Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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

Staying with an abusive partner

2 replies

breakingthebank · 02/12/2018 08:48

Married for 15 years, 3 dcs together. Husband was abusive for the first 10 years. Would get drunk every weekend, very verbally abusive, I was scared of his key turning in the lock because I never knew what he'd be like when he returned from the pub. He'd piss in the corner of the bedroom, smash things up in the house or fall into things causing damage. He'd sleep all day at weekends. With first 2 dcs he never changed a nappy, got up in the night or really played any part in the work of child rearing. Physically violence to me on one occasion. Controlled finances by making me pay half towards household costs when I earned less. This left me with no money while he had loads to spend.

5 years ago I realised I was being abused and made plans to leave. Found out I was pg so decided to try and work things out. I called him out on all his behaviour and he stopped getting drunk and stopped doing all of those abusive things. In some ways, that made me more angry because it showed me that he could have treated me right at any time but chose not to. He's been very much involved in parenting since then and I know he's trying to make up for the bad times.

But I'm not happy. I feel guilty I can't forgive him but I can't make myself feel something I don't. I've tried to tell him how I feel but he just dismisses it and then acts as though everything is normal. I've been cowardly really because I've gone along with that pretence usually and focused my energies on work and the house, which distract me from how I feel. He won't leave. I don't think I have the strength to divorce him whilst living with him. What do I do?

OP posts:
Lozzerbmc · 02/12/2018 09:43

This is awful - and sad you chose to have kids with an abusive man. he definitely wont leave as you and dc’s should stay in house really. Would he agree to leave in a reasonable moment for the sake of stability for the dcs? Do you have family you could go and live with ? Do you own the house? Otherwise can womens aid help you. You need to end the marriage safely so he doesnt hurt you or the dcs. Good luck

TheMagician · 02/12/2018 09:48

That's weird. I've NEVER heard of a man who was abusive for the first ten years and then changed for the next 5.

My xh was incapable of treating me with respect and affection for more than a few weeks. Even if I tried to leave and he didn't want me to, and was very shocked and swore through tears to treat me better, he couldn't even when he tried because deep down he was a misogynist and he didn't believe I was worthy of respect.

My story from what I've read on line in books, listened to on youtube, this is the typical story.

I would suspect that this man has just changed his TACTICS, so that you're being gaslighted to believe that he has changed and your unhappiness comes from a suppressed knowledge that this really isn't the case.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page