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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

ExH is having a baby with OW

291 replies

Ginandunicorns · 28/03/2019 12:17

Long time lurker and currently at a loss. ExH left me for OW last year. I used to hate them both but the anger has gone away partly because I have met a wonderful man who has helped get out of the hole my exH left me in. His relationship with our DC is not the best and now he's announced they're having a baby! I have tried to support him as much as I can for the DC, but they're being incredibly selfish and this is my limit.

OP posts:
forestafantastica · 31/03/2019 22:41

I genuinely have no idea if most of my friends have, at some point, had unsanctioned sexual intercourse over the course of their lives. I don't think it would ever occur to me to ask, especially if it happened before I knew them. I'm not the Saudi religious police.

I'm moderately bemused by all these people here who apparently start out by sitting down their new NCT friend to say "first of all, can we talk about your moral code. And do you have character witnesses for the last decade of your life? Because I don't accept shaggers".

Graphista · 01/04/2019 00:07

I'm the same. Not interested in being friends with someone who can hurt another like that. I don't go around interrogating but I'd say it's fairly easy to get a sense of people and how couples met.

The ones that meet while one or both was married/in a committed relationship tend to hedge, their story is inconsistent etc. Particularly the timeline.

I've not been proven wrong yet.

Nope not interested in being friends with liars again.

MadameAnchou · 01/04/2019 00:13

I agree, Graphista.

Halo84 · 01/04/2019 02:25

Typically you don’t have to ask, forest. However, if I learned a “friend” was in their new relationship as a result of an affair, I would cut that friendship. It has nothing to do with religion. For me, it says a lot about that petson’s character, or lack thereof. If someone can do this to someone they allegedly cared for at some point, what are they capable of doing to me?

blueskiespls · 01/04/2019 03:49

@Ginandunicorns I feel for you, I really do. My exh and the OW got engaged before we were even divorced, it was public and tacky. And everyone around just thought how disrespectful to me. (We have 2 dc)

I was angry about the whole situation, but you cannot let this consume you. There were times my family members would text me details, about stuff they'd seen on social media the exh and ow were doing etc.. this was all in good faith, to show they were 'on my side' but it did nothing more than fuel my anger and sadness.
You've got to let go of this anger, it will eat you up inside.
You have to be positive about this new baby _ it's the kindest thing to do for your dc. You want them to be happy and comfortable with things when they go to their dads.

I think it sounds like it's too early days for a relationship, this must be hard on your DP 😐

PicsInRed · 01/04/2019 07:31

Some of us have had enough dealings with shaggers - of both sexes - that we've learned it's a low empathy character flaw and know to keep a polite but safe distance.

LaughingCow99 · 01/04/2019 07:41

I know of a woman whose ex left her for another woman. Many years later she was still saying "that woman stole my life". It was so sad how much of her life had been consumed by jealousy and resentment while the ex married ow and moved away.

Ginandunicorns · 01/04/2019 08:48

She was left with no friends and he kept the couple that he had. Everybody in their circles know what happened. Their reputation will follow them.

OP posts:
SparklySneakers · 01/04/2019 09:15

I found that ow was welcomed with open arms by both his family and friends. I was cast as the evil ex wife to blame for everything. They fawn all over ow on sm and say how wonderful she is for him, how happy he is, and what a wonderful mother she is. All their sm photos show him looking half dead, pale, grey and gaunt with no smile to be seen. In person he looks worse. She's "won" an adulterous and abusive man who chooses to work and leave her with their combined 8 kids instead of being a parent to them. Good luck to her and congratulations!

Blewbird · 01/04/2019 09:51

I think it can be quite hard for the spouse who is left but affairs aren't usually simple things. And most people are simply sad for the whole family as they've all lost something. It's really only the most bitter and twisted that attempt to shame, exclude and judge. Ask the Catholic Church how well shame and guilt work to motivate "moral" behaviour.

It's not popular on here but of the three couples I know whose relationship started as an affair all three are still together. But in all three cases no one was a serial cheat. They were "exit affairs". It would be great if everyone had the emotional literacy to leave with more dignity etc but some people don't for a whole host of complex reasons. Very few people pull off the "conscious uncoupling" that good old Gweneth and Chris managed. It's just not reality for most.

I'd be mighty wary of this brilliant DP who has been happy to form a relationship with you and your kids in the middle of your self proclaimed hate bubble. It's the kids that will have taken the brunt of this one. Dad fucks off and mum starts spewing bile and hate involving all around her. With the little positive energy she has left gets turned toward a new man. Those kids must be utterly bewildered.

Moralitym1n1 · 01/04/2019 09:54

Who has to ask? People talk about themselves you listen and after a while it becomes obvious.

Sometimes not even after a while; many people who self indulgently/selfishly embark on cheating relationships tend to be all round sociopathic/selfish/lacking in cop on& self awareness-tbey often drop themselves in it.

Moralitym1n1 · 01/04/2019 10:00

@SparklySneakers

Thats very commo.

They have to believe that because the alternative is to believe/admit their son is immortal, irresponsible etc and blame him .

They can't blame him so they have to blame you.

Moralitym1n1 · 01/04/2019 10:02

Immoral!Grin

PicsInRed · 01/04/2019 10:15

Sparklysneakers, they've all scapegosted you so that they don't have to accept that their own flesh and blood/partner/himself is trash. Easier to put all his sins on you and run you out into the desert.

Ginandunicorns · 01/04/2019 10:22

His family is divided about it. Her family has welcomed him with open arms. By all accounts they are actually happy. It's just our DD who just would be happier if didn't exist. She even once said she wanted to change her name. She can't wait to go to uni so she does have to see him again.

OP posts:
MorrisZapp · 01/04/2019 10:32

What, realistically, should a family do when one of their members cheats on their partner? Shun them until they go back to their spouse? Its never going to work that way is it.

Halo84 · 01/04/2019 10:51

Blrwbeard, in my case, there is zero bitterness. I’m married, neither of us has cheated. I happen to believe people who cheat on a spouse, who actively hurt a spouse, are not people I want in my social circle. I don’t willingly associate with liars. If others have no issues, I don’t care. I’m just pointing out that statements here, stating others don’t care, is inaccurate.

I’m not judging their souls, just noting these aren’t couples I want in my social orbit.

Graphista · 01/04/2019 11:07

My ex and OW tried to make out to me both families had welcomed the new partner with open arms, that all was rosy. I later found out and it was directly confirmed to me by my ex's parents and her mother when I bumped into her in town this was far from true.

A rather odd conversation I had with ex several years later also confirmed. Apparently her dad threatened violence, his mother wouldn't speak to him for 6 months, she said because she was so angry and ashamed of his actions. His dad told him he felt he'd failed as a father.

It's not always all as rosy as is made out to the cheated on partner.

Because let's be honest (and there's been threads on here posted by people who started out as OW on this) if that's how your relationship starts, I suspect many OW/om and even the cheats themselves knowing that affairs are very real possibilities are very insecure in their relationships.

As I say in my case he has continued to cheat, but he's also accused her and as far as I know (which I know is not certain) she hasn't, but his accusing her (again as we see on here sometimes too) is usually around when he's starting another affair. I'm not sure if it's to set up an excuse for his cheating or what, but I for one couldn't live like that.

Constantly suspicious and insecure? Watching your partner like a hawk for signs? Stuff that! That's no life.

Some couples do make it work but in my experience that's very rare and even stats bear this out anyway, 2nd and more marriages are more likely to fail than 1sts.

My ex and 2nd wife both look very unwell, unhappy, gaunt and much older than their actual ages.

That side of things greatly worries me for dds sake as exs dad died of a condition exacerbated by stress st a fairly young age so I'm very conscious of this being a possibility and dd having to deal with that which I dread. Especially if he dies before they have any chance at all to resolve anything (although I'm not sure how that would be achieved).

It's a minefield

Moralitym1n1 · 01/04/2019 11:07

Yeah I notice people who know people are cheaters are much more aware and wary of them around their partners.

Of course they should be able to trust their own partners no matter what but that ideal is not always what happens in practice.

Whether the cheaters are too sociopathic to notice much of the time, who knows; but I've definitely noticed a tension and wariness when people have to socialise with them.

Moralitym1n1 · 01/04/2019 11:09

And the same people wouldn't be actively pursuing any socialising of friendships with them.

Ginandunicorns · 01/04/2019 13:22

ExH just messaged saying he's trying hard but in the end our DD has a problem with and that there's nothing he can do in the short term to fix it. He just said it will take years for her come to terms with all the fallout of what happened. It's very easy for him to say all of that when he just started a shiny new family.

OP posts:
IvanaPee · 01/04/2019 13:29

Ok but what do you want him to say/do?

Ginandunicorns · 01/04/2019 13:35

Try harder. He always used the same excuse that our DD isolates herself. That's not what I see here. She's happy when she's with me, helps around is her usual self. She's said she'd rather spend time with me and my DP I think that speaks volumes in itself.

OP posts:
IvanaPee · 01/04/2019 13:44

But do you think she is isolating herself there? You have another dc, yes? How does he/she get on during time with dad?

LaughingCow99 · 01/04/2019 14:00

ExH just messaged saying he's trying hard but in the end our DD has a problem with and that there's nothing he can do in the short term to fix it. He just said it will take years for her come to terms with all the fallout of what happened. It's very easy for him to say all of that when he just started a shiny new family.

If he loves his daughter, I doubt it is easy to say. I'm not convinced you don't care about him and are just focusing on your daughter.

When my parents split, my mother never bad-mouthed my father even though she was angry. I admire her for that.

Your ex is entitled to move on and do what he likes. It sounds like he was stupidly talked into marriage with you, against his better judgement. If you have to convince a man to marry you, I don't think it bodes well long term.

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