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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

Where do I start?

999 replies

skyyequake · 15/09/2016 16:34

I have no idea what I'm expecting to get from posting here, so I guess that I'll just tell the story and you can just shake me/comment whatever you think

When I met DP he was wonderful, we clicked straight away, had lots of laughs and he seemed really down to earth and wonderful. We quickly started spending most of out time together (I worked PT but with lots of overtime, he was unemployed) All my friends had gone off on their second year of uni around this time and so I wasn't spending time with anyone other than him. I was 20, he was 22.

Anyway, I guess I kind of got lost in that world without many outside influences and before I knew it (far too soon and before I really had time for my thoughts to catch up with me) we were engaged and I was pregnant. (I was happy about being pregnant and I wasn't forced into it)

The first time we had a disagreement was about me texting my friend (who was male) he said I was texting and felt like I was more engrossed in my phone than on our time together. I disagreed but compromised and agreed to text less. This quickly dwindled into not texting at all due to DPs sulking every time I sent a single text.

The next time I heard from my friend was when he sent out a mass Christmas text, I replied and we got talking. I mention I was pregnant and he congratulated me. It was at this point that DP went mental because I was smiling at my phone (because I was excited about pregnancy) and I apparently gave him a "look" which meant I must be flirting/cheating or something. I told him I could talk to whoever I liked and this just seemed to confirm to him that I was doing something dodgy. We had a massive argument. He told me I had no self-respect (I had been completely honest about my sexual history). This was the first time he pushed me to break down in tears.

Over my pregnancy, we had a ton of arguments where he would blow up and tell me I was lazy, stupid, naive, etc telling me that he was just trying to make me a "better person". I can't count the amount of times he left me in the bedroom balling my eyes out, cradling my bump and apologising for bringing her into such crap.

During my first trimester I had really bad morning sickness which left me feeling nauseous all of the time, I could barely sleep, and I was still working PT on a shop floor so on my feet all shift. It left me feeling depressed and exhausted. He would complain to me that we weren't having sex, because it made him feel like I didn't care about/love him anymore. One time we were in the middle of doing some sexual stuff and I suddenly had to dart out of the room to literally go and throw up in the toilet. When I got back he was sulking because "it didn't make him feel very wanted"

After DD was born, DP had to go away for a couple of days to paint up and move us into our new flat (we were in a shared house before). It was supposed to be a couple of days and I was in hospital for 3, when he still wasn't done I went to stay with my DGM. It took him (and family members) 3 weeks to complete it. When I would get frustrated that he would give me a "done by" date and then on that day say that they were nowhere near finished, he would yell down the phone at me that he was stressed and exhausted (I was looking after a newborn essentially on my own, whilst DGM did what she could she was nearly 80 at the time).

DGM overheard some of this, and when I told him that he was just stressed etc, she told me to never let him get up with the baby at night, as it only takes one time of anger for him to do something. He's never laid a hand on DD (now 14 months) but I always keep that in the back of my head.

Since we subsequently moved into our flat, DP has left basically everything up to me. He never did night feeds, rarely did nappies, hardly ever did any cleaning/housework. I was left with PND and when we argued he would corner me (although he denies this) and yell in my face whilst I was holding DD. Sometimes he would force me to give her to him, I would resist at first but then give in for fear he would try and snatch her off me and hurt her. Then he would continue screaming at me whilst he held her. He would continue to call me a lazy, naive little girl and would tell me that he had to break me down from what I was in order to build me back up again, and that at least now I had some self-respect.

In between all this he would be lovely. He would apologise for things he had said, citing anger problems as the reason. He said that he didn't mean anything he said during anger, even when I pointed out that that surely is what he's really thinking and he'd just done away with his filter. He denies this.

We broke up earlier this year for three months. It was always temporary, until he proved that he could step up and do his share of housework and childcare. After that amount of time he really seemed to have changed and so I (stupidly) let him back.

Almost immediately he began to fall backwards and has become more and more difficult to try and talk to about it. Telling me I'm nagging/moaning/"the only one who hasn't changed is you". This culminated last night when he accused me of not cleaning to "the same standard he can" and that when I was on my own with DD my "standard of hygiene was unlivable" (I spoke to my NDN today, who was around a lot during that time, she said there was nothing wrong with the cleanliness of my home)

He has also told me on occasion that I'm not really Bi, because you can only be gay and straight, and that it doesn't matter anyway because I'm with him so sexuality is irrelevant. He's also suggested that I'm more likely to cheat on him because I'm Bi.

I have no friends left, I don't know if my dad will understand how bad it is (he usually has excuses for him), and my DGM died in June. I'm NC with my mum, and I have no one left except my NDN who is lovely and probably the only reason I haven't gone insane.

I don't know if I can get him to leave again. The only reason he left before was because I got him to think it was his idea, he won't make that mistake again.

I keep telling him that I want the person I met back, but I don't think that person exists anymore, if they ever did.

Sorry for any typos and that this is so long.

OP posts:
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ayeokthen · 11/10/2016 21:27

Thanks Smile she's a Staffy/Boxer cross. She's mostly staff but has chops like a boxer so when she yawns they get stuck 😂 she's a rescue, just the softest wee lass you could ever meet. If you go to a rescue place it's not as expensive, only thing is they won't home staffs with kids under ten no idea why they're bloody brilliant are you thinking of moving house?

ayeokthen · 11/10/2016 21:27

I meant that we rescued her from someone we knew, we weren't allowed a rescue staff cos of that stupid policy!

skyyequake · 11/10/2016 21:40

I'm not worried about the cost of the dog, it's the food/insurance/vets bills I'm worried about Grin

At the moment we're in a one bedroom council flat... Hopefully we'll be able to bid soon so we can go to a two bed house/flat, but if I get a career going then hopefully I'll eventually be able to buy! It wouldn't even need to be a good place because my uncle's in property development so can help me out if it's a fixer-upper Grin

OP posts:
ayeokthen · 11/10/2016 21:43

Our insurance for the dog is £7.50 a month, with £99 excess. That covers her for up to £2000 a year for each condition. Food is about £16 a week, wet and dry. She's some lassie Grin
Are there 2 beds near you? It would be awesome if you could get a bigger place! Mind you buying would be great too, especially since you've got your own developer Grin what career are you fancying?

skyyequake · 11/10/2016 21:51

Yeah at the moment I couldn't take the risk of having to pay out £99, and £16 a week would be stretching our limits!

There are usually a few places near us, I'll have to see. I'd have to go with council still as I need housing benefit and hardly anywhere around here accepts it...

Career wise I'm really not sure tbh, I've been considering photography but that's a bit of a risky one

OP posts:
ayeokthen · 11/10/2016 22:03

£98 is what we had to pay for the emergency vet this weekend and it was a struggle! Unfortunately that was the lowest excess we could find. The £16 is because it's pedigree, everything else makes her farts stink 😷
I've read that lots of places won't take housing benefit, it's not a problem up here. I think it's really shitty, surely it means they're more likely to get the rent paid???
Photography could be great, weddings, parties, family portraits would get the money coming in, and then you could do whatever you wanted from there! Go for it, the Skyye is the limit Grin

skyyequake · 11/10/2016 22:11

You would think so wouldn't you? I don't know, it's probably a stuck up thing... there's a very obvious class divide where I live, it kinda sucks!

It would be great but it depends on a) if I could get business/was any good at it and b) if I could actually work out how to run my own business as most photographers are self-employed and the thought of that right now terrifies me! Grin

OP posts:
Lynnm63 · 11/10/2016 22:12

First photo was her in January she was around 9 was old. The other one was a week or so ago she's 11 month old now. Still a puppy

Where do I start?
Where do I start?
Lynnm63 · 11/10/2016 22:13

Your dogs are lovely aye boxers are so cute my dh had one as a child.

ayeokthen · 11/10/2016 22:13

I hate a class divide, it's stupid. There isn't one where I live, it's all shit Grin
Is there careers advice you could access? There's start up grants and help to set up your own business through the Jobcentre. And you will be good at it, you can do anything you choose, because you're free now! Would you need to do a college course?

ayeokthen · 11/10/2016 22:16

Lynn she's gorgeous!!!! It's mad how quickly they grow eh? Aw thanks, I love boxers, my auntie had one when I was wee, she had a deformed jaw so always looked like she was smiling! I love my animals, I hated not having a cat, the house felt wrong. It's nicer now and the kids are delighted.

Lynnm63 · 11/10/2016 22:20

Are you good at photography? You could always start small a few flyers at playgroup that sort of thing. There used to be schemes to tell you set up a business I imagine you can find out online.

Lynnm63 · 11/10/2016 22:22

I didn't realise my dd had put her cat ears hair band on Poppy in that photo. That's why she's looking down her nose at me as if to say "I'm a Saint kindly remove the ears"

ayeokthen · 11/10/2016 22:24

Haha, I didn't notice either! I love dogs with personality, they're hilarious!

Lynnm63 · 11/10/2016 22:27

She has personality by the bucket load. she actually 'roos' it like a howl in fact the DC call her Poppy Roo. I don't think she thinks she's a dog.

ayeokthen · 11/10/2016 22:36

Haha, she sounds fab! I don't think I've ever heard our pup bark you know. She's very quiet, I swear she thinks she's a cat!

GabsAlot · 11/10/2016 23:41

hope youre feeling better now-i know the paranoid thing myself but u have noting to worry about youre doing great and we're all your friends here

skyyequake · 12/10/2016 09:55

Hey sorry guys I went to sleep!

Lynn your dog is adorable! So fluffy!

I think I could be good at photography if I was taught it, so yeah I would do a college course... I think weddings are definitely something I'd like to do, I prefer photographing people to objects and landscapes. I like to try and capture peoples personalities...

Also, if you do college I think you can apply for grants to cover your equipment so potentially I could get a professional camera etc.

I'll have to speak to the jobcentre about funding a course, but if worst comes to worst I'll have my inheritance from DGM which should cover a basic college course like a Btec to get me started!

But that's one option out of a few so I'll have to think about what I really want to do...

Before CuntMonkey came along I was getting quite good at HTML and CSS coding and was considering going into web design. I've also dabbled a bit in photo editing (not to be confused with photo manipulation which is a lot harder!) and would love to try out video editing.

My best subject at school was philosophy and I would have loved to have done that at uni if it wasn't for the lack of careers off the back of it. I think the only thing I would enjoy doing with that, would be to become a philosophy lecturer at a uni myself. I'm not patient enough to teach at secondary school level, but uni level appeals to me a lot more.

Obviously these are all very Long-Shot career options... Why couldn't I have wanted to be plumber or something? Grin

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ayeokthen · 12/10/2016 17:36

Remember there's the ILA which you're entitled to each year too, I think it's about £200 towards a course. You sound like you really know what you're talking about which is a good start, and all you need is belief in yourself!
Bloody hell coding is really difficult, DP does coding (no idea what kind I'm shite with computers) and he and his brother built a game server! If that's something you could do from home to build some cash up that would be great!

skyyequake · 12/10/2016 18:36

oh no HTML and CSS are like the babies of coding! I could probably make about half a functioning website with it... I tried teaching myself JPEG but my brain imploded so I resigned myself to the fact that if I wanted to get better I would have to do some kind of course Grin It is also very time-consuming so any money I could make with my very limited skills would be miniscule compared to the amount of effort I'd be putting in! (Like, much less than minimum wage per hour)

I'm also extremely rusty! I could probably "proof-read" and make changes to someone else's code, but coding from scratch is a completely different matter and I'd have to re-teach myself.

I haven't heard of the ILA I'll have to look into it!

OP posts:
ayeokthen · 12/10/2016 19:40

Independent learning allowance or something I think it is. DP used it a few years ago to get his work credentials.
You sound like you're coming up with plans, I'm sure you could do anything you put your mind to. It's clear from your posts that you're not daft, and you have lots to offer. I look forward to hearing more Grin when is freedom on again? X

skyyequake · 12/10/2016 19:42

Thank you Flowers I hope I can make something of my life at least

Freedom is Friday so it's baking time tomorrow!

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ayeokthen · 12/10/2016 19:55

You already have made something of your life, the rest is a bonus (which you'll smash by the way, it'll be a doddle compared to what you've already come through)
Ooh pics please! Hope you enjoy Freedom more this week, remember, they all understand the self doubt and lack of confidence because underneath they're all feeling it too! Grin

skyyequake · 12/10/2016 20:49

You have so much confidence in me! Now I'm worried about letting you down Blush

Quite a sensitive topic this week, so I think a lot more of us are going to be quite emotional. I know I will be so hopefully I won't be the only one this week!

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ayeokthen · 12/10/2016 21:26

It's your posts that have made me believe in you, the way you come across has made me want to change the way I approach things confidence wise. You couldn't possibly let me down, I'm here because I care, not because you owe me anything Grin and I'll be here telling you to believe in yourself for as long as you need me to!
It's about the kids this week isn't it? Just remember, you got your DD out of the situation, you didn't put her there, you rescued her! She'll not even remember that twat being around, but she'll remember you and the fact that you're her safety net, her constant and her protector.

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