality time together. Saturday had tickets for a show in London, travelled up early, delicious lunch, museum, touristy walk, show, great dinner and home more great sex

Sunday am, he wakes early to take part in hobby (by prior agreement) I stay in bed, lounge about, have coffee. he returns about 3 hrs later comes back to bed bringing Sunday papers. He asks for cup of tea (although he has just come up stairs) I make him cup of tea and come back to bed.

So we're lounging about, drinking tea, reading paper and the popular omnibus version of a weekly tale of the life of country folk is announced. I am an habitual, though not obsessive, listener, which he knows. Following conversation ensues:

Him - 'oh we're not listening to this shit'
me - 'it's the Archer's I want to know what happens to blah' (don't want to bore you with plot)
him - well you can go downstairs if you want to hear it'(re-tunes to replay of TMS)
me - 'hang on, you're reading the paper, can't I listen to the Archers?'
him - 'No'
me - 'what?'
him - 'no'
me - ' are you seriously saying that I can't listen to the archers while you read the paper?'
him - 'yes'
me - 'you are joking?'
him - 'no'
(staring contest follows where neither wavers)
me - 'I'll get up then'

I am incredulous and completely bemused. I get out of bed, shower, dress, go downstairs. Listen to Archers.

He comes down about an hour later and asks if I'm 'still sulking'. Rather than dissolve into lump of seething fury I tell him I'm leaving, he jokingly asks if he's dumped so clearly knows he's been a knob, tell him I'll text him later and leave.

Bit more background - this is my first relationship since end of EA marriage two years ago. Done the freedom programme and the horrendous divorce.

I feel like 'sending' me for a cup of tea was the tester and then refusing to 'let' me listen to a radio programme was pushing the boundary a bit further. Over reacting or ltb?

[MardyArsedMidlander]

My friend's boyfriend once walked out of a formal dinner party to go and listen to the Archers in the bedroom.. that relationship didn't last long either

[snoopdogg]

Certainly not Mr Perfect, can be an arsey git and snapped at me during check in for a flight although, to be fair, I'd been goading him to see if he'd snap........... [childish emoticon]

He'd been playing golf but there was no-one there to play with so had done (? however, one describes the act of playing golf) nine holes on his own and come home.

Who do stubborn strong willed people have relationships with then handbag?

[Aspiemum2]

He's a golfer?! Well that just changes everything - ltb

[snoopdogg]

The Archers has much to answer for mardy.

Dear John I think you've nailed it. I'm going to talk to him and report back. I'm definitely an over thinker. Must GET A JOB.................

[snoopdogg]

Thanks Aspie that's why I held that nugget back, I knew people would have stronger opinions about golf than either the Archers or emotional abuse

[EnjoyResponsibly]

Could it be just possible that he likes your tea and hates the Archers.

In our house this could have happened any given Sunday. DH likes my tea and is unequivocal regarding his dislike of Terry Wogan.

He'd also snap at me at checkin if I'd been deliberately picking a row. Surely everyone bickers at the airport.

He's done a thing you don't like. Talk about it rather than go to the extreme, unless there's really more to it and you feel this is part of a trend.

[NotGoodNotBad]

Just to add, it really gets my back up when someone is mean (like your DP in this case), then when the other person doesn't just smile and say OK fine, the mean person tells them they're sulking. What they mean is, I can do what I want and you have to put up with it - cheerfully.

[DearJ0hn]

Yes you're high maintenance luv

Takes one to know one i'm afraid

Just talk to him and then make a decision. Lots of luck.

[Narked]

You're not over thinking, you're more aware of things because of your past. That's a good thing. When you've been in an abusive relationship your sense of what's normal becomes warped. You're keeping your eyes open so you don't sleepwalk into a bad situation.

[Lovingfreedom]

You've only been together 5 months - he's ordering cups of tea, calling your fave radio programme crap and deciding that you can't listen to it, he's accusing you of sulking and he's taunting you with ending the relationship and you're having staring contests. This sounds pretty unpleasant. I don't know if he's controlling or not...but he's certainly got a strong sense of entitlement. I'd get the hell out tbh.

[Lovingfreedom]

Yes you're high maintenance luv

DearJ0hn wft???

[sarahseashell]

typed a long reply which got lost but to summarise agree with lovingfreedom,ltb and find yourself a nice man who adores you and would be happy to make you a cuppa 5 months in! they do exist

[HandbagCrab]

Being stubborn isn't a desirable character trait is it? If both parties dig their heels in, how do they come to a compromise? Your partner stubbornly refused to let you listen to the archers. This didn't make you feel good.

Strong willed is another one. What does it even mean? That you know what you want and go out and get it? Fair enough, but what if that is at the expense of others, where do you draw the line?

If I felt myself to be stubborn I would work on being more flexible without compromising my boundaries. If I felt I was being argumentative for the sake of it, I would work on why I was doing that. I'd perhaps consider I was being bloody minded because I was scared of being abused so I was giving as good as I thought i would get from the beginning to protect myself or perhaps to give myself the opportunity to be able to explain it away as a passionate relationship or '6 of one, half a dozen of the other'.

I think what is important is that he was an arse, you didn't really pull him up on it and he didn't apologise for being an arse. If you were to ring him now and say 'you were a bit of an arse on Sunday morning, expecting me to traipse round making tea and then being all rude about me wanting to listen to the archers, what was all that about?' what would happen?

[FlourFace]

Maybe he just doesn't like the Archers.

[snoopdogg]

I'm planning to do just that in about 30 mins handbag, will report back.

[ponybaloney]

Well? What did he say?

[BertieBotts]

You're clearly not compatible - you need an Archers-loving boyfriend

[Monty27]

Fairly recently (20 months rl) I had one similar (in my home). I adored him on many levels but....

I dumped him.

[CuriousMama]

How did it go?

[orchidee]

The problem with abusers is that they don't punch you in the face on a first date. Things would be so much clearer that way. Instead though it's hazy ahead and clear in hindsight.

OP- how are things now, did you have a chat tonight?

[ComradeJing]

How did it go?

I vote LTB by the way.

[CaliforniaSucksSnowballs]

Well the way he treated you struck a chord with you and raised red flags, you need to listen to how he makes you feel, not just the good bits.

[Mimishimi]

He didn't sound very upset by the prospect of your relationship ending. That's what would make him 'dumpable' to me. He may genuinely hate the Archers, he may have wanted to lie in bed to read the paper ( good for spreading it all out), he might think you make a great cup of tea. He certainly could have been much politer about it , especially the radio program. He should not necessarily feel contrite about asking you to go downstairs but I think if he cared about you, he would have apologised for the rude way in which he went about it and would have felt dismayed that you were hurt by it. Instead it seemed as though he were laughing at you😓. I wouldn't even call him back to explain that I was hurt actually. If he called, I'd probably tell him that I can't see the relationship continuing.

[SomersetONeil]

You're not over-thinking and you're not high maintenance. Just for the record.

Him coming down an hour later and asking if you're sulking is SUCH a telling comment.

Why would you be sulking unless something had gone down, and someone had done something to piss the other right off? He's basically admitted to pissing you off, and rightly so. He knew full well what he did.

And - here's the things - there was utterly no need to forbid (because that is what he did) you to listen to the Archers. He was reading. The radio being on was no skin off his nose. The only reason he did that was to see if he could do it.

And he didn't get away with it. The whole atmosphere in the house changed after he did it, and he knew full well that you were Not Happy. He now knows how far he can push you, which isn't very.

By all means give him another chance if he's that good in the sack - but my last dollar says he will need that other chance, because anyone who tests someone in such a ludicrously controlling way so obviously and so soon into a relationship won't be able to help themselves. I say you deserve better. And there is better out there.

[snoopdogg]

Morning, I went to bed early-ish (old lady emoticon) and was woken by the phone at about 10.45. Was himself being a bit needy. Will have to have the chat later and report back.

Tend to agree Somerset. The way I look at it is that I'm not currently interested in a big romantic full on relationship. Having finally escaped the car crash that was my marriage I am primarily interested in getting laid and having fun. If this doesn't meet the criteria I'm happy to walk away. I think the only thing I'd say in mitigation on his behalf is that his marriage ended more recently than mine and she left him. The way we met was completely unexpected and the relationship has developed very nicely to date but I get the sense that he has more feelings for me than vice versa and he might be struggling with that.

Not that that's ever an excuse for cuntish behaviour.