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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

I don't trust him online

84 replies

mexica · 22/07/2015 11:42

Been with dp for 5 years. We have a 1 year old together and I have 2 dc from previous marriage.

We've lived together for 3 years. But it took me a whole year to allow him to meet my children and another year of family dates, so he could build a relationship with them before I agreed we could all live together.
On the day we moved in together whilst setting up his Netflix account I discovered he had a fake Facebook profile (different name, pic etc) I asked him and he denied all knowledge. I trusted him completely and I tried to put it out of my mind but something didn't feel right. So I snoopedSad
I found hundreds of pictures from Facebook in his internet history. I didn't recognise most of them but there were a few I knew as my friends daughter (18) and a couple of my sons friends (17)

Mostly they were random girls from other areas all posing provocative and some beach and holiday pics.
Obviously I went mad and asked him. He said it was a habit he'd got in to when single and was basically using it as stimulation for private time urgh! He claimed it was just voyeurism no contact and there was nothing else to know.
I didn't believe him. So basically I jacked his emails. I found 5 fake Facebook profiles all used to friend request females and on one he'd requested his ex (a marries woman he'd been sleeping with, he'd claimed it was just sex, no feelings)

I threw him out and he was gone for a month. I spent that time getting myself together and enjoying life with my kids and friends. I realised I didn't need him and his issues in my life.
But! I took him back. We talked for weeks before I allowed him to come home. He explained he'd been selfish and hadn't considered my ffeelings. He said he'd realised that he had loved his ex and he'd gone through a phase of getting depressed and indulging thinking about her. He admitted he'd also been smoking weed with friends and he tgought this added to the depressive moods.
I asked for total honesty and got it. He told me he'd messaged hundreds of women telling them they were sexy but most hadn't replied and if any did reply he promptly blocked them. So strange!
He swore nothing like that would ever happen again. And I believed him.
Everything was good for a year. I worked hard to get my confidence back in response to seeing how hard he was working to rebuild trust.
When I found out we were expecting ds he was over the moon. I was terrified. My children were 17 and 11 and I hadn't planned anymore. Plus I was worried about him being ready to be a father.
We went ahead and I can honestly say he's been amazing. He was supportive all through the pregnancy birth and has been a brilliant father. He cooks cleans takes care of baby and plans stuff to so with my other children too. He'd stopped smoking and getting drunk. He'd really stepped up and I was feeling secure in my little family.

Until this last month. I knew something was off. Something didn't feel right. Sex had stopped being love making and was more disconnected. Like he wasn't really there in mind. There was no foreplay no soft touches, just flipping me over and pounding away. I spoke to him and explained how I felt and he apologised and said he'd make an effort. But no change. He stopped coming on family trips or trips out shopping or visiting friends and family. Saying he was tired or feeling unwell.
First chance I got I checked his phone.
He'd been searching for pics again. Mostly it was actresses or women off other tv shows like big brother or x factor. But there was another girl from Facebook. He'd checked her profile hundreds of times over the last 3 months. Sometimes he'd look at her pics 10+ Times a day. He admitted this was because she llooked a bit like his ex.

I don't know what to do. He's booked himself in to counselling and goes in 2 weeks. He claims he's sorry and wants to change. Claims he loves me and the boys and will do anything. He thinks he has an addiction and says he needs help.

I'm seeing a counsellor too. My confidence is at an all tine low, I've zero self esteem and I'm worried what all this has done to me mentally. I'm 35 but regularly get asked for proof when buying alcohol so I'm young looking. I'm in good shape and I often get complimented. But when I look in the mirror all I see is those pics and I compare myself and fall short. I see old, ugly, small boobs, wrong sized butt, wrong colour hair (I'm half Mexican so I'm pretty dark)
I can't walk down the street without feeling self conscious and I'm struggling to hold my head high. But I've done nothing wrong.
I'm sorry this was so long and probably poor grammar and spelling but my mind is all over the place

OP posts:
Enoughalreadyyou · 22/07/2015 16:30

If this progresses he could turn into a sex pest stalker. What a weak feckless man.

Jan45 · 22/07/2015 16:31

I found hundreds of pictures from Facebook in his internet history. I didn't recognise most of them but there were a few I knew as my friends daughter (18) and a couple of my sons friends (17)

So did he actually send sex messages to these friends????

I also don't like how he gave up showing any real affection towards you, turning you over and pounding you are not actions of a man that is showing real love for his partner, what exactly are you giving up if you do get rid, someone who makes pizza with your kids - is all the other crap really worth that?

Jan45 · 22/07/2015 16:33

I think maybe you and the kids are a front, underneath, he's a whole different man, one with major issues.

mexica · 22/07/2015 16:35

No I don't think it's grand gestures. They've had pizza night every second Wednesday for the last 2 years. He's not a grand gesture type of person anyway. He's been loving and supportive to the boys the entire time. He gets on well with my ex husband and we all have a nice relationship where my ex comes round for tea once a week. Just so the boys see us all together. And its a nice chance to chat about school and work etc.
Other than this online stuff I can honestly say dp has no other flaws (yes I know this is a massive one) He's respectful in the way he speaks to me and supportive of everything I do. He goes out once every other Saturday with friends and is always hone by midnight and keeps in regular contact with me. In fact this last Saturday he didn't go out as scheduled as my boys were away for the night so he stayed home and planned a DVD and tapas night with me instead. I wasn't much in to it due to everything that's been going on and went to bed early. But you see these aren't grand gestures this is just how he is. Brilliant in every way apart from the online stuff

OP posts:
butterflygirl15 · 22/07/2015 16:36

Storing pics of other people is just grim and furtive and wrong surely? And messaging others telling them they are sexy - how is that ever ok? You say this is an obsessive behaviour, but surely it is a disloyal, unfaithful and inappropriate one too. I can't see that counselling will enable you to trust him. Or will you just monitor all of his online activity, his secret email addresses and anything else you haven't yet found? No way for you to live is it?

mexica · 22/07/2015 16:42

No he didn't message these. But their pictures were in his internet history as he'd gone through their pages looking at them. The ones he'd messaged were either American or from the other side of the UK. And always from a fake profile so no chance of meeting them.
It was basically him using Facebook and pictures of tv stars as porn rather than just using porn. I guess he grew bored and then went on to messaging.

OP posts:
mexica · 22/07/2015 16:45

He claims that most men will look through Facebook pictures for the same reason. While I don't doubt there will be other men who look for that reason I don't accept that many men will go to the lengths he did. This is why he needs counselling. He honestly didn't think it was that wrong. He didn't even try to hide it in his history

OP posts:
butterflygirl15 · 22/07/2015 16:49

he would claim that though wouldn't he? I wholeheartedly disagree with him and I know you deserve better than a man with such seedy private behaviours.

But I think you are going to justify his behaviour yourself, brush it under the carpet and tell yourself this is normal and ok until the next discovery. How is counselling going to stop this 'porn' use I wonder? His view of women as objects for him to perve over - well it's just not nice or respectful surely?

Jan45 · 22/07/2015 16:49

You are already excusing his behaviour OP, whether you are aware of that are not.

Call it an addiction, a problem ,whatever, fact is he has now completely disrespected you for the second time running, it's just a matter of time before he sends a message to someone that knows you, if he has not already.

Total disrespect in my book OP, it's no illness, it's him deliberately accessing females and striking up sexual conversations with them, and unwelcome at that.

Up to you, fool me once, twice....you know how it goes.

Be prepared if you do sweep it under again that next time you will be utterly devastated.

Act now, give him a consequence and you may actually have a chance of getting a normal relationship, that's really up to him.

Stop using your kids as a get out clause to basically sit back and take crap.

butterflygirl15 · 22/07/2015 16:49

And tbh the fact that he thinks it is ok and he didn't try and hide it makes it even worse!

cozietoesie · 22/07/2015 16:53

You say he's 'respectful' and 'supportive' - except that he lies to you, messages other women, looks at pictures (even if that's all it is) of young girls etc etc etc. And this in a situation where he knows how you feel about it because he'd done it before and promised to never do it again?

How can you possibly trust him again? And if you have no trust in the relationship on fundamentals.............?

Jan45 · 22/07/2015 16:53

Wow, he thinks it's ok, well good luck with the counselling, it wont make a jot of difference, how can he possibly be expected to be helped when he thinks it's alright to do this.......Confused

mexica · 22/07/2015 16:58

He's since said that he knew it was wrong. That he knew he was being disrespectful but put me out of his head at the time. I don't know if counselling will help but I hope it does. Not for the sake of me staying with him as its clear that's not going to happen ultimately. But for my youngest sons sake. He deserves a well balanced daddy. And he'll always be around for his sons sake. He needs to get help for that reason alone

OP posts:
Jan45 · 22/07/2015 17:01

I don't see what this has to be with his son, he need never know about it, he's hid it from you for long enough, you only found out by snooping, otherwise it would have carried on for the foreseeable, and it will again, just like last time, once you bury this one under the carpet, that's quite a bump you are making there.

He's now playing the victim in the hope you take pity and pity on the kids and revert to your previous reaction, i.e, do nothing and pretend it will go away.

cozietoesie · 22/07/2015 17:04

Well I don't know if it will help to be honest - from my experience, you can't just toddle along to counselling with a fixed thought process and expect to be 'sorted'. There has to be at least some awareness that there's an issue to be addressed and he sounds to have none really - apart from you disliking what he's been doing.

Is he still smoking weed?

cozietoesie · 22/07/2015 17:07

By the way - when and where has he been doing this? In your house and using your internet while you were otherwise engaged? Or from work?

It doesn't sound as if it's a matter of moments.

mexica · 22/07/2015 17:07

Of course it has to do with his son.

What happens when he doesn't check the age on a profile? When he just sees a young woman taking a picture in her mirror in a tight dress like thousands of others do. He sends a message telling her she's sexy. What if she's underage and tells her parent's. I end up with the police at my door and left trying to explain to my kids what's happened.
He will always be around because he's the babies daddy. But this is a real possibility surely.
He claims he's come off Facebook and that he'll never ever go back on. He claims he'll never go searching for pictures or watch porn again but I can't believe him. Why would he just stop now?

He says it's because he's realises how close he's come to losing everything and the fact I've told him how dangerous distractions could be to us all. He's booked himself in to counselling telling them "I have an addiction to lusting after females online and its lead to me being reckless and ruining my relationship, I need help'

OP posts:
Jan45 · 22/07/2015 17:08

Your self esteem will soar btw once you stand up for yourself.

Bet he looks FA like Brad Pitt.

And, the other stuff he does, helps, looks after baby, gets involved, these are basics OP, of any relationship, not bonuses.

I think you are scared of having to admit things have failed because it's second time around............he failed, not you!

Jan45 · 22/07/2015 17:11

Yes good point, see how bad this is?

But he has nothing to make him feel he has lost anything, he's still there carrying on as normal making pizza.

I think you've already made your mind up to suck it up as you say, so I will bow out now, not much else I can add.

mexica · 22/07/2015 17:15

He stopped smoking weed before I found out I was pregnant. And he smoked when he was visiting friends.

The searches were never done when I was in the house (apart from once when he searched for a girl off x factor) the history shows it was when I was on shift and he wasn't or when I was out with friends. If he was home with the children it would start about 10.30pm when they were in bed and he's cleaned up after dinner.

OP posts:
sebsmummy1 · 22/07/2015 17:23

Sounds really pervy to me. I know you have two older children, boys? girls? If one or both are girls I would be very very concerned about having him around her/them in the house.

oabiti · 22/07/2015 17:29

He will start by looking and with all the hundreds of women he msgs, one will play ball. The fake account wasn't because he was not interested in meeting these women (or at least the local ones), it was so you would not find out what he was doing.

He will end up sleeping with one of these young women, it is just a matter of time.

What an awful situation for you :-(

butterflygirl15 · 22/07/2015 17:29

it isn't your job to fix him so he can be a good father. How is that your responsibility? And the police won't be knocking at your door because you won't be living with him, so that is a false argument surely?

cozietoesie · 22/07/2015 17:31

mexica

He's only going to counselling (and I assume it's private and not through work or the NHS - because if the last, I'd like to know his secret for getting it in two weeks) in response to a risk to himself that you'll kick him out.

He has been lying to you. Lying. Big time.

mexica · 22/07/2015 17:35

No all 3 of my children are boys.

Yes his behaviour is disgusting and abhorrent but he's not a paedophile. I've seen every profile of every picture he's ever looked at and I can assure you not one was underage.
I've said nothing to suggest my children wouldn't be safe around this man. Not every man who looks at porn and pictures online is interested in children. And I find that suggestion hurtful.

Yes I agree he's messed up. And he's hurt me and quite possibly lost everything but when I leave him it will be for the way he has disrespected me. Not because I fear him being round children

OP posts: