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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

What do you think about my husband's behaviour? I need outside perspectives

162 replies

MaxwellAndPeterson · 10/04/2017 10:04

For balance, he's great 70% of the time: texts me every day to say I love you, buys flowers and thoughtful gifts, is supportive, is brilliant in a crisis, we laugh a lot, like the same things, enjoy going away together, days out, etc.

No children by mutual choice and we've been together 20 years.

I'll try to be as brief as I can without drip feeding!

He's fussy and obsessive. He places huge importance on 'things' - furniture, decor, clothes, etc. If something gets knocked, he inspects it, often with a torch if he can't see any damage with his naked eye. Then he'll quiz me: do I think it's damaged? Do I think it's stained? Do I think it's ok? That's if he has had the accident. If it's me who has done something, he goes on and on and on at me or he'll lecture me about it about the correct way to do the task to ensure no accident.

He can't stand losing things and will spend hours and hours systematically taking the house apart looking for something he has lost. He once emptied all the outside bins and checked every single piece of rubbish, including rotting food, looking for a hair comb that had cost £4.

He always blames me for anything that gets misplaced. Likewise, he always blames me if anything is damaged, even natural wear and tear.

He is very untidy and I am fairly tidy. He has clothes and shoes on all three bedroom floors. Despite this, I have found several items of mine seemingly thrown or kicked around. E.g. a pair of my shoes that I had left stood upright by the bed were both on their sides and in the middle of the floor, as if they had been kicked. He denied he had kicked them and when I pressed him, he said he had merely picked them up and moved them because they were in the way.

We share a car. If I've last driven it, he always sighs loudly when he gets in and needs to adjust the seat. Likewise, he sighs loudly when the car stereo comes on and it's on one of my music albums.

If we fall out, he refuses to discuss it. He acts huffy, gives me the silent treatment for a few hours, or pretends nothing has happened. If I try to discuss anything, he always denies he was in any way in the wrong, or he minimises what happened, or he shuts me down as fast as possible.

He is generally bad mannered and acts irritable with me. He can't stand saying please or thank you to me. If I say something and he hasn't heard me, he will sigh and say 'What' in this bored tone. He demands information from me, rather than asking nicely. E.g. 'where is the car key?' in an impatient snappy voice.

He leaves dirty pots out on the counter where I prep food, so they're in my way and I have to move them in order to make a meal - when when I've emptied the dishwasher so he could put them directly in there instead. He denies doing this specifically to annoy me, but he continues to do it, even though I've asked him not to many times over many years.

He can't stand me asking things of him. For example, if he's gardening and I ask him to cut back a branch while he's got the tools on the go, he'll tut, sigh and get irritable and say he hasn't got time.

I once asked what time he would be ready when we were going out somewhere, and he snapped 'Why?' And 'you're pressuring me'.

If he's taking the dog for a walk on his own and I'm staying in the house, maybe because I'm feeling rough or am staying in to cook dinner, he refuses to say 'bye' to me - he just walks out of the house. But he always says goodbye if he's going to work or out with friends, etc. Likewise, if it's his turn to take the dog in the garden for a wee, he leaves the door wide open next to where I'm sitting so I get cold while he's outside, rather than pushing the door to.

There are millions more examples, but I'm trying to keep this from getting too long! Generally, I get this underlying sense of power games and control from him, but because his MO is to deny, deny, deny, or to minimise anything I bring up, or to refuse to discuss anything with me, I have no idea.

OP posts:
AnyFucker · 11/04/2017 13:54

Look up "gaslighting"

This is what he does. It's an abuse tactic

Hissy · 11/04/2017 14:08

With nasty abusive lilttle pricks, it's ALL about the SMALL stuff.

the kicking your shoes - what level of hatred/resentment do you need to do something similar?

the damage inspections - to try to gather evidence to use to make your life hell for a bit?

leaving the door open to let the cold in? - that's the level men like him (and my ex) go to.

the drawer cleaning marathon? - you should have gone OUT, even if it meant taking the dog out in the dark.

Fuck him.

EVERYONE who wasn't in a 'romantic' relationships with my ex thought he was lovely, they didnt see what torture he inflicted on me.

My mum did, but she liked to see me suffer, so she saw him for what he was and STILL loved him and encouraged me to stay.

You don't judge a man by how he treats you in public, its how he treats you when no-one else can see.

If I were you I would tell him uncategorically that his treatment of you seems to mirror that of his mother towards him and that you won't put up with it another second.

tell him to stick his I love You texts and his flowers and stop the kicking of your stuff, the interrogations and the huffing and sighing.

Or you will walk and he'll have to try to find some other poor idiot to put up with his shit.

hellsbellsmelons · 11/04/2017 14:25

Not just 'gaslighting' also 'Stonewalling abuse'
This guy sounds worse and worse the more you right.
Get you things sorted out and get the hell out of there.
You relief you will feel when you finally escape will be immense!

yetmorecrap · 11/04/2017 14:34

Does he also 'bang around' if something has annoyed him, my H does, I hate it .

tellywelly · 11/04/2017 15:35

This...

You don't judge a man by how he treats you in public, its how he treats you when no-one else can see.

tellywelly · 11/04/2017 15:40

Greenrut, you are right, thank you. Very frustrating for our family members who love her and can't bear to see how he mentally crushes her.

I wish I was able to encapsulate the sighing and browbeating into a single narrative and have her examine it from an objective point of view.

Sorry OP - to have butted into your thread. Hopefully you'll use your organisational skills to effect a more joyful life! Brew

3luckystars · 11/04/2017 17:31

I bet you he will be absolutely stunned that you are leaving him.

I just wanted to wish you all the best x

MaxwellAndPeterson · 11/04/2017 19:43

Thank you

OP posts:
bluebelltippytoes · 11/04/2017 21:51

He reminds me of someone I met (from another organisation) at a work meeting. He was smart, professional, good looking and we had a very nice chat about cycling.

Six months later, I saw him with his DW/DP. It was totally out of context and I don't think he recognised me. She was in a shop trying to choose a gift for someone and he was eye rolling and acting like a petulant teenager. I felt really sorry for her. His behaviour was hideous. Thankfully, I haven't seen him since.

C0untD0wn17 · 11/04/2017 22:11

Everyone has some habits that annoy

Everyone has a level of tolerance

I think that you have reached well abov your level of tolerance

Life is too short to be unhappy

I would write a list of things that you want to do short and long term and make plans to do them all

However, only you can decide to move onto a more positive life

Be brave

NeedsAsockamnesty · 11/04/2017 23:48

Op, my ex used to deny I had conversations with him all the time.

I actually thought I was losing my mind. Just to check I wasn't I ended up intentionally having a conversation with him about a perticular topic recording it and two days later when he said he was going to try and get me sectioned for being crazy and imagining things, I just played it back to him and walked away.
I'm not advocating doing that but that's what this sort of behaviour does to your mind it makes you doubt your sanity

mathanxiety · 12/04/2017 02:03

I second the suggestion to go to Women's Aid.

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