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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

support thread for those of us having to 'co-parent' with a narc or very difficult exh

992 replies

besshope · 03/08/2016 07:58

Step this way...
May I start of with a great big ROAR of frustration at having spent many years having to co-parent with someone who (after he left me for OW) has gone out of his way to make my life as difficult as possible. I know there are many of us, so here's a space to share frustrations, tips and experiences.

OP posts:
RandomMess · 15/08/2016 22:36

Flowers to you all Sad

Stormsurfer · 15/08/2016 23:00

Just caught up with all the posts. Some really useful stuff here, thanks. it is so hard to know how to react to him... Nothing reasonable seems to work and then I'm left feeling like I'm being very calculating as I try to work out how to "play" him. mrsC have you any tips on going to court or sorting out settlements? Would you mind sharing how you got 100% of the assets?

Stormsurfer · 15/08/2016 23:01

Flowers for frog for thursdayxx

Marmalade85 · 15/08/2016 23:07

Have just become single mother to 8 month old son with truly psychotic ex. Believe him to have narcissistic personality disorder so going to read all of these posts with interest

FoofFighter · 16/08/2016 07:47

Welcome to the club Marmalade Flowers

Well it's the start of term here today, dd(3! yay been waiting ages to type that!) starts 3-5 nursery school today. When he brought her back from visit Sunday it wasn't mentioned, just waiting to see if he bothers to ask for a pic of her on her first day or something :/

Marmalade85 · 16/08/2016 10:35

Oh what a club to be part of Foo.

Have read through the other posts and my goodness, I could have written half of them myself.

What is it with the lies? My ex would swear that day is night and night is day and I don't know whether he actually believes it or whether he just enjoys lying? Would love some insight on this as it is truly baffling. He lies about big and small things in almost every conversation we have.

We were together barely two years and it nearly broke me. I'm amazed some of you have managed years with these horrid narc men. Everything is about them! EVERYTHING Angry

Froginapan · 16/08/2016 12:04

You've nailed it, Marmalade. Everything IS about them (unless it suits them not to be)

Here's a corker:

My ex had been truly awful to me, absolutely yelling a tirade of demeaning venom down the phone at me one afternoon.

He ignored me when he got home, got up and went to work the next morning, texted me to apologise and asking if we could talk that evening.

He got home, I avoided him because if I broached the subject and it turned into an argument it would be my fault.

When he finally sat down to talk around two hours later the very first thing that came out of his mouth was this:

'I nearly bought it in a head on collision today,'

Marmalade85 · 16/08/2016 12:55

Typical twunt behaviour. All me me me.

My ex kicked me in the back so I went to bed upset and I came back to do the baby's bottles he was sat in silence with his pants round his ankles masturbating!!! Shock absolutely appalling behaviour.

greencarbluecar · 16/08/2016 18:19

What is it with the lies? My ex would swear that day is night and night is day and I don't know whether he actually believes it or whether he just enjoys lying? Would love some insight on this as it is truly baffling. He lies about big and small things in almost every conversation we have.

^This. This a thousand times over.

And can be so convincing as well, until you know.

Froginapan · 16/08/2016 19:05

The lies - they really test my patience.

Marmalade85 · 16/08/2016 19:31

A simple conversation turns into a three hour Spanish Inquisition as you try to get the bottom of all the bullshit! Angry

Chloecoconut · 16/08/2016 19:44

Sorry for the late joining but I'm another one with a narc ex. 7 years since I had to ask him to leave (he engineered it so I asked him to leave therefore it was me breaking the family up). I think they honestly believe themselves. My ex has the kids this week and they had already told me what they'd be doing. He emailed me an hour or two ago to tell me that they'd 'just decided to do x' when the kids have been on about it for the past week! My only saving grace is that there are lots of other people who have been involved with him either friends/work /gf's who have all realised he same thing so I know it's HIM not me (if that makes sense). He's a compulsive liar, cannot face up to the problems he causes (always someone else's fault) and has the ability to attract younger women like he's some sort of god! His latest gf is 18 years younger than him and only 14 years older than our eldest!! He has also engineered it so that this gf doesn't get on with his mum either (he keeps all partners away from his mum so they can't find out what he's really like). The beat way I've found to deal with him is to keep it short and very very sweet - he hates it. Big hugs and Wine for everyone else putting up with these fcukwits ...

itsallgonetoshit · 16/08/2016 19:50

I've had five messages from ExH today, complaining about my attitude. I haven't done anything, said anything, contacted him about anything. Fuck knows what attitude he's complaining about.

RandomMess · 16/08/2016 20:04

I'd give them their own phone/sim so you can just not bother looking at it!

Wine
Marmalade85 · 16/08/2016 20:14

I've had to leave my own home with my son and miss a week and a half of work to make him finally move out and he calls every five 5 minutes saying that I have taken his son from him and broken the family up.

Yes I have! Because you are an abusive violent fucking wanker who refused to leave even though I have begged for months. My poor son had been living in a war zone and it is so wrong. He is truly deranged and already on Tinder trying to meet new women.

itsallgonetoshit · 16/08/2016 21:40

random I think I'll have to do that.

marmalade can you block him? He sounds a nasty manipulative piece of work.

greencarbluecar · 16/08/2016 22:16

Oh marmalade, I've had the same. So similar, even down to how I've destroyed his family. Yeah, there's a reason for that.

I've been told we won't reach civility until I admit all my wrongdoings. Who knows what those are supposed to be. I used to spend days trying to find out what I'd done wrong and make the foul mood go away.

greencarbluecar · 16/08/2016 22:22

Hello chloe

I think you've hit the nail on the head with everything being someone else's fault. Thank goodness you've got people around who can see what he's like! Did that take a long time to happen or have people always seen through him?

Chloecoconut · 16/08/2016 23:03

GCBC - it took time for people to see through him but they always do in the end - we've been split up for a long time and I've seen the pattern repeat itself a fair few times. In the early days I blamed myself but over time I realised that it wasn't me, it was him and and he behaves like that towards everyone x

iamnotwhat · 17/08/2016 00:37

Lived with my now exh for nearly 15 years. He is clearly a narcissist with other (currently undiagnosed) MH issues too, which he uses as "reasons" for me to go back to him (how dare I leave him as he's ill? I vowed in sickness and in health etc etc). Having suffered 15 years of EA (though I didn't realise it at the time), now I'm out of it there's no way I'm going back!

I am bombarded with messages and face-to-face comments on how he loves me, how beautiful I am (ha!), how stupid he was to lose me, how he'd do anything to go back 15 years and not cheat on me etc etc. My mum says she's amazed that I'm civil to him never mind friendly, considering what's he's done. But I'm trying to stay on friendly terms for the children. For my part, I couldn't care less if I never saw him again but I'm trying to do best for them. I'm trying to get him to be a good dad. I don't really know if that's the best thing for them though, to be honest.

Whenever I tell him there's no going back for us, and say he's got to focus on the children and on getting himself sorted he just says he doesn't want to do it for the kids and without me there's no hope of him ever getting better. How anyone can put themselves before their children like that is beyond me...

Like others, I feel guilty for lumbering the children with such a useless father. And for staying with him so long. But I just didn't see it.

Flowers to you all

Froginapan · 17/08/2016 21:57

I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight.

I still don't have ex's position statement but the implication from his solicitor is that it's full of mud-slinging and the fact that I'm not a fit mum due to me having a breakdown at Christmas after 2+ years of his abuse towards my son and 1 year of psychological abuse towards me.

I'm half expecting to lose my daughter tomorrow

mummyofcutetwo · 17/08/2016 22:12

Oh frog, that's awful. Stay strong. Hugs Flowers

greencarbluecar · 17/08/2016 22:18

Oh frog I don't know what to say, but I'm listening.

Can the impact on you be used as evidence of his awful behaviour?

I know this isn't the done thing but sending you massive hugs.

Ineedmorelemonpledge · 17/08/2016 22:47

Place marking and joining although I have to catch up on some of the posts.

My ex was defined as a narc and sociopath by his MOD psychiatrist. I found his med records when I was packing his belongings....

Last week was a small victory in court, the judge ruled that he must pay minimum amounts towards the upkeep of our DC, and all the court costs. He was fined for not submitting evidence of earnings and costs, and didn't turn up for the hearing. I won in his absence.

When I asked why he didn't show and told him the outcome it was again all my fault...if I didn't force him to see his child every other weekend he'd be able to get another part time job and pay maintenance....Hmm

I just tried to follow the legal minimum requirement for visitation in this country. For sure if I withheld I'd have heard about the injustice. He wanted to visit his DC in my home for a few hours when possible for him. Fuck that! He could then maintain control and enter my personal space at his leisure. The weekends he had my DC were and are called "my entitlement to time off and fun" Ironic in a way that he accepts my time previously was not fun.

I am another one who must "pay". Mainly for making him leave.

He seems to have forgotten all the lies, theft and consistent use of Adultfriendfinder to search for afternoon hookups as an escape from his frigid wife.

Then I made the mistake of meeting someone else...obviously knowing that at the beginning of a new relationship it's highly unlikely I can be frigid. This is driving him to distraction and delusion - I must have met my new partner before he left (therefore helping with the "you made me leave" theory, or providing a channel of sarcastic and nasty texts and messages to goad me.

If I'm in a bad mood with him, for example because he tells me he's picking up my DC from school and leaves him stranded, I'm only in a bad mood because my romance must be going wrong....When my son disclosed that my partner and I had gone away for a weekend it was thrown at me at every opportunity.

He says he won't pay when the court demands, as he is on the bones of his arse. Yet all I hear about when DS returns from a weekend are his new purchases, restaurants they've eaten in and how much he smokes. But yeah, he's skint.

My fear at the moment, is my DS replicating his behaviour. He can sometimes try to lie over things, gaslight a little and I sometimes see that nasty streak of biting sarcastic humour. This is always at the back of my mind. The influence of my ex on my sons future....Sad

RedSquirrel24 · 17/08/2016 23:14

I'm too tired to read all of this this evening, but can't believe as many posts have taken the words out of my mouth.... Will write more tomorrow, glad I'm not alone, sad so many of you are going through this