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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

DH suggested I put this to you lot. What do you think?

422 replies

AntideluvianCat · 25/07/2014 11:43

I'm going to try to keep this as neutral as possible, as it seems DH and I both completely believe we're in the right, despite our opposing views. Also going to try not to drip feed.

We've been together two years, married just over a year. We both have DDs from previous relationships. Mine (12) lives with us and goes to see her dad overnight at the weekend; his (13) stays two nights a week. My DD has some SEN, and coupled with the hormonal chaos of being 12, can be quite hard work. I also work 25 hours a week in a job that I love, but that can also be stressful and a bit overwhelming (social work).

A couple of months ago, DH told me that if I won't dress up for sex - ie. stockings, suspenders, thong, basque, whatever - he can't see any point in our relationship continuing. I was absolutely flabberghasted. It was like being kicked in the head. He did apologise, and we patched things up a bit, but he keeps coming back to the same thing every time we have words. He says that it would make him feel wanted and appreciated, that he is constantly giving to me, and that I give nothing back.

Thing is, I DO want and appreciate him. I love him. I'm so glad we found each other, at this relatively late stage in life (I'm 40, he's 50). But I find the weekdays hard, when DD is playing up and I'm exhausted from work and the constant bloody grind of housework and organising everything. As consequence, sex tends to happen at the weekends. I'd say we probably have sex a couple of times at the weekend, and sometimes, but not always, once during the week.

The funny thing is, that at the weekends when I'm relaxed and can focus on us rather than everybody else, I do dress up for him, and am happy to do so. I really enjoy it, and love the effect it has on him. This morning, during yet another argument about this, I reminded him of this, but he said it doesn't count because I'm only doing it under duress. I'm not doing it under duress, but it seems I can't win. He is insistant that I should - on say, a Tuesday evening, when I've been at work, then come home and have been running around doing domestic chores and coping with / helping / monitoring / disciplining DD til 9.30pm, I should pop on some saucy underwear and adopt the sex kitten persona. But I don't want anyone to make anymore demands on mme. It's all I can do to crawl into bed and read for half an hour.

In the interests of balance, I should add that DH has more money than me and props me up a bit financially, which I'm incredibly grateful for and regularly tell him so. He does most of the washing up, hoovers the house once a week, cleans the bathrooms, does any gardening, and helps me with DD a lot. I have quite high standards domestically (but not ridiculous - I only clean once a week and change beds every 7 - 10 days), and am very tidy. Being tidy helps me feel on top of things, and I make no apology for it. DH says that he likes my standards, but doesn't really help to maintain them. I feel that I tidy up after him a lot.

An example: He eats a lot of biscuits. I have asked him to use a plate for these, as otherwise I have to clear up his crumbs. He refuses; thinks I'm being ridiculous. I got a telling off a couple of weeks ago for asking his DD to eat off a plate too. I've tried to explain to him that this little thing could actually help with the sex thing - I wouldn't feel so resentful having to clear up after him all the time. But it is just dismissed. He actually said to me this morning (and I quote) " we should have high standards domestically, and high standards in the bedroom" Shock

Your goign to tell me to LTB aren't you? Sad

OP posts:
vicmackie · 26/07/2014 15:07

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ to protect the OP's identity.

wyrdyBird · 26/07/2014 15:09

We are together most of the time, work together, and he rarely goes out

That's a lot of time to spend together. Do you both have friends, and do you go out on your own?

LetsFaceTheMusicAndDance · 26/07/2014 15:36

Just to add - if I had a daughter, I would not want to expose her to a man with such nasty attitudes towards women. I'm not for a second implying that he's inappropriate with her, it's just that if he has these attitudes towards you and you accept them, it's bound to colour her ideas about relatioships.

AntideluvianCat · 26/07/2014 17:48

Well, we've had a chat and I'm now even more Confused

Around about Easter (so, what - four months ago?) he suggested all four of us go on holiday together. We've never done this before. I said "no way". Reasons being:

  • When his daughter is around, he is like a coiled spring. He can't relax, or focus on anything or anyone other than her. Bit of a Disney dad. I can cope with this for 48 hours, but a whole week would be tough.
  • The two girls don't like each other very much. Unfortunate, but they are both very different people, and no matter how much we'd like them to get on, we can't force it. They don't actually argue or anything, just do their own thing.
  • He is convinced that I don't like her. This is not true. She's a nice girl: polite, intelligent, studious. However, there is a bit of tension in the house when she's here (absolutely not her fault), and I can find it quite difficult to get a conversation going with her. But I am friendly and welcoming and I keep trying.

So, anyway, DH says that he was so hurt by my rejection of the holiday idea (which he sees as a rejection of himself and his daughter), he has been unwilling to co-operate with me ever since about domestic tasks, and that the sex demands were "because I wanted you to do something for me".

He has had four months to tell me that he was upset about this, but hasn't. I really didn't know how badly he'd taken it. So he's now blaming his poor treatment of me on something I said months ago and didn't know the impact of (as if this justifies it somehow). I've said to him today that of course we can all go on holiday together if its so important to him, and I wish he'd told me before.

I have also told him (he's had plenty of time and opportunity now to RTT, but hasn't, so I guess he probably won't) that you lovely lot have helped me formulate my thoughts about his behaviour towards me re sex, and that the bullying must STOP immediately, that what he is doing is verging on emotional and sexual abuse, and that I insist on having jurisdiction over my own body. He has agreed. Don't know yet whether this means that it will stop, but we'll see.

He's also agreed to use a plate for his biscuits Grin Biscuit
And that the girls should be treated the with the same expectations.

But I am really perplexed now. Why didn't he say this before? When I asked him a couple of months ago what he was unhappy about, he responded with the remarks in my OP about dressing up and the relationship being over if I didn't. Why did he say that then, if it was actually the thing about the holiday? How do I know that what he is saying now is actually the truth? Hmm

OP posts:
Vivacia · 26/07/2014 17:52

I. Am. Speechless.

PlantsAndFlowers · 26/07/2014 17:53

You don't.

sarahquilt · 26/07/2014 17:54

He's a twat

flappityfanjos · 26/07/2014 17:58

Oh what a pile of shite. He was so stricken when you didn't want to go on holiday that he HAD to go on housework strike and pressure you about sex. This is his idea of how to communicate in a relationship? At best that sounds exhausting, at worst highly manipulative.

I really hope he means it about the horrible nagging re. dressing up for sex. If he doesn't stop that shit right now, please don't fall back into letting him get away with it. He does not get to treat you that way.

gamerchick · 26/07/2014 17:58

I very much doubt he hasn't read the thread.. He knew it was there and it would have killed his curiosity.

If he has to reach so far back into the past to find something to blame it all on you for then there are no words.

He could have at least owned his shit !

FuckTheMagicDragon · 26/07/2014 17:58

He's making excuses. And blaming you in a more round about way. He's still a twat

Crikeyblimey · 26/07/2014 18:01

So, he finds it easier to threaten you, coerce you into something you don't feel comfortable with sexually and yet he can't tell you be was upset about your holiday plans?

How bloody odd and disturbing.

He is very immature and sou ds completely selfish - with a large measure of poor attitude towards women thrown in.

Sorry but he sounds like an arse.

aylesburyduck · 26/07/2014 18:03

Still think he's a twat.

I also think he's spouting a whole load of shite because he's a nob-jockey, wank-badgerish, dickwad.

Have my very first LTB. In fact LTFB.

ExcuseTypos · 26/07/2014 18:04

That is just horrible and nasty.

For 4 months he's been keeping up ways to punish you for not wanting to go on holiday.

I'd find that quite sinister tbh.

4 months!!

Vivacia · 26/07/2014 18:08

He made that excuse up to deflect. And it worked because the conversation is suddenly about how you have hurt him rather than him being an abusive sex pest.

eddielizzard · 26/07/2014 18:12

well ok. give him the benefit of the doubt - time will soon show whether that's the truth. we're not all perfect, and he clearly has a major communication problem if it's true, and it's not the way to conduct a healthy relationship.

i'd still be very Hmm because this excuse still doesn't really make it all ok does it?

EhricLovesTheBhrothers · 26/07/2014 18:12

Really? 4 months ago you hurt his feelings so he has been punishing you with housework and sexual bullying ever since? Can you see how ridiculous that sounds?

FunkyBoldRibena · 26/07/2014 18:15

That's even worse; he is punishing you with housework and sex demands for a slight comment about a holiday? So if you hadn't pointed it out, this would continue for ever?

rootypig · 26/07/2014 18:20

What he has to say about the holiday makes sense, on some level, and out of this context I would say should be treated sensitively. Blended families are tough.

But that fact that he is linking this to sexual bullying? to justify it? That he is offering this to you as an explanation is just - like others, words fail me. He withdrew cooperation because of a choice that you made, that he didn't like? This man does not know what a mutual and respectful relationship is.

Vivacia · 26/07/2014 18:23

Two good points above.

A) What has happened that you don't see his justfications as anything other than a load of bull?

B) How does it even get to the point where you both have a conversation where the demanding of sex and refusal to contribute to the household become an ok response to a disagreement in April??

NoSquirrels · 26/07/2014 18:25

Woah.

So before, he was upset that you wouldn't dress up for sex and that was a rejection of him, he needed to feel wanted and appreciated in this way.

And now, when called on that, he says it's because you rejected his teenage DD by not going on holiday.

WTF? He's somehow equating your personal sexual relationship (and punishing you for perceived 'failings' in that regard domestically) with your relationship with your teenage stepdaughter.

That's twisted. I stand by what I said before - you had better be certain he is a good decent man because onscreen he is appearing to be the opposite.

GilbertBlytheWouldGetIt · 26/07/2014 18:29

It's one of two things:

  1. The holiday grudge is a hastily made up, spurious excuse because he can't admit that the bullying, abusive misogynist is an ineffable part of his personality, or;
  1. He has actually kept up nasty, bullying, abusive behaviour for 4 months instead of telling you he had a problem with something.

Neither option makes him seem a rosy prospect, does it?

CalamityKate1 · 26/07/2014 18:29

He's making up excuses and it's a testament to YOUR reasonableness that he's had to cast his mind back FOUR MONTHS to think of something!

Pathetic.

IfNotNowThenWhen · 26/07/2014 18:35

I had a boyfriend like this once. He was lovely to me at first, took me on holiday, drove me around in his car, even paid my gas bill when I was short.
But he wanted everything on his terms. He tried to influence me towards a career path I wasn't interested in, as he thought I should be in a corporate job like him. He bought me underwear that I didn't like, and didn't fit properly (well, it wasn't for me, was it?). He was into bum stuff, and would nag all the time to do certain things that I was just not into.
On paper he was a lovely guy, but I never felt accepted for just being me. He was always trying to either improve me or stage manage me.
This man wasn't actually abusive (and I know abusive-that was my husband) but he was desperately immature and fearful of my wayward nature Grin. I was always the girl who would be just perfect if only she could just change...
I don't think there is much you can do with a man like that to be honest. I am sorry, but you did move into this serious relationship very, very quickly for a woman with a child. I honestly think (especially having been to Hell and back with certain men) that it would take years for me to allow a man into mine and dc's life properly.
Think about chalking it up to experience and moving on.

wafflyversatile · 26/07/2014 18:39

You know those equations where if you take an x off one side you take it off the other too and you reduce the equation to it's simplest form?

Take all the money and the house work and the holidays etc away from both sides. they are not relevant.

You want sex with your husband when the mood takes you and him. He thinks he is entitled to sex with you whether you want it or not in the style he wants whether you want that or not.

That is the crux.

AntideluvianCat · 26/07/2014 18:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.