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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

Some perspective needed

2 replies

Gettinold · 05/08/2018 07:57

Hi all
I’m a father of two wonderful DCs (9 and 7) and I desperately need some perspective on my relationship with my wife. We’ve been together since we were young and if i’m being honest with myself I ignored a lot of warnings signs in the early days due to the fact that I had very little self esteem plus issues with depression for years.
Now though it’s becoming obvious to me that my wife is quite emotionally abusive.
My wife is someone who absolutely will not tolerate even the slightest bit of criticism yet knows how Tom dish it out in spades. She explodes in anger if I even broach the subject of how she treats me. I am called abusive names, ranted at, not allowed to put my point across etc, and eventually blamed for even bringing the subject of our relationship up. If I treated her in the same manner it would quite rightly be entirely unacceptable. My wife has a difficult relationship with her parents and an upbringing that from what she’s told me included quite a bit of emotional neglect (narcissistic parents).
I realise that I am venting here somewhat as I have never spoken to anyone about this situation. But it would be interesting to get some perspective. I am getting close to the end of my tether and to be honest I only stick around because I love my children.

OP posts:
Thatsfuckingshit · 05/08/2018 08:15

I was in a similar situation. I told my husband to seek counselling or I was leaving. He went for counselling. However, it seemed to work but after a short while I realised he was just abusing me differently.
Instead of out and out name calling etc, he started trying to manipulate me and control me.

He would use sentences that I used in Facebook messages to friends. Such as, I message one friend who I worked with and said 'you coming out for a smoke when I get to work'. I vaped, but the friend smoked.

Husband took that to mean I was smoking again. He told me he thought I was smoking again, when I denied it he said so you never meet people 'for a smoke when you get to work'. The exact words I used.

Then, a few days later, he told me he found a receipt for cigs it had fallen out of my coat pocket. I told him I hadn't bought any cigs. He said 'yes you did, you bought milk at the same time' I went and found the receipt and it was for petrol and milk on my way home, I knew the only time I had bought milk that week was when I got petrol. He broke down and cried and I felt awful. Even though I hadn't done anything.

He went from out and out making me feel shit to stalking me. I think counselling made him realise what a shit he had been but he then became convinced I would have an affair, find someone better and leave.

I did leave. Not for someone else. I left and I couldn't be happier.

You can try telling her counselling is a must. And it might work. But be careful she just doesn't change her abuse.

But you can't live like this forever. At some point you need to accept that if she won't accept her abuse is not ok and work to change it, the marriage is over anyway.

Good luck.

CrazyDogLady87 · 05/08/2018 08:17

sorry you are going through this @gettinold you are right if the situation was the other way around you'd be a bastard a c*unt etc etc, however the beauty of MN is most people can see both sides.

i am sorry but your wife sounds like an utter bitch, how do you cope, from a female perspective if my husband spoke to me that way I would be putting him right in his place and telling him he either changes the way he speaks to me or i am changing the locks, nobody deserves to be spoken to like that, however, I am a speak first think later type of person , could you ask someone to watch your kids if you have any and have a quiet sit down to discuss how she makes you feel, if she flies into a rage just sit there and wait until she finishes, and say are you done now can i carry on, heck i ould secretly film her and play it back actually seeing herself behave like a child throwing a tantrum may shock her into realising she is being unreasonable, those are things I would do if I was in your situation, but it may not work for you

keeo checking back the MN crouwd usually have some great advice

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