Odd situation and need some advice

[MushroomSoup]

Married 10 years, we have a child aged 7. I have older children who spend the week between our house and their dad's. it's a long standing arrangement that works great.
Our relationship has always been strong - the very best I could hope for. We have fun, great sex, a lot of banter and laughter and he is wonderful with all the DCs.
He is stressed lately because of changes in his work force - there is a possibility he may lose his job (through no fault of his). We both work fulltime. This has been dragging on since summer with no conclusion.
Understandably he's been snappy and worried at times but just before Xmas he turned on me - over a wisecrack comment I made, can't remember what! - and he screamed at me that I was a fucking cunt.
Since then, he has been perfectly civil to me but has neither touched me, kissed me or properly spoken to me. He has really withdrawn.
Today he made an odd comment that he has to teach the DCs' manners because they wouldn't get any with me. I work with children for a living and am known for my high expectations!
I am now getting to the end of my tether. He is honestly a lovely man but I can't do this for much longer.
Advice please.

[cincodemayo]

But why would you even put up with the prospect of him sulking around the house? And why are you letting him take the children's things from them when they've done nothing wrong?

You shouldn't be predicting what he will do. Take it out of his hands. It's not going to be good for the children if you two are having a stand-off and ignoring eachother and sorting your own meals out.

Is your problem incidentally that you think that lovely men don't have affairs? Because they do, you know. Or maybe you think that affairs only happen when someone's got an unhappy home life? Wrong again.

[irabelle]

Is there a role for his GP in all this?

[JustFabulous]

Well I am sorry if you are upset with what I said your husband was but he is behaving like a horrible man. If he is ill or under stress then he should seek help. That is what a decent person does. He doesn't kick his child and abuse his wife.

[smornintime]

How are you doing mush?

[MadAboutHotChoc]

Reading this sounds so familiar - apart from the violence and removal of gadgets, my DH displayed these classic behaviours.

We blamed it on work stress etc.

He was shagging OW all along.

I didn't think he was the type to have an affair esp given his family history - friends and family members were shocked.

[CurlyhairedAssassin]

How are things, OP? Is he still there?

[MushroomSoup]

Still here. Very odd. I think he's annoyed by me singing around the house as usual. Maybe he wants me to cry in a corner!

[Badvoc]

There is another woman op
No one - no one - has a complete personality change overnight. And the most likely scenario is just that, the most likely.
It is far more likely he is cheating and following the cheaters script (check it out) than he is depressed or ill.
So sorry.

[JaxTellerIsMyFriend]

have you told him to go? I couldnt stand him being around the house acting like there was nothing going on. Would drive me crazy, maybe that is what he is hoping for. An excuse.

[delilahlilah]

I couldn't stand it Mushroom, I would have to insist that he left. I have no idea as regards the affair, but he isn't behaving as someone who loves you would. You and the DCs come first, and this situation must be awful for them. He's not going to change while he's getting away with making a nuisance of himself......

[Skyebluesapphire]

My XH started to change this time last year shortly after meeting OW.... I recall one day at my parents, when DD, 3yo, tried to grab his phone to play with it while he was on facebook. he pushed her away so hard that she fell over..... he had never treated her like that before.... he also got very bad tempered with her at bedtime, to the point that I had to take over several times because he was shouting at her.

Nobody that knew him here, and nobody in his family, can believe what he did. He acted so out of character, the solid, reliable, considerate, family man..... walked out overnight.

I honestly do hope for you that this isn't the case, but I really don't think that you can dismiss it out of hand so firmly. I know that because I did exactly the same thing when my XH walked out, knew that there was no way he could behave like that, but very sadly, he did...

[cincodemayo]

What I don't understand about this thread is that there doesn't seem to have been any conversation between the two of you about what on earth is going on. Just lots of high dudgeon and game-playing, with neither of you giving in.
I can see why he doesn't want to talk (because he's having an affair I'm sure) but I don't really understand your response to this OP. It's almost as though you don't want to confront the truth and believe that as long as he's still there, everything in your world is normal. If your relationship used to be good, this seems like a strange way to behave and it must be enormously confusing for your children.

Why don't you at least try to find out what's going on and decide from there?

[FiercePanda]

How's it going, OP? Is he still hanging about, taking away your kids things and being a mardy dick?