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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

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DH is a bit Girly/Disorganised - Anyone Else Have One of these?

473 replies

JessieJJJ · 31/12/2014 11:16

...and how to cope, because its driving me mad?

This week for example, we went to the cinema, I booked the tickets, but it was a new cinema and we couldn't find it. This was after a minor drama where he lost his jacket. So we were wandering about the town, looking for it. He wouldn't ask anyone, so I had to approach 3 passers by to ask for directions, but by then he had wandered off. He wouldn't answer his phone so by the time he eventually stumbled across it, we had missed the first 40 minutes of the film.

Then after the film had ended, he had lost his car keys in the cinema. Fortunately someone had handed them in, but not before we had searched the entire cinema and I had been accused of "taking them".

We then went away in the car for a couple of days. I was going to book the first night's accommodation in a hotel but he asked me not to, as he didnt' want to be tied down. So I ended up paying nearly double to stay in the very same hotel as the on the door price was more expensive than the internet. I said he could do the accommodation for the second night, but we couldn't find anywhere, and were driving around for about 3 hours looking. A lot of places were closed and eventually we only found somewhere by pulling up at a tourist information board, me phoning various numbers on my phone and getting someone to open up a self catering apartment. DH's phone had ran out of power so he couldnt' do any phoning. He then sulked for most of the next day because he ended up paying £100 to stay in a self catering apartment for one night - he literally wouldn't speak to me or answer any questions until about 3pm.

We took it in turns to drive home, neither of us like Tom Toms but I am very good at map reading, so I gave him good directions when he was driving. As soon as we swapped, he gave me several wrong directions involving lengthy detours off the motorway into small villages, etc.. Even when we were visiting an attraction, he stood next to a massive sign saying "Exit" and announced "I'm really lost now, I can't find my way out".

He works as an engineer so should be quite practical, and he is only 45...but he seems to specialise in putting things on upside down or the wrong way round, you would think the law of change would mean he would be wrong maybe only 50% of the time but no, he bucks that trend. If you say "take the first exit at the roundabout" he is more likely to randomly take the third exit, if you say "go left" you cannot trust him not to go right.

It might sound funny but its actually incredibly stressful for me, as if I don't keep a constant watch on him, he might wander off and get lost. And driving in the dark and heavy rain late at night looking for a way back to the motorway isn't much fun. But he's quite rude with it?

OP posts:
Twinklestein · 04/01/2015 17:20

Ralgex I wasn't suggesting that by helping her husband the OP was enabling his disabilities, but that she was enabling his denial of them.

Whatthefucknow · 04/01/2015 17:39

Haven't time to finish the thread and it is giving me the rage anyway.
The girly thing is completely offensive. Wise up OP.
I cannot understand why you would take directions from someone who can't read a map, that you know is sending you wrong. You are the driver so it's up to you to check the map before you start and keep it handy to check along the way. Anything else is incomprehensible to me.
I would not let someone 'make' me late for the cinema. Just go without him.
He sounds like a gigantic pain in the arse. You are obviously so sexist yourself that you would feel like too much of a man to organise hols, cinema trips, drives, etcetera, yourself than let your big, strong, handsome, incompetent, bad at map reading, disorganised, panicky, and very fucking annoying from where I'm sitting MAN do it for you. Just do it yourself! My god! It staggers me! Don't fucking involve him in any organising since he is clearly useless. All the other shit it's up to you if u can put up with.

senvet · 04/01/2015 18:15

4 days
18 pages
sigh

JessieJJJ · 04/01/2015 21:56

Is this still going on? I mean do any of these word-obsessed people have any friends in real life? Can you imagine having a conversation with one of them and accidentally letting slip an "offensive" word or mispronouncing something and unintentionally causing offence? And then nearly a week later, being subjected to constant reminders, directives to read incredibly patronising, dummned down literature and being bossed around til all you want to do is avoid that person and never see them again, much less have a conversation with them? Ever find people do that to you? Now you know why.

GallicShhrug Despite explanations of why OP's particular approach (now modified) seemed to point to complications in her relationship

Look dear, I haven't "modified" anything for you or any other bitter and twisted abuser on this thread. You don't get to make the rules, there is no law making it offensive which applies here, and you have no authority over people. I have simply pointed out that my intention was not sexist. I see no reason why the adjective "girly" is confined to women (or girls). You don't have the capacity to grasp that concept, so you are stuck in this loop of being offended. However, if you can point to legislation outlawing the use of the specific word "girly" then please cut and paste the link. Not an advert for soap, not some worthy article by a feminist, but an actual law, specifically relating to that word.

The irony of these constant entreaties that DH must have ASD by people who are obsessed over one word and its meaning, and who constantly and repetitively post on that one word, over and over again.

Twinklestein I wasn't suggesting that by helping her husband the OP was enabling his disabilities, but that she was enabling his denial of them.

You have been very helpful before, but its incredibly unprofessional to diagnose someone without examination. I don't have a disabled husband (he hasn't been diagnosed), and if mild ASD is always considered a disability, then you are going to have to diagnose at least half the UK population (if not more), for which there aren't resources or the will. In fact, there might barely be anyone left who is not disabled, if you consider common character failings to be disabilities. If indeed he does have ASD and is not just a product of a rude and rather useless upbringing or have early onset of another more serious condition. That doesn't make me "disablist", just not as obsessed with disability and trying to label people as disabled as some of you on here. You are being incredibly patronising and if you cannot understand why someone functioning in a well paid job would not want a classification well into adulthood or to use that classification in any sense or form, then I sincerely hope that you do not work in the medical profession.

Can I just say some of you seem to be setting yourselves up as an awful lot cleverer than you actually are. You seem to assume that only you understand or have ever heard of ASD and its continuum spectrum, and that people like me are thick and need to be guided so as to see the light. And gosh, "I can write swear words, I must be so clever". From what I have read, that certainly doesn't seem to be the case and I question how some of the worst posters on here can actually do things such as hold down jobs and continue a social life.

I am so, so sick of this thread. I am, variously, "enabling", "abusive", "disablist", "dim", "vile", "sexist", and goodness knows what else. According to others, I've caused my husband to have all sorts of problems and am basically the spawn of the devil. Yet others maintain I am soooo stupid, I can barely function. If I believed any of that overblown mindless crap, I would have actually shot myself by now. I will encourage DH to seek CBT, which is more likely to produce some useful effects than obtaining a pointless diagnosis to satisfy a bunch of competitive control freaks.

I have to say, I'm not entirely unconvinced that some of the more abusive, pseudo-feminist posters on here aren't actually men getting a kick out of it. Maybe I'm being paranoid, mind you stranger things have happened ont' internet.

In my innocence, I had hoped I might produce a thread with other women's experiences, that I could print out and show to DH, which would make him realise how awkward a travelling companion he can be. Who on earth would show anyone this embarrassment now?

OP posts:
JessieJJJ · 04/01/2015 22:04

Arsenic OP has said more than once that she considers that SpLD dxs are used as 'excuses' for laziness and ineptitude (yet another of her offensive views).

No, I didn't. I said my husband. That is my husband, whose life you have absolutely no say in, may not benefit. I have not even used the word "laziness". I do not think that, and you are being really offensive in accusing people of things they do not think. I have said this several times, but you are pursuing some bizarre agenda to make a poster on the internet out to be something they are not.

If you knew as much about ASD as you think you do, you would realise there is a vast difference in manifestations and presentations.

She is actively opposed to the idea

I am not. I simply do not support forcing something to do something they do not want to do. I am also a big fan of CBT and know an excellent counsellor.

Has anyone ever spoken to you about boundaries? There are certain moral and personal boundaries in life that most people know not to go beyond, otherwise you risk being offensive. It might do you some good to read up about them.

So many oddballs on this thread.

OP posts:
JessieJJJ · 04/01/2015 22:10

GallicShrug She also said she'd reconsider whether she could get/wangle/trick DH to get some sort of neuro evaluation.

The word I actually used was "persuade".

OP posts:
Fairenuff · 04/01/2015 22:12

Like I said, sad for you OP.

It looks like you will continue in your miserable life Sad

JessieJJJ · 04/01/2015 22:15

I don't have a miserable life Fairenuff. Probably because it doesn't involve trying to make other people miserable to make myself feel better.

OP posts:
Fairenuff · 04/01/2015 22:18

You are not going to change anything, therefore this will continue and you will be unhappy. That's a miserable life. You don't have to live like that OP, you could make your own changes. You are relying on him to make you happy and that clearly isn't going to happen.

However, it's also clear that you don't want to hear that. In fact you don't want to hear what anyone has said. I wonder why you posted in the first place really.

ArsenicFaceCream · 04/01/2015 22:19

Extremely sad

RandomNPC · 04/01/2015 22:19

My god, are you still arguing about the word 'girly' on this thread??!

ArsenicFaceCream · 04/01/2015 22:21

No it seems to have moved on to gobbledgook Random

JessieJJJ · 04/01/2015 22:22

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

ArsenicFaceCream · 04/01/2015 22:25

You just sound silly Jessie. It's boring.

I'm hiding this so it can't keep flashing up in my thread list.

arthriticfingers · 04/01/2015 22:28

I see no reason why the adjective "girly" is confined to women (or girls).
Confused Biscuit

JessieJJJ · 04/01/2015 22:35

Fairenuff - I've explained several times, that I posted to hear other people's experiences, and to possibly get a thread I could print out and show to DH (not that I'd do that now, I can imagine anyone's reaction on reading a few of the posts on here would be something along the lines of "what a bunch of nutters".

Thank you for your words of wisdom. As I have also said repeatedly, we are currently living apart. I have decided to try and persuade him to try CBT (because I know a good counsellor, don't know why I didn't think of her before) and because I think it might actually be quite useful in dealing with some of the specific manifestations, such as poor time keeping and not considering other people's views.

If this doesn't fit in your precise idea of what I should do at this very precise juncture in time, then that's because you don't make life-changing decisions on that basis. You really don't understand me very well if you think I am some pitiful, sad creature who relies on their husband to make them happy. Odd.

OP posts:
GloopyGhoul · 04/01/2015 22:37

Bloody hell! I am amazed at the level of idiocy displayed by some people on this thread. (And not the pro-FWRs, to be clear.)

I'd like to suggest that posters quoting other posters ought to do so in context... it's not particularly clever to lift a few words, rant argue against them, and generally be rude and offensive, when those words have been taken out of context.

Fairenuff · 04/01/2015 22:41

I think you should show him the thread actually OP. It doesn't show you in a very good light, granted, but he might find all the posters offering their knowledge and experiences helpful.

Anyway, you do as you see fit. As I said, it's your life, not ours.

GallicShrug · 04/01/2015 23:49

I have decided to try and persuade him to try CBT (because I know a good counsellor, don't know why I didn't think of her before) and because I think it might actually be quite useful

The thread did some good, then. Pleased to hear it.

LittleLionMansMummy · 05/01/2015 00:11

Forget the supposedly offensive use of the word 'girly' in the OP title. This thread serves as little more than evidence that lots of women can indeed be extremely twattish. Is that derived from Latin? All very unseemly. And boring.

JessieJJJ · 05/01/2015 00:21

Gallic The thread did some good, then. Pleased to hear it.

No-one on this thread suggested CBT and one poster counselled against it. I have not found this thread particularly helpful, mainly because its been taken over by a bunch of posters who have a very specific agenda to force down other people's throats at all costs (apart from the posts from the decent posters). Its unfortunate that they are mired between the less-than-helpful. (I'm trying very hard to be polite).

Its absolutely awful, LittleLion.

OP posts:
GallicShrug · 05/01/2015 00:24

Oh, good grief.

FloraFox · 05/01/2015 00:36

JessieJJJ you said upthread that when you are arguing with your DH, he will focus on one word or phrase and keeping on at it. In this thread, you have said your DH is girly, effeminate and not masculine, repeatedly. You have also said you have to take the role of the man in your relationship.

Now you are saying that posters on this thread who are asking you to consider these words are "word obsessed" and you are comparing what you have said to accidentally "letting slip" what you describe as "offensive" in quotation marks (what you said was offensive, not "offensive").

On that point, I have sympathy with your DH. I would find you very difficult to deal with in real life. Similarly with your lack of self-reflection.

Whatthefucknow · 05/01/2015 00:57

I must say I like yr spelling of dummned down! Would be good for the next dummn and dummner movie lol. Only joking I'm sure it's a typo.
Anyway you stiiiiillllll don't seem to get it re girly. Sigh.
It's not that you can't apply the adjective girly to men or boys, you can if you want.
It's the characteristics that you ascribe to that adjective that are offensive to me, a woman, to my daughter, a super competent girl, and to everyone who cares about the ongoing struggle for women and girls not to be seen as less than. It's not just a pack of rabid feminists who you are being massively disrespectful to over and over. Try to understand. It's hurtful, nasty and demeaning what you are saying. It's not a minor silly billy thing. It's a terrible insidious message that you are promoting and have internalised. Mumsnet is really good for consciousness raising. Why don't you have a serious think about what lots and lots of women are saying to you in their posts?
Even if it doesn't help with your DH problem this thread might be the start of some long overdue enlightenment for you and other like minded posters. It's a very serious issue. It causes young women tremendous self esteem issues when girly is used as an insult or to imply incompetence or learned helplessness. It may be absolutely normal and standard in your world but there are lots of places it isn't. Maybe you could start changing those ideas in your crowd?
Also as an aside, someone de Beauvoir is not dumbed down Confused and the dove ad is terrific.
I would say part of your prob with your husband is your disappointment that he doesn't conform to your very conservative, and stereotypical gender roles which may be rigidly upheld in the crowd that you run with but are actually just social constructs that are being queried and rejected as bollox by lots of people. If you rid yourself of this limiting attitude you may find that you are less disappointed by him and are happier to assume responsibility for things you are good at that you currently seem to expect him to do because he is the man.
Is that any help??Smile

Whatthefucknow · 05/01/2015 01:02

*Simone

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