Been with my 'D'P quite a few years now. I'm that kinda age that everyone is getting hitched/having kids. Background is that I have no kids but he has several who we have every other weekend and odd days here and there. I get on well with the kids (although the youngest is hard work), with his ex and with his family. It is him who is the problem.
I went on a girls weekend this weekend and didn't know many of them. Had a brilliant time but what struck me was how different my relationship is from theirs with their OH's. Mine puts me down a lot. One of the comments when I showed him a photo from our trip was 'why does a 'certain part of your body' always look like that?' in a derogatory way. Not 'you look really lovely' or something pleasant. I showed him a photo of me wearing a new item of clothing and said 'I'm really pleased with how this looks on me' and his response was a big silence. Some of the girls I was away with were quite shocked when I said about his fattist comments. It's killing our sex life as I don't want to get undressed as I know what he's thinking. Also getting fed up with questioning about 'you guys have been together ages; when are you getting married then?'
His response to me when I got home yesterday was to be annoyed that I was home earlier than expected (he was hungover as had had the lads round so fair enough). I put it down to being hungover. By the evening he was still being off with me to the point of rudeness. I bought him a (tasteful and decent) present back from the weekend and he just said 'It's ok'. Thanks for the gratitude. Maybe I'm being paranoid due to the atmosphere he is creating but I feel like he's had a blokes weekend and probably been slagging me off to them all.
I was excited about my weekend as don't get away much and I felt like as soon as I stepped back through the door it was the usual moaning and negativity. I had a chat to his Mum a few months ago saying that I couldn't cope with his mean attitude much longer (she said they get frustrated with him too and can't understand why he seems to want to exist in selfish bachelor mode rather than move forward with me) She obviously had a chat with him and he had been better since then. Now I feel like I did a few weeks ago. Trapped, living somewhere with someone who makes me feel like shit half the time and is sapping my happiness. He is quite controlling. I'm not a big money earner or a stunning model but I do have creative talents (so of course I'm not in the same money earning sphere as him as creative stuff never pays as well) and I might not be Stepford wife type but I feel I try to be a good person and I make a lot of effort with his kids, cooking, his family etc. I try to contribute where I can financially but I can't keep up with someone in the higher earning bracket.
I've been looking at rental accommodation online this morning to think about what my options are should I decide to leave. I'm very stuck. My tenants are in no hurry to leave my house (I rented it to move in with 'DP') and my money is all tied up there. My tenant is life limiting ill so I don't want to push them out while they are looking to buy somewhere. I also have animals and a business which would make it difficult finding a room/small place by myself. I could move back in with parents but at my age I really would feel that is a huge step back and not fair on them. What to do? How much do I put down to 'everyone has ups and downs' and how much to 'actually he just isn't a very nice person some of the time and do I want to stay with him as the bad times are outweighing the good times'? Bit sad really. Sorry it's a long OP but didn't want to drip feed and I need to move this situation on one way or the other so could do with some good advice!