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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

How do I sort this?

59 replies

PsGal · 25/06/2019 11:51

Been with my man over 6 months. Spend as much time together as we can, work and kids permitting. I wasn't seeing him last night but we texted throughout the day and had a phone call at lunch. He knew I was having a busy day/evening.

I go to family with my DD for dinner on a Monday and once she was in bed I was having a family member over to help with some bookkeeping. This took me up til about 9pm. Went up to get washed and changed from work clothes and text him to let him know I will call him soon once I've got myself a drink and something to eat. 12 minutes later he's calling me. He started swearing down the phone and telling me he's annoyed because I haven't made him a priority. He's annoyed that while I was eating and I was scrolling through fb and not on the phone to him so I just hung up. Pretty lost for words.

Fast forward to now and we are still disagreeing about it over text. I feel like he's out of order for speaking to me like that. Felt like I couldn't have 10 minutes to myself before I called him ready to chill for the evening.

How do I/we move forward?

Background is that he has trust issues carried on from previous relationship and he is accessing support for this, however it's debatable how helpful it actually is.

OP posts:
Bananalanacake · 26/06/2019 10:39

don't move in with him. has he been asking about living together.

AndTheSeaRollsOn · 26/06/2019 10:54

You can’t move forward - he thinks he’s entirely reasonable to attack you over this. And this was waiting what half an hour to speak to you? If he really wanted to do that, he’d have waited. Instead he made sure that he had your attention for the rest of the night, knowing that you’d had a full on busy day.

PsGal · 26/06/2019 10:57

Thanks for all your comments and sorry it has been a while since I cam back. The last 24 hours have been awful and I have emotions all over the place.
I wanted us to try and move on from the argument that was going on, and so did he. I asked him that if he is not controlling and abusive to show me that he is sorry for his entitled behaviour and make me understand he knows why its wrong. Instead he has just shut off. He said I need to try too to sort this out. I have said I don't feel there is anything for me to sort out, apart from try and carry on and be normal without making anything worse. He keeps telling me how angry he is that it wasn't sorted out the first night instead of me hanging up. I have made it clear what I need from him but he just keeps making excuses and saying that unless I be normal with him then he can't show me how sorry he is. His version of normal being all affectionate and maybe even sex (whole other thread).

I explained that I wasn't feeling like sex after all that has gone on, plus personal issue that I am having down there. He feels that I should want to do that with him and want to be like that around him.

Whenever there is an argument he never allows space for things to calm down, he always expects it to immediately going back to being perfect. I don't think that is normal? Surely its normal to be a bit upset and a bit reserved until the air has cleared.

So I gave him a cuddle on the sofa last night, and tried in bed also, but then he started asking how is this getting sorted out. I said I am trying to make an effort to show you that I am trying to move past this. He said I am not trying because I haven't tried kissing him etc. I then got annoyed and said hang on, why is it me that has to do all this like I'm the one that has done something wrong.

He just cannot accept that he has done wrong and he needs to prove to me he is not this abusive person I am starting to think, or part of me thinks he could be.

We have arranged to see someone next week together to see if we can get to the bottom of the trust issues and these issues also.

I just feel so lonely. All night I tried to be near him, put my hand on him to show him I wanted to move forward and he didn't respond. I don't feel like I have anyone in RL to talk to about this.

I really do appreciate all of your comments on here.

@AttilaTheMeerkat

Is it really that obvious about my relationship history? Sometimes I think it must be me, maybe I am the abusive one?

Growing up my parents always argued and eventually split when I was in my early 20s. Never saw affection between them, they never gave affection to me. I was also bullied at school and somewhat bullied at home physically so have always felt quite lonely and tried to keep myself to myself. I think this is where my people pleasing comes from as I really cut myself up if I feel like I have done something wrong or have disappointed someone.

I had been single 2 years previous to this and felt in such a good place mentally and was completely prepared to be on the watch for any red flag behaviour. I honestly cannot believe that this can be happening again.

He told me hes not abusive as he's not nasty or hurtful. I reminded him of coercive control which I had talked to him about before and he looked it up on his phone and admitted that he is almost all of the signs of that but his answer was he doesn't do this intentionally.

Does anyone know what will happen when we attend counselling next week and they identify that this in fact abusive/controlling behaviour?

OP posts:
GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 26/06/2019 11:04

I just feel so lonely. All night I tried to be near him, put my hand on him to show him I wanted to move forward and he didn't respond

@PsGal you latest update made me so sad for you.

So sad that you cannot see what he's doing. He is using sulking/withdrawal of affection as a way of 'punishing' you. Again, it is a form of control.

It is all 'your fault'.

He just cannot accept that he has done wrong he knows damn well it is, he's just got the wool pulled so far over your eyes, you believe him.

For the love of God wake up and listen to us! You cannot fix this. This is who he is.

Does anyone know what will happen when we attend counselling next week and they identify that this in fact abusive/controlling behaviour?

Do NOT have joint counselling with him! You've had god knows how many women on here telling you about their experiences with men like this. Please listen to us and get as far away from him as possible.

Butterymuffin · 26/06/2019 11:04

he just keeps making excuses and saying that unless I be normal with him then he can't show me how sorry he is.

You've been normal this whole time! It's him that is not being normal and him that has the problem.

I'm sorry but he is determined to keep pushing it till you believe you are in the wrong. You are NOT. My advice would be to say to him that you don't want to stay in a relationship where someone is determined to make you the bad guy, and if that's how he sees it then it's over. I wouldn't bother with the counselling as if he's told he has done anything wrong, he simply won't accept that from what you've said here.

hellsbellsmelons · 26/06/2019 11:19

Flippin' 'eck
6 months in and It's not the first time I've called him out on behaviour like this
Why oh why are you doing this to yourself?
He's needy.
He's controlling.
He's clingy.
He's stonewalling.
He's gaslighting.

You can't see it!
Why?
It's obvious to all of us what you need to do.
Things won't improve.
They will get gradually worse as he moves the goalposts.
This is NOT a good one.
Throw him back.

Work on yourself.
If you've had other abusive relationships then it's time to reset your boundaries.
If you haven't done it then enrol on the Womens Aid Freedom Programme.
You've ignored a huge amount of red flags here.
You need to avoid men like this in future.

AyBeeCee10 · 26/06/2019 11:26

6 months in and you should still be in the honeymoon phase. Yet his true colours were dying to come out. Run and dont look back. He is bad news

tomatostottie · 26/06/2019 11:40

It has been an ongoing theme within the relationship which is why I asked him to seek help and I've no doubt he is doing that.

He won't be seeking help. It's all blah blah. In his own mind he doesn't need to "seek help" because he's done nothing wrong. I had an ex who told me he was seeking help and I took him back. He behaved for a couple of months and then it went back to being the same.

He is very anxious about me going off with someone else and nothing I can say or do reassures him. He asks me to promise him several times a week that I haven't been chatting to anyone else.

Controlling behaviour. Get rid. If he can't trust you then the relationship has no solid basis.

He is abusive and it's only going to get worse. You're only 6 months in and he's behaving like this.
It is an utterly ridiculous reaction to you phoning him slightly later because you were eating. Also he obviously checked otherwise he couldn't have known that you were on facebook.

Horrible man.

ThatCurlyGirl · 26/06/2019 11:42

Is it really that obvious about my relationship history? Sometimes I think it must be me, maybe I am the abusive one? Growing up my parents always argued and eventually split when I was in my early 20s. Never saw affection between them, they never gave affection to me. I was also bullied at school and somewhat bullied at home physically so have always felt quite lonely and tried to keep myself to myself. I think this is where my people pleasing comes from as I really cut myself up if I feel like I have done something wrong or have disappointed someone.

My love this does NOT make you abusive, it explains why you put up with abusive behaviour. I could have written your post above before I had years of therapy and a lot of bad choices along the way.

It's taken me 15 years since living away from the family home to get to the headspace I have now with boundaries and healthy expectations - and even now I sometimes have to check myself to stop me falling back on my default setting of not wanting anyone to be upset with me or leave me.

You are six months in - it's never going to be easier to break it off than right now.

Again you are NOT an abuser, you have been conditioned over the years to expect and tolerate what is abusive behaviour.

And remind yourself that you're allowed to break up with people because the relationship isn't making you happy. That's enough of a reason - even if someone isn't abusive or unreasonable you must allow yourself to walk away from things that don't make you happy.

Sorry you're struggling, I really hope you can see past the difficult bit now and take control of your destiny, you can do it! Thanks

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