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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

Settling for a mundane, 'safe' life - is this the best I can hope for?

65 replies

SomewhereNow · 09/01/2017 13:55

Long boring back story but the short version is I've been married for 15 years (together 20) to a decent man who I chose in part because my background was fairly turbulent. We did and do get on well but there was never any real 'spark'.

I'm not happy though. I know some of it is down to getting older but it's more than that. I feel trapped by a 9-5 job which pays the bills and allows a few treats but not much more, by a house which we've outgrown but can't afford to leave or improve, by the responsibilities of ageing parents which are only going to increase and by the stress of trying to do a good job of bringing up our teen DD.

In addition, DH and I just seem to have hit a brick wall. He's kind, does his fair share around the house, works hard and is a fairly good Dad. He can also be stubborn, grumpy and antisocial. The worst part is our love life which is practically non-existent. It was never great (I'm his only partner) and over the years I've given up trying to improve it - tbh having to force it or explain what I want takes all the joy out of it for me.

Recently I had contact with someone from my past. I stopped this before it went too far but the experience reminded me how it's possible to feel, something I never really had with DH and am unlikely to have now.

I've considered splitting up but our marriage is not that bad - he doesn't hit me or cheat and we do have good times. Surely I need a better reason than just wanting more from life to consider breaking up a family?

I am aware it could be 'the grass is greener' but I just look ahead and see more years of managing and getting by with no excitement and no passion - I feel like my life is over and envy my DD with hers ahead, it feels like the only happiness I'll feel now will be for her successes.

What the hell do I do? DH knows a little of how I feel but is burying his head I think. I can't carry on like this but wonder if it's just first world problems and I should be more grateful for what I've got and remember how scary being alone can be.

Really grateful for any advice, just don't know what to do :(.

OP posts:
Puddlet · 11/01/2017 22:16

I don't know if this is worth looking at? The comments about how people tend to think that sorting the sex will make everything better but sometimes it's sorting everything else which improves things in the bedroom are interesting.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/dec/28/mission-to-save-marriages

yourwayeveryday · 11/01/2017 22:20

What are your values? What makes you really happy and really sad? Make a list and then rank them. Once you have your list, it may be a bit more obvious why you're unhappy. Don't listen to people who tell you that you should be happy with your lot, because we all value different things.
Then look at how you can live more to your values. Can you get DH on board in some way? Have a go, then see what happens.

scottishdiem · 11/01/2017 22:39

Counselling is the way to go but also needing to address the fact that you are his only partner. You are his only reference point when it comes to intimacy. You have found it a turn off to have to be the instigator so he has never learnt spontaneity or what excites him or you. Sometimes it takes several different approaches to help someone learn.

You have to tell him that you are now at breaking point. He might not know this. Are his parents able to show public displays of affection? Does he know what you would consider normal is? Has this affected your daughter and how she perceives relationships?

The grass may be greener. The butterflies in the stomach may start again. But you have to be sure that what you are giving up isnt worth more than you think.

anxiousnow · 11/01/2017 23:34

Hi OP, I think it is very easy to pin expectations on someone else to make us happy. You are fed up with a few aspects in your life not just the lack of intimacy with your DH. Aging and is this it? is a very common feeling. A little idea i have seen work... Could you have talk with DH. Both sit and write ideas on paper. Examples of adventures you dream about. It might be sky diving or visiting a certain country, a beach you have good memories of or as simple as visiting a new restaurant. Fold up the suggestions and pull them out of a hat and discuss the possibility of each one. Make some personal to you, and some to do together. Try and find one you agree on and take positive steps to make it happen. It opens up the conversation of wanting more and finding out what each other want but in a fun way. It gives you something to look forward too and it is something to promote togetherness. Hopefully this in itself may help improve the intimacy and bring that needed spark. Good luck.

KittenDixon · 12/01/2017 03:39

There is a website called MarriageBuilders that is good.

My husband is similar to yours- quite straightlacex semi-religious upbringing, late starter sexually.

Working through some of the articles on this website was a way of talking about things without directly talking about things.

It's working wonders, unlocking our real feelings for one another. We did have something to rekindle though- it was faint but was always there.

It's very good at making certain things clear in no uncertain terms- that you need to spend c15 hours a week together giving one another undivided attention, that you need to know what one another's particular and specific emotional needs are, that decisions are made following a policy of joint agreement and no-one ever has to do anything they want not to (but also that there is a big difference between doing something you don't want to for someone else and doing something you're not that fussed about but gave no active antipathy towards if it means a lot to the other person).

Here's an article from the site about discovering and prioritising one another's Emotional Needs.

The author is very good at directly saying "thus isn't your spouse being difficult, just every marriage needs this", so it becomes obvious that if someone wants to be married (to anyone) they need to put in a certain level of time and effort. I think people who haven't had many long-term relationships struggle with seeing the difference between a particular person being demanding and just realising that any marital relationship takes work.

Good luck.

redexpat · 12/01/2017 09:11

I would try and get him to do the marriage course. Its run by the church but not massively christian and really helped us. It might help you too. Failing that see if you can borrow the dvds and books from the library.

Im going to recommend another book for general sorting your life out. How to do everything and be happy by peter Jones. It is very good at making you think what it is that you want in your life, how you want it to be. Its v good at breaking it down into managable goals. Good luck.

9GreenBottles · 12/01/2017 09:41

Have you tried counselling together? Some of the things that you've written seem to indicate a degree of confliction in how they could be resolved e.g. you don't want to teach him but you expect him to know. You also said you can't imagine having the conversation but a counsellor will help you to explore some of the issues in a nonconfrontational way that might make it easier for a better understanding of one another.

Personally, if I knew I had tried everything, I wouldn't be able to stay, but I would have been very clear about telling my partner before I considered that step. Good luck!

VivDeering · 12/01/2017 11:13

Your DH is in a bit of a tricky spot. On the one hand you want a change but on the other hand you refuse to tell him.

I understand that you want spontaneity and romance, but I think it's only fair to give your DH a bit of a chance.

Would you make relationship/sex counselling a requirement for the marriage to continue?

Also, I would spend some time seriously considering ending the relationship. Sometimes the temptation of the forbidden is very exciting. I think if you were to seriously consider the relationship, financial and practical implications of splitting up you'd have a more realistic decision-making situation.

3luckystars · 12/01/2017 14:52

I think before you leave, give it everything and see if you can improve what you have first. It's an awkward conversation no doubt and he might be offended but he will be far more offended if you leave so it's worth braving that chat.
Also, and apologies if I am way off, but is there any chance he has aspergers? He sounds very similar to someone I know and he this is the case, then knowing night change your feelings completely about the situation. Sorry this is such a quick post and sorry if that caused any offense but I am struggling with a wriggly baby and have to do school pick up now, but I hope you get some assistance here, you only have one life and deserve every happiness.

BarbarianMum · 12/01/2017 14:58

Telling him and your dd that you want a divorce will also be an awkward chat, o I'd at least try talking to your dh about getting outside help for your relationship/sex life first.

Ultimately though, wanting more intimacy and satisfying sex is a perfectly valid reason to end a marriage. Much better than being miserable or having an affair.

SomewhereNow · 12/01/2017 18:54

You all talk so much sense - I know I am being unreasonable in expecting DH to know what I want but having to show/tell him just feels so frustrating. And tbh an affair is very much on my mind - I think it would be available to me via the person mentioned. I don't want to be someone who does that but the idea is exciting and extremely tempting - I know it's just the thrill of the unknown/something different but I'd forgotten I could feel like that.

It's not just the sex though, when DH and I rowed at Xmas I said a lot of what was on my mind but now 2 weeks later we are back to the way we were before, nothing's changed. He has put up with a lot over the years - my family can be hard work and I'm sure I'm not always easy to live with so I do recognise that he's been a good husband, but I'm just not sure it's enough any more.

The idea of splitting terrifies me but I have horrible feeling that I need what he represents i.e. safety, security rather than specifically him :(.

I will consider counselling and look at the websites mentioned, I owe it to all of us to do everything I can for our marriage before making any decisions.

OP posts:
SomewhereNow · 12/01/2017 19:06

Oh and to answer a couple of questions:

There's nothing that makes me think he would have Aspergers but I don't know what I'd be looking for tbh.

Re his family, they are the complete opposite to mine - nice people but not at all demonstrative or open about their feelings. His Mum has had mental health issues and his Dad had problems too. Mine are equally messed up but more open about it Confused. I don't think his family are normal and I'm pretty sure he doesn't think mine are!

I'm not sure how all this affects our DD. She's having counselling at school for anxiety which I am gutted about - I feel we've failed as parents - but her issues came about before she was aware we had problems. I'm not stupid enough to think she didn't realise but I don't think it's entirely that although I don't really know what else it could be apart from being a teen can be hard.

One thing that might be relevant is that DH was very ill a few years ago - I know DD took it very badly and tended to shut it out which I think may be something to do with her issues. For me, I feel such a bitch for admitting this, but a part of me feels DH was 'weak' for succumbing to the stress which led to his illness. I feel like I don't have the 'luxury' of breaking down - DH has to avoid stress now, DD is being counselled for hers but I have to air my problems to a bunch of strangers on the internet :(.

OP posts:
3luckystars · 12/01/2017 19:20

I am probably way off so, but here is a link to some info if you want to read a bit more about aspergers. Loads of people have it and knowing is helpful to many parents.
www.autism.org.uk/asperger

Good luck with everything X

BonnieF · 12/01/2017 19:46

I think the fact that you are your DH's only partner is highly significant.

Men are not mind readers. They do not just automatically know what women want, or what turns us on.

I understand your frustration, but it is unfair to expect him to take the lead, to know what you like and how you like it unless you tell him and show him and teach him. I'm sure he is just as unhappy with your sex life as you are, but if you are the more experienced partner, the onus has to be on you to take the lead in trying to sort the problem out.

Good luck, and sorry if this is a bit blunt.

KittenDixon · 13/01/2017 03:43

It's sad that you feel like you don't have the luxury of "breaking" down. I think it would be good for you and your long term health to change your mindset on whether mental illness is a failing.

I mean it might help not to see mental stress/illness as a personal failure- you seeing your daughter's anxiety as parental failure, or your husband's illness as weakness. Bottling things up is probably a recipe for future trouble in that respect.

Can you seek counselling via your GP, given the situation with your daughter's and husband's health? Or are there any support groups for relatives of people with your husband's condition?

I used to get really annoyed and frustrated that DH didn't just know what I wanted. I assumed I just knew what he wanted because I had had more relationships than him.

Once we started talking about it, lo and behold, it turned out I didn't just know what he wanted. Because funnily enough he wasn't just a carbon copy or composite of everyone else I'd ever been out with, he was his own individual person. That was an eye opener for me.

Think about it this way- who's better at relationships? Someone who has a lot of relationships that end or someone who gets married to the only partner they ever have? The likley answer is that both people have some strengths and some weaknesses and they can learn from one another.

I also started realising that having to a do a bit of talking, teaching and learning was part of the ticket price to a relationship with someone who was unlikely to be unfaithful. Swings and roundabouts kind of thing.

And wanting a partner who is highly likely to be faithful isn't necessarily just about wanting security, rather than that person. It can be about wanting the kind of person who is loyal, faithful, secure, who takes commitment seriously. The things are linked.

It's easy to come up with a checklist of personality traits for the ideal person in your head, but really, does that person exist? Some personality traits are more likely to go with others. So prioritising what you want long-term doesn't mean settling, it just means prioritising what is important to you and realising what type of person is likely to be able to provide that. So decide what you really want out of a relationship and take it from there.

It looks like you are very stressed about a lot of things, and you need to deal with those things one at a time, rather than looking to make one sweeping change that will solve everything. I think you do also owe it to both yourself and your husband to give it a decent, concerted attempt to fix it. Then if you do move on, you don't look back with a load of "what ifs" later.

By decent attempt I do think you need either counseling/marriage guidance or a programme you can follow. There needs to be some outside influence. Behaviour change takes time and repetition, so it take patience no understanding and an appreciation thatYou both need to be bought into it.

I thought it would be difficult to get my dh to buy into it, but I sat down with him, told him how unhappy I was, told him the reason I had bought a new suitcase was I was thinking of leaving. We'd had so many rows in the run up to that, he understood that I was very unhappy.

KittenDixon · 13/01/2017 03:44
  • patience and understanding
Dowser · 13/01/2017 13:11

Such a sad scenario op.

I was a relate counsellor and I hated to give up on a good enough marriage.

I would suggest you have the chat with him and get yourselves on relates list.

After some general counselling and seeing how the outcome goes and if it's positive you then can go onto sex therapy If you wish.

You've got a pinch point in your relationship. Clling can help you address that and see if it's come to the crunch or whether it can get back on track.

Inside your dh there might be a really hot guy just waiting to burst out.

General counselling can help you look at your own dissatisfaction and how you can change that.

Living with someone for a long time can often be not you to their physical attributes.
Meanwhile someone else might think he's a divine, love god and can't wait to step into your shoes.

I wouldn't give them that chance unless I was 101 per cent certain we were totally through.

I'd also look to the future. In ten years time where could you see yourselves?

In old age would you care for him if he was physically unable? Would he care for you?

Sometimes we need to step back from what we are focussing on to look at the bigger picture.
Having said that , it's not impossible to find a very fulfilling relationship in mid life. I did but I didn't have that choice my exh cheated on me and left, but I would need that 101 per cent feeling I'd tried every and explored every avenue before making a move.

Dowser · 13/01/2017 13:52

Living with someone for a long time can often be not you to their physical attributes.

That should say blunt you to their .....

InfoFreako · 13/01/2017 17:10

You say you want more excitement but what exactly do you mean?

Maybe your DH also wants more excitement.

Would you find yourself in the same situation with a different partner in a few years time?

Cheers.

lukasgrahamfan · 13/01/2017 18:41

I thought the grass was greener a very long time ago. I hurt a decent man. I have regretted it ever since. I have to live with it.

I went for excitement and a different life. It didn't work then and hasn't worked since. I am an idiot.

Porffor · 13/01/2017 21:14

I'm feeling a lot like this. 20 years together this year - maybe it's a belated 7 year itch.
3 DD's and DH to consider, but we have tried over the last few years, we haven't said the words but we've tried date nights, even did the unthinkable and got him dancing (never thought that would happen) but all efforts fizzled out in the end, even my efforts to spice up the bedroom - they freaked him out a bit more than inspired him if I'm honest. blush

I'm not interested in anyone or even thinking of a relationship afterwards, I do however feel pressure to be intimate when I don't want to be, it's not been 'said' in words, or anything physical even, but nights like that I find myself withdrawing and sleeping on the sofa.

Things are irritating me more, and I don't want us to get to the point of arguing as we've never done that - for the kids or ourselves. I just honestly think I've fallen out of love and feeling a duty of care and love for him is not enough.

I am at the point of facing the talk of separation plans to him, but it's not going to be easy.

The thread mentioned before is : www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/2667694-Thread-for-those-who-have-left-marriages-that-werent-AWFUL-just-unsatisfying-pt-II

SomewhereNow · 13/01/2017 21:50

I agree that counselling could benefit us. If I'm honest I've got a lot of issues relating to my background which, while not as bad as a lot of people have to deal with, was pretty shitty :(. That's not to say everything I've said about DH doesn't stand but I think it's all tied in. God it's so complicated though, I don't feel like I've got the energy to begin trying to sort it all out. And actually - why is it me that has to? Angry

OP posts:
SomewhereNow · 13/01/2017 21:55

I also agree that it's sad :(. I feel so bad about the whole thing even though I know it's not entirely my fault. My guilt about contact with the OM is weighing me down, I know it could so easily have gone a step further and even though I've put a stop to it a part of me still hopes he'll get in touch again. He's not right for me or in any way the answer to all this but he made me feel special and wanted me for myself.

OP posts:
9GreenBottles · 13/01/2017 23:16

"Why is it you that has to?" - well you don't but you are the one who would have to live with the consequences of staying in an unhappy, unfulfilling marriage or possibly a breakdown of that marriage caused by infidelity, or subsequent regret at what you have walked away from (if you chose to walk away) without trying to resolve it so there is some merit in doing it.

However, it is a two way street and you shouldn't have to do it on your own. If you wait for your husband to initiate the discussion, you might be waiting a very long time.

What does come across from you is a longing for the excitement and longing of a new relationship but even where there is the right spark to start with, maintaining those initial intense feelings is impossible so you might be disappointed very quickly. I hope you can find satisfactory resolution OP.

Porffor · 14/01/2017 14:35

I don't think it's throwing away futures, changing them yes.

If it was your child in an unhappy relationship would you tell them to suck it up and carry on? or that they deserve to be happy? If you can't input excitement into your life as a family then you need to review that as an individual and keep being a good parent in the meantime.