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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

My husband lies about everything and I've lost all respect

39 replies

Tails5290 · 27/05/2019 06:53

My husband and I have always had this problem. He actually moved out before Christmas and we're still trying to work things out.
My husband knows I am so morally against lying and the little lies to me are just as bad as the big ones.
He moved out mainly because of his need to tell lies. Every time he tells a lie and I know he is I call him out on it, he will first deny it, then have time to think and apologise.
He lies about where he spends his money, it's usually on crappy food from the shop and as much as I tell him it's his money and he can do what he wants with it, it's also annoying as I'll have to lend him money to cover his fuel for the rest of the month.
He lies about conversations he's had with people, a lot of the time my family so I end up finding out what he's said is not true. I cannot even think of a particular example of the top of my head they are so pointless. The fact that we actually broke up about this yet he still does it doesn't fill me with much hope. A lot of his little lies are to please me although I've told him I'd rather be annoyed for a short time that he hasn't done something he said he'd do rather than annoyed for days that's he's lied again! I don't know where to go from here. When we broke up just before Xmas he became very nasty and saw a side to him I had never seen before, I'm worried if I decide to call it a day he will become that horrible person again, and I have not got the emotional energy to deal with that every time he comes to see his son which would be at least a few times a week. I'm just not sure what to do??? I would love some outside perspective please or just someone that has been in a similar situation

OP posts:
LellyMcKelly · 27/05/2019 07:06

I couldn’t be arsed with that. He’s supposed to be an equal partner, not a child you have to chastise about lying or having to give pocket money too. You’re basically his mum. I’d bin him off. Life is too short.

Tails5290 · 27/05/2019 07:07

Thanks for your reply. I do feel like he's my fourth child and at 37 I think he needs to grow up

OP posts:
Windmillwhirl · 27/05/2019 07:16

You can't stay with him out of fear he will become nasty. Imagine looking back on your life in years to come knowing you put up and shut up! You will kick yourself.

If you want to leave him, do it. Don't be manipulated into staying, keep a log of his behavior and tell him any abusive treatment of you will be noted and reported to the police. He has them been warned.

Please don't get him bully you into staying. Your life is precious.

AgentJohnson · 27/05/2019 07:22

The ‘nasty side of him’ genie is out of the bottle, it came out to put you in your place and will be used again if successful.

There’s no future with this man, it’s not going to be easy but it will be a lot harder wasting more of your life with him. That easy life payoff will be short lived if you took him back.

NorthernRunner · 27/05/2019 07:28

Hey
Just to put a slightly different spin on it... after I lost my dad (I was 24) I went through a period where I lied non stop, lied about what I ate, what I spent, what I had achieved, anything mundane to quite serious. Anyway, it took me having a major meltdown to realise I was depressed and grieving and just seeking out love after losing my dad. My GP prescribed citalopram and counselling and all of a sudden the desire to lie was just non existent.

Could it be there is something like that with your husband? Is he dealing with something and is struggling?

All the best OP

Tails5290 · 27/05/2019 07:30

Thank you. I'm sat here (on the floor with my 7 month old using me as a climbing frame) weighing up the fact that I made a vow til death do us part and we have a baby together, with the fact that I don't like him, enjoy spending time with him and don't even believe when he tells me what he ate for breakfast. I've been alone with 2 small children before and I know I can be ok.

OP posts:
Tails5290 · 27/05/2019 07:33

Northernrunner firstly sorry to hear about your dad. My oh doesn't think he is even telling lies, let alone that it's an issue, he even told me in a conversation this week he doesn't understand people that get depressed and has never felt that sort of way. Sometimes his untruths are to impress me almost and keep me happy, thus he thinks they are just and ok

OP posts:
AnotherEmma · 27/05/2019 07:33

"When we broke up just before Xmas he became very nasty and saw a side to him I had never seen before, I'm worried if I decide to call it a day he will become that horrible person again, and I have not got the emotional energy to deal with that every time he comes to see his son which would be at least a few times a week."

That's an awful reason to stay with someone! He doesn't have to see you when he sees his son, surely?

You have to put your big girl pants on and steel yourself. Disengage with him. Keep contact to an absolute minimum, about practicalities and child arrangements. If he becomes verbally abusive on the phone, hang up, and if he sends abusive messages, keep a record of them but file them away where you don't have to read them immediately or see them with your other messages. Consider blocking him.

NorthernRunner · 27/05/2019 07:38

It must be incredibly hard for you to deal with that OP.
I’m not sure what my advise would be, if he doesn’t see anything wrong with his lies it will never end.

JustWhoIAm · 27/05/2019 07:43

Tails my ex husband was the same.

He grew up in a volatile household and believed that all he had to do to have a successful marriage was to keep me happy.

I knew of some of the lies but he'd lie about everything. I'm with you - the gravity of the lie is irrelevant to its impact on your trust, respect and the relationship as a whole.

After we separated (indirectly caused by the lying), he sought counselling and we spoke one day and it transpired that every aspect of our relationship and lives together was a sham. The meals we ate; the holidays we took; the plans we made; how we spent our time together - he lied about it all. He went through a second redundancy process and didn't say a word. He lied that nothing was wrong. He lied that there were no problems at work and, instead, he was just vile to us at home.

It wasn't until he'd had therapy that he understood that purpose of a marriage was to be a partnership. He felt frustrated that he was living a lie and grew to resent me because he was only doing it for me and to keep me 'happy'. I wasn't.

Except that, had I known, we'd have done things differently!

I believe he is a little more honest in his new relationship.

NabooThatsWho · 27/05/2019 07:46

Compulsive lying is a horrible personality trait, but it sounds like that is just who he is. And if he doesn’t see anything wrong with it then he is unlikely to change.

Being on your own is far better than spending your life with someone you dislike.

Nicolastuffedone · 27/05/2019 07:59

My father used to say ‘better a thief than a liar, you know where you are with a thief’

Tails5290 · 27/05/2019 08:02

Thank you all, I didn't think I'd get even one reply on my post.

Justwhoiam your situation sounds very similar to mine. My husband didn't have a good childhood from what he's said, he constantly criticised and disappointed his mum, and maybe this all stems from that, he's a huge people pleaser and will tell me what I want to hear, not necessarily he truth. But regardless of wether we separate or not I have to spend the next 16/18 years with him regularly in my life. He would have to house share which I would not be happy with my baby going to (think his last housemates were weed smokers) I am happy for him to see our son regularly but it would most likely have to be in my home. It's a big decision to make and I know separating is most likely the correct one. In an ideal world things would be civil but I need to realise and deal with things when it doesn't go that way

OP posts:
JustWhoIAm · 27/05/2019 08:18

Oh gosh, it sounds like that is most likely the cause of it.

My ex husband's parents are both functioning alcoholics with very short tempers and he spent most of his childhood either being the peacemaker or hiding problems from them so that they didn't get angry.

He took on a lot of responsibility for his younger sibling at a young age - including using his paper round money to replace his siblings damaged clothes so his parents didn't find out and get angry.

he's a huge people pleaser and will tell me what I want to hear, not necessarily he truth

He tells you what he thinks you want to hear. What you want to hear is the truth.

It's impact on me now means that I can't tolerate any kind of lie - even 'white lies'. If I ask if I look fat in something, I want to hear, "tbh, you do a bit" if that's the truth! Other people find that hard because people have been socialised to be nice and kind and find it difficult to be so honest. And most other people don't expect them to be. But I've ended relationships over the most 'inocuous' of untruths because, once I know someone is prepared to bend the truth, I can't believe a word they say.

I don't think it would have been this bad if I hadn't endured it for so long in my marriage.

A real, true, authentic relationship is impossible with a liar.

RantyAnty · 27/05/2019 08:22

I have to wonder if you're checking up on him trying to catch him in a lie?
Do you feel he is a responsible adult who can make his own decisions and have autonomy in what he does/thinks?

Do you think things and people should be how you think they should be?

If he's lying to you to keep the peace, then he doesn't trust you to tell the truth or maybe you're making mountains over molehills.

Did either one of you have a controlling parent?

Can you really say you never lie ever? Do you say you're fine when you're really not? If a friend's new hair colour looks terrible, do you tell them it does or do you spare their feelings?

Tails5290 · 27/05/2019 08:43

Justwhoiam and for that reason I feel bad for him. I know your childhood can shape you and partly it's not his fault he's turned into this people pleaser, but that doesn't make the little white lies any easier to swallow. I cannot tolerate them.

Rantyanty maybe I do try and catch him in a lie. I wouldn't say I was 'controlling' but I take care of the main financial aspects as he has 2 direct debits going from his account totalling £25 that bounce every month as he doesn't ensure the money is there. I feel I have no choice but to be in charge of this. I have 14/15 dd going out of my account each month and cannot afford for them to not be paid. He is a very passive person and cannot make decisions, what to do for the day, what's for tea so I feel I've become that person in charge of these decisions, I would love for him to take more charge, but he doesn't. I'm not perfect I know I'm not, marriage is hard!!

OP posts:
JustWhoIAm · 27/05/2019 08:55

If he's lying to you to keep the peace, then he doesn't trust you to tell the truth or maybe you're making mountains over molehills

This is simply not true.

If you've not had experience of someone who habitually lies for no reason, you will have no idea of how destabilising it is in your every day life and the impact on your mental peace.

My ex husband used to lie about absolutely everything. Any conversation, discussion, question - all of which happen often in a relationship - was a lie. He used to leave me to book holidays, for example, I always asked him for his input/preferences and would have taken them into consideration. He always told me that he was happy with the holidays I planned/booked and was happy to go with whatever I wanted to organise. It was only after we split that I learned he hated them - I love camping and travel as lightly as possible - lots of outdoor cooking, fires and tramping over hills. It transpired that he likes 5 star hotel holidays, with a pool and theme parks. I literally had no idea!

He lied about spending money; lied about what he wanted to name our child; lied about how he wanted to spend our free time/nights out together; lied about what films he wanted to watch... He was living a completely fake life.

I'm all about finding the middle ground, compromise and taking every perspective/preference into account. I certainly don't bulldoze! Every single one of his preferences would/could have been accommodated (e.g. alternating holidays - I hate hotel holidays as much as he hated camping!) if only he'd ever expressed them.

I could have supported him through the redunancy process rather than being confused, frustrated, angry at his poor attitude and grumpiness towards us. I could have forgiven/understood/accommodated his stressed demeanour and outbursts if I'd known what was triggering them. And I could have given him the space he needed rather than taking it personally when he was stroppy.

Instead, I tried insisting on talking and getting to the bottom of it. Asking him what I'd done wrong. Ended up feeling resentful myself because it all felt so unfair and unjustified. Which just angered him further because he didn't need my upset and confusion on top of the huge stress he was already under... He felt unsupported and not 'listened to' without considering that I had no idea he needed support and he wasn't saying anything for me to listen to, And before I get accused of being a nagging harpy Hmm his redundancy process lasted in excess of a year - local authority and people on sick leave/maternity leave which delayed it.

The financial lies left me in a whole pile of shit after he left.

We rented because he said we should each save for towards a deposit. Not only did I save and he didn't, but he was actually running up debts at the same time - whilst denying having credit cards and being very critical of those who take out personal loans. There were always reasons why 'now' was not the right time to buy. In the end, it transpired that we'd never have got a mortgage because of his debt anyway. And my savings went on bailing myself out of the debts he left me with after he'd gone.

Yet, he talked the talk of a financially responsible individual, committed to his family and working towards our future together.

None of it was true.

That is the damage that lies can do. It's not always about having 2 pints at the pub after work when you said you were only going for one. And, in fact, sometimes, a complete lack of this sort of lie means that you don't have any reason to question the bigger stuff.

But it utterly undermines your whole life.

JustWhoIAm · 27/05/2019 08:58

I know your childhood can shape you and partly it's not his fault he's turned into this people pleaser, but that doesn't make the little white lies any easier to swallow.

It's also his responsibility to address and resolve this.

Not your responsibility to tolerate him lying to you.

Guest8989 · 27/05/2019 09:02

My husband was a shit for this. Stupid pointless lies. In the end he got counselling and CBT and it was very clear why he was like this - again, his parents were (and still are) very critical (to the point of abuse if you ask me) and he just used to do everything to keep them happy even if it meant stupid lies. It just became a part of him.

Thankfully a lot has happened to us and we’ve managed to change his life around, but I don’t expect everyone can.

JustWhoIAm · 27/05/2019 09:08

Guest you're very lucky that your husband agreed to that!

My ex said afterwards that he didn't consider it a problem because all of his lies were about keeping me happy (concealing things from me that he thought might have made me unhappy...) and, until he sought counselling/cbt about the breakup of the marriage generally, he thought I was being very unreasonable in not just being happy with what he was telling me.

As far as he was concerned, I wanted the moon on a stick and he was doing everything he could. When all I wanted was the truth.

JustWhoIAm · 27/05/2019 09:08

Sorry for hijacking your thread, Tails!

I'm going now Wink

NotStayingIn · 27/05/2019 09:36

I always think in cases like this its such bullshit when they say they lie to make/keep you happy. They lie for themselves first and foremost: they know the truth will annoy you which they can’t be bothered to deal with; or they lie to make themselves look better, or to avoid dealing with something; whatever. They lie for their own gain, it’s utter bullshit when they then try and spin that to be for someone else’s benefit.

Honestly just bite the bullet, get a solicitor and start divorce proceedings. Wasting your life for another day out of fear of what might happen is pointless. Better to just tackle it head on now.

ImNotNigel · 27/05/2019 09:39

Excellent post “justwhoiam”. I was married to a habitual liar and I ended up hating him. There was no point in having even the most trivial conversation with him about something mundane at work, because you knew it was probably a load of nonsense anyway.

This destroyed my love for him as much as the affair he had. Even when I discovered that he had given this woman A LOT of money from our joint savings account and spend nights in a hotel with her, he kept insisting “ just but you can’t PROVE it was sexual, we were just friends”.

He had no idea about how reasonable rational people think. It’s like all his life was a court case where the case against him had to be proved. So unless I could prove that he has sex with her ( video footage I assume ? ) he was innocent and I was a paranoid nutter.

He’s very lucky he didn’t get fired from work, as he arranged for her to get a huge pay rise and big bonus by faking her sales figures.

Even now, four years after we split, I can’t trust him on anything.

He can’t deal with any issues with the children. One of the children was in trouble at school for not doing homework and for some random reason they wrote to him and not me. He agreed with our child just to ignore it ( to make himself seem like Nice Dad to lazy teenager, unlike Evil Bitch Mum ) .

Child then got put down a class and can’t sit a GCSE in that subject. Ex doesn’t care about that of course . Ex then looked like a complete idiot at parents evening when the teacher raised it and I knew nothing about it. Ex kept saying “ I forgot “ . Teachers know a liar when they see one.

He’s now secretly giving that one child hundreds of pounds to bribe him to do well in that subject , so that ex doesn’t look bad. Of course child has told his three siblings, who are angry at the unfairness ( they are hardworking and studious and don’t get paid a penny ).

Ex made several key staff leave at his work, because he lied repeatedly to them that he would get them a pay rise and promotion. He didn’t have the power to do this anymore ( after last fiasco ) and after a year of waiting for this, they left on bad terms.

Ex has no friends because of his selfishness and dishonesty . He pisses off tradespeople because he treats them so badly, they won’t work for him anymore.

He pissed off our neighbours, because he promised them for months to pay for some work we jointly had done on a boundary wall. He had the money to pay them, he just CBA. By the time I found out about they were furious and now it’s me who has to live next door to people who won’t speak to me.

He lies to clients at work saying that he’s late with work because a close relative is seriously ill, which is not true. It was true some years ago but they relative has now died, but he didn’t tell anyone at work because it was the end of a good excuse. BTW he never actually edin anything for this relative anyway, his sisters did it all .

He will promise anything or say anything to make himself look good in the moment, with no concern as how he can deliver on it or what effect it might have on the people closest to him. His life is totally controlled by what random people think of him and he will say anything to impress them.

In contrast, he doesn’t give a flying fuck what he does to his kids or me ( when we were still together ).

Liars are impossible to have any kind of relationship with. It’s like being with an alcoholic - they already have a primary relationship which always takes precedence.

Liars are in love with this fantasy of themselves and keeping up their ( self and public ) image at all costs.

ANewDawn10 · 27/05/2019 09:42

It sounds utterly exhausting op. Life is too short to deal or put up living like this. It sounds like it's just who he is, you cant change that. Rathet live in peace with your 3 DC than living with someone you dont even like.

Lockcodger · 27/05/2019 09:43

Tails have you ever read up on covert narcissism? He has a few of the traits and it might be something you could look into.

  1. He is a compulsive liar - a trait of all narcissists
  1. Irresponsible and entitled- doesnt spend his money on the things he is responsible for like his dd's and you have to constantly bail him out. Acting inept when it comes to other life chores such as cooking so that you take charge and do it for them.
  1. has a horrible side - narcissists become aggressive when you cause a narcissistic injury (e.g by leaving them for being irresponsible/a liar etc) so they become enraged. They perceive any hint of you trying to talk to them about their behaviour as a direct attack and will use many manipulative tactics to avoid any responsibility.
  1. Plays the victim - everything they do is because of their horrible childhood. It wasnt their fault they got fired, every one of their exes was crazy and evil etc.

There are lots of other things you can look out for. If he is a narc, I would suggest reading up on it as much as you can because you need to leave a narc carefully (I.e you will see his nasty side again). There are lots if tactics you can learn to help manage their behaviour.

I lived with a covert narc and his behaviour was similar to what you have described. I didn't realise how narcissistic he was because he didn't fit the description of an overt narc I.e he was shy, didn't obviously boast about other women, played the victim card very skillfully and more. Turns out he was worse than some of the overt narcs I've been with when it came to leaving him.

Realising what I was dealing with before the breakup was extremely helpful when his nasty side came up.

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