Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

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

Please check my thinking?

68 replies

Florentyna · 31/05/2019 16:46

I am seriously considering divorce but before I do, I just need to check my thinking and check I’m not overreacting.

I’ve been with my husband for 10 years, we have two kids 8 and 10. To the outside world I’m pretty sure our marriage looks perfect but it really doesn’t feel it inside here.

Name changed for this, because it's outing. Sorry it's long, please bear with me.

Around the time I was doing my undergrad degree part time with OU (I was working full time too and so was he), he started to get very angry with me about studying and in his words ‘not concentrating on me and the kids’. We would argue about housework because he was doing most of it but angry that he should have to do it. He also pulled his weight with looking after the kids but he never let me forget it and often threw it at me in arguments that he was ‘the babysitter’.

I finished the degree and he ruined my graduation. On the day, he yelled at me and told me I thought I was so much more important than everyone else because I had a degree. He told me no one liked me and all my friends were fake. He told me he was the only one who stood by me and he was fuming that I had invited my family to my graduation because he said they didn’t support me like he did.

I was still working full time in management when I started a doctorate and for those years he never once let up about how I was a bad mum and bad wife for not doing enough housework and childcare. In truth, I was balancing a senior role, a doctorate, two kids, him and a bunch of other stuff. He tells everyone I’m never at home but I looked through my calendar for the year and on average I was away from home 6 days a month, the rest was working from home and I actually had the kids and all school runs myself.

As the doctorate progressed and my salary went up and I got promoted a few times, he got angry with me about money. He was angry I earned more than him. He was angry I was paying for holidays for us all. He was angry that I had savings. Every week almost he told me that he didn’t care I was doing a doctorate and he didn’t care about my job and I should be at home being a better mother and wife. He says he feels lonely and isolated.

(His life is actually nothing like that. He works part time in a high paid job and the rest of his time he spends in the gym, in a spa or with his mates whilst I work 60 hour weeks.)

When I finished the doctorate he was happy on the surface but I knew it was fake. Within a couple of days he was saying that I thought I was something special because I had a PhD. He says I’m selfish and self obsessed. Bad mum. Bad wife.

Which brings me to recently. I don’t know what has caused this but he seemed to have gone full MRA on me in the last few months and I just don’t even recognise him. I’m feminist and get involved in lots of campaigning and he has known this for years but always been a bit dismissive.

In the last few weeks he has said:

He thinks only sexy women in short skirts get raped so women and teen girls should cover their bodies

He thinks most women lie about being raped for revenge or attention

He thinks Shamima Begum should be killed or left to die for what she had ‘done’

He thinks women and girls are the biggest offenders of abuse and risks but no one discloses

He thinks men and boys are abused at the same rate as women and girls but men and boys just don’t report it

He tells me he hates my feminism and that I’m obsessed with women’s rights

He ummmd and ahhd over the god-damn abortion ban

He has recently told me he thinks gay lesbian and bi people are wrong and it shouldn’t be allowed and a man should always be with a woman (I’m bisexual and this has really rocked me to be with a homophobe all of a sudden)

He is angry that I earn more money than him and have more influence

He is angry that I work so much because he says I should be home more and do much more housework

He says that none of my friends care about me and no one knows the ‘real’ me and if they did they would all hate me anyway

He says me being bi disgusts him and makes him feel sick

He says feminism turned me bi Hmm

He is angry that I saved up our large mortgage deposit and says he could have done it on his own

He says men are discriminated against in society

He says women make up DV to get revenge on dads of their kids

All of these things. They point to MRA-type misogyny. These views, I have to deal with this shit all damn day at work. This is the type of horrible shit I am sent by trolls and MRAs and I don’t think I can live with him whilst he’s spouting this nonsense.

I've tried to educate him but he says he doesn’t believe my stats or research or global oppression and that ‘he’s entitled to his opinion’.

I want to leave. But am I overreacting? Is this a good enough reason for divorce? I’ve tried for months to get him to see how harmful he is being but as a woman, as a rape victim myself and as a bi woman with loads of bi and gay and lesbian friends - he’s just looking more and more ugly to me the more he speaks.

Help!

OP posts:
Beautiful3 · 31/05/2019 19:45

You don't like him so why be with him? You are fortunate that you can leave him due to your financial security. Leave him and be happy. Life's too short.

Kdubs1981 · 31/05/2019 19:49

I'm just wondering if some of this rubbish he's spouting is said to hurt you, rather than what he believes. That's worse in my opinion. I think he dislikes you. I think he resents you. I think he feels inferior to you. Not a recipe for a happy marriage. Do what you feel is right.

spingiscomming · 31/05/2019 19:53

Leave - be happy.

Please check my thinking?
Missingstreetlife · 31/05/2019 20:05

Why is he working p/t?

QueenBeex · 31/05/2019 20:37

I would of divorced years ago.

luckygreeneyes · 31/05/2019 20:48

There was enough reason to leave him in your first 2 paragraphs. I feel like you’re massively under reacting. Set the right example for your children and leave him. Good luck

Anniegetyourgun · 31/05/2019 21:11

Tell you what, I bet if you were a SAHM he'd be moaning because you weren't earning.

WishICouldThinkOfAGoodName · 31/05/2019 21:21

Get rid, he is a total bell end.

Fl0w3r · 31/05/2019 21:44

What an absolute Cee U Next Tuesday!!!!!

He's been trying to sabotage you from the start but you're a powerful and strong woman who just goes from strength to strength and so as you've got stronger he's turned his abuse up.

You will be so much happier when you leave x

Be strong x

FelicisWolf · 31/05/2019 21:53

Wow. There are two reasons he's saying all this stuff, either:

  1. He genuinely believes it
  2. He's jealous of your success and is saying everything he knows you are against to get a rise out of you to make him feel better about himself

Either reason is absolutely vile. I'm surprised you put up with it for this long and no, YANBU

Mary1935 · 31/05/2019 22:02

He clearly ground you down so much your doubting yourself.
Yes you are very capable. He is abusive to you. This will affect your children and you have to see the messages they are getting from him.
He’s very jealous.
What would you say to another woman who told your story - think about that.
Does he expect sex from you - how is he with other people - how is with your children.
You need to divorce him - if you still doubt yourself contact women’s aid, look up the Freedom course and look at Lundy Bancroft why does he do that - I think it can be downloaded for free or you can buy it second hand.🌺

happyhillock · 31/05/2019 22:03

Sounds like he's very jealous of you, why does he only work part time? If your not happy it's time to get out, think of your children.

AllOverIt · 31/05/2019 22:08

Please leave. He sounds horrendous.

gamerchick · 31/05/2019 22:11

Just to repeat....
He's massively jealous of you and the more you undereact the worse he's going to get until he gets the reaction he's after.

Tell the cunt to fuck off away from you and stay fucked off.

RantyAnty · 31/05/2019 22:17

He's a jealous, petty, mean twunt.

Bin him off. Your house will be so much more peaceful without him there doing fuck all and trying to undermine you.

bluebell34567 · 31/05/2019 22:21

you sound very intelligent, hard working.
what would you say to your dd, if one day she says the same stuff and ask your opinion?
i would leave asap.

bluebell34567 · 31/05/2019 22:23

there is huge emotional abuse in your marriage.
what is there in your marriage to stay?

Florentyna · 31/05/2019 22:27

Thank you all, I think I know what I need to do and will start making plans. I'm going to bow out of the thread now, thanks again all for your wisdom and kindness.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page