dh won't let me spend time with ds

[Domesticsloven]

Have posted about dh before under different name but deleted as too much information on the net and could well be outed? I know this may be safer in chat but want the relationship wise advice.
Dh is a domineering personality with slight bullying tendencies but very strong on having his own way with no insight to what he does.
I work long hours and weekend shifts and cannot change this as it is part of my training and compulsory. I don't like it but have asked to alter and told not possible.
When I am home 3 sats out of 4 I like to spend time with ds say half the weekend. But now my dh is always there he just can't and won't back off at all, dominating all the weekend time and hardly even letting me chat to ds about his week at school etc without him talking me down, butting in and over riding me. Dh is alone with ds all the times I am not there, I never get time alone with him as he is part of dads plan, dad is there or he actively chooses to go with dad instead of with me.
Our [ dh and I]relationship is just about ok enough to live in the same house, in that we are cordial most of the time and organise things between us, although there are periods when I have not been happy due to his attitude and wanted him to leave which he refused.
I appreciate I may not like coming second best in ds life when previously I was the one in charge of everything prior to going back to full time plus 3 yrs ago and this is in part inevitable, but dh should back me up to join in rather than continuously taking over when \i am home, and when I sort of tag along they are the main participants and I am a sort of hanger on while they make the decisions about what to do for the day.
Today they are out again I have been told I " can go if I want in my own car" but last week did this and they moved on to other plans and I just came back home again alone after the activity while they went for lunch etc. I fought hard to get to take ds swimming which was fantastic for a while but now dh has substituted another activity on saturdays and they agreed together today ds will not do swimming anymore { I organised the swimming and enjoy taking him]. Dh has organised tennis which is great but he is the one taking him.

This is making me sad and I have no power and is wrong on every level yet I feel powerless. Ds goes along with what dad says and I am worried about him missing me as well as the utter dysfunctionality of it all.
I am very sad about this.
I have been on brink of divorce the only thing holding me back is ds may choose to spend more time with dh and I would see even less of him, ds was distraught when I said to him parents sometimes did things differently and drifted apart and wanted to live separately... he was absolutely against this and if dh portrayed me as the instigator of the family split and ruining everything I may lose ds altogether.Ds said he " doesn't want to live with me on his own "
I am a great parent and he is doing ds and me a great disservice but I can't sort this out. Also I had years of bringing up dc and am sensible, dh is ok but he has very fixed ideas about things and does not always set a good example, so I don't want him to have excessive influence. Ds is 10.
Have mammoth posted so no drip feed.
Oh yes have obv spoken to dh he says I am being ridiculous

Please help.

[Domesticsloven]

Thanks for your help perfect

I am back from 5.30 dh from 6. 30 but when I am on shifts I am not back until late after 10 pm once a week. My nanny is at home in the house.

[HoratiaWinwood]

You ought to challenge H in front of DS otherwise DS will learn that it's ok.

If you feel up to it, a head tilt and a MN classic "did you mean to be so rude?" could work wonders.

[Domesticsloven]

I do , like tonight but he just argues and argues and insists the kitchen isa mess etc and as everyone knows it takes two to argue so at some point I realise it has become a heated discussion-and stop.
It's so annoying.

[aufaniae]

On a practical level, how is he managing to get DS on his own so much?

So today for example, what prevented you from going with them? Or going out with DS yourself?

[Domesticsloven]

It's mainly Saturdays. I had put my foot down and managed to take ds to swimming and town for several weeks and for lunch and a little trip, but it is a constant battle to do so as he tries to dominate and just leave me out by charging off with ds .

[threepiecesuite]

What happens on sundays? Could you do something with him then?

[Domesticsloven]

Yes I do baking and games with him then.

[Domesticsloven]

Which is easier but I still am treated as a third class citizen in my own home .

[springyhope]

It's not generally a good idea to play games with types like this, because they are masters at it and will see right through it immediately (learnt that the hard way..). But I would say that one thing that really did work, which I found out accidentally, is that they are so set on taking from you the thing that is most important to you that you can use it.

eg if I wanted ex to bring the children back late, I'd ask him to bring them back early [because I had "a social engagement and needed them settled before the babysitter arrived"]. Hey presto, I got what I wanted. And vice versa re if I wanted them back early I'd ask him to bring them back late. It worked every single time.

I'm not being flippant, especially as the stakes for you and your son are so high. But it is worth bearing in mind.

I would also counsel you to keep your true feelings entirely hidden. Do not reacte to him, do not let him see any emotion, do not 'appeal to his humanity' (he doesn't have any), do not try to reason with him. Maintain a kind of neutral response to him re 'that's interesting, can you explain that to me, I don't quite understand' instead of you fucking shit why did you do that you bastard . Don't let any sarcasm slip in. Act for your life. Don't respond to his hooks - or don't show any response, anyway. Also, let him talk; act, without being a doormat, like you respect what he has to say: 'yes, that's interesting', 'I see what you mean'. (You can only do this for short periods without vomitting).

Again, this is a risky strategy - but good to bear in mind.

imo what you must NOT do is lock horns. He will win, because he plays dirty and will use absolutely anything in the fight (as you have seen re your son). It will astonish you how low he is prepared to go.

You also need to set things up for future relations re your son could still get significant access time with him (unfortunately - though I could argue that his father is so toxic that any relationship with him is not in your son's best interests). I think you are going to need to take some kind of break from work while you fight this war. Get on to Womens Aid 0808 2000 247 at your absolute earliest - they are the experts and will know how to guide you through this and will support you practically and emotionally. Lines are busy during the day so a night time call would be better. I agree that something along the lines of compassionate leave could be something you could go for - I'm sure Womens Aid will have some ideas of how to go about a break of some kind without jeopardising your career.

If you get the right people behind you, it could be that time taken off work could be relatively short. You need your escape strategy, to get it in place; dot the i's and cross the t's so it is airtight and ready to launch without revealing your hand beforehand, or until it is too late for him to do anything about it. It's all in the planning.

[springyhope]

I'm not suggesting you are fleeing in the way that a beaten wife would (though your situation is not that dissimlar, sadly). of course your h will have his own legal representation blah blah but the more work you can do in the planning the better for you (and your son); so that you are ready and not on the back foot, as you are now.

[Hissy]

i'd suggest ringing respect too, as they are set up for perpetrators, and know all the countertricks!

[Horsemad]

OP, what would happen if you went out with your DS at the w/e before your H was ready? If he was in the shower, for instance?

[domesticsloven]

Much better yesterday and today no problems spent all time with ds

[NicknameTaken]

DSloven, I remember your last thread. I think you need to talk to a solicitor. Can you ring around and find if a local solicitor will give you a free half hour? Go to more than one if you can.

I do think your H is abusive - he wants to trample all over you so he can win. It makes me feel cold, because this is also what my ex did to me with DD. I left when she was a lot younger. Because I left and took her with me, and I had quite a lot of written evidence of his abuse, I became the residential parent and he has her for contact.

Tbh, you could run into a situation where your DS does want to stay with his father, and this is going to be tricky. This is why I think above all you need good legal advice, and you need to keep a diary of the way your H treats you because you could well find yourself negotiating this in front of a judge one day.