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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 long do wait for husband to decide if he wants you or not

61 replies

Mango234 · 11/07/2019 16:31

About 4 weeks ago, my husband told he no longer loves, fed up with the lack of sex and does even give me a 2nd thought most of time. This is the 2nd time he has told me this, the last time was last Summer when we ended up in marriage counselling. We moved house not long after counselling and things have gone down hill since then. Husband admits he is depressed and bored with life and confused as to what he wants. But he does nothing to help himself just drifts from one day to the next. Wont go to the GP as he says anti depressants do not work. But depression aside, he has never been very loving towards to me, he says he cares about me but that's because I am the mother of his kids who are teenagers. He openly admits he does not give me a 2nd thought when he is at work or out with his mates or visiting his best friend who lives 3 hours away. He admits he has taken me for granted and has shown me little support in life through out years which has taken its toll on me as a person. He has made a huge deal about the lack of sex in our marriage but I find it difficult to be intimate with someone who ignores me most of the time. He said he kinda understands that but I am not sure he really gets it. We have had sex twice since he told he did not love me which I now see as a stupid thing to do, because he got want he wanted but still continues to ignore me and has given me no indication as to whether he wants to try and save our marriage or that he has some feeling for me. I feel I am living in limbo, just waiting for him to make his made whether he wants a relationship with me or not. Hence my heading how long do I wait? If we split up we cant sell the house for another 18 months due to being tied in with our mortgage so would have to come up with some kind of arrangement living together which will be very hard but at least I will know its definatlely over can start planning for my own future. But how long would you be prepared wait to know? I have no other family or no close friends so I am completely on my own with this. Thanks reading this far.

OP posts:
DeRigueurMortis · 11/07/2019 17:08

Good point Zazie

ScreamingLadySutch · 11/07/2019 17:10

My H also said those things

I should have said 'fine, there is the door, bye'.

I clung on and danced for years more of that treatment and I had handed over all my power. And when he said that? Men still checked me out in the street although my self esteem was so low I couldn't imagine being attractive to men because he treated me like how you describe.

I should have gone and I didn't

ConfCall · 11/07/2019 18:08

He’s ended it, pretty much. It’s finished. Sorry OP.

You now need to take control before he does. Obtain legal advice.

Can you increase your hours at work?

Your daughter’s mental health may improve. She may have picked up in the toxicity. It’s possible.

Mary1935 · 11/07/2019 18:35

Hi OP if you work part time you may get some working tax and or child tax credits. There’s a website called entitledto that you put your own financial details and it tells you what you may be entitled to. You partner would need to pay maintainace for his children. This is not counted as an income ( I don’t think).
Could he move into a friends or family house - or look at renting a room in a private house.
Good luck and you will be happier without him.

ohnoessexgirl · 11/07/2019 18:41

Show him the door.

ChickenTikkaTellMeWhatsWrong · 12/07/2019 08:09

When me and my ex were together around 14 years, he told me he didn't think he loves me anymore. I took me and the kids back to my mums and had to put my name on the council housing list.
I was offered a house 4 weeks later. (It's really small and in some ways I regret taking it, but it's a roof over mine and the kids head)
We got back together about 9 months later, as he said he did love him after all (mug!)
Another year passed and we have now broken up for good just over a year ago. He said he wasn't happy, but I feel he wanted a new life, he said he hated the house I'd took, but I felt I had no choice to take this house and it was partly his fault I was in this situation.
He now has a girlfriend and is moving on. I'm still hurt by it and miss the family element and partly him too. He's told me he no longer loves me and is over me, so I know I'm ridiculous and stupid to still feel love for him; however, a pp has just wrote these words
Any man who tells you he no longer loves you, doesn't give you a second thought and generally ignores you isn't worth "waiting for"
This is so right and I'd never thought of it that way, so thank you to that poster.
If he's saying he's not in love with you, don't waste anymore time on him, it's not fair on you and you deserve so much better, and there may come a time when he might regret his decision, but hopefully you may have moved on by then and he'll be the one who's too late.

AlongTheWay · 12/07/2019 08:21

Personally, I wouldn't wait a second. If he's off to decide if its me he wants he can just go. I don't wait around to win anyone. They're here because they want to be and the minute they need time out to decide on a future with me, I make the decision for them.

hellsbellsmelons · 12/07/2019 09:21

I feel I am living in limbo
Well then you need take back control of your own life.
I'd tell him it's over.
We can live together but we aren't together.
Let him live his life and you live yours.
Get out there.
Join clubs.
Meet people.
Get yourself a life.

theunrivalledjoysofparenting · 12/07/2019 09:23

What everyone else says. Take back the power and make the decision for yourself. End it. That is no relationship.

Could you live in the same house as flatmates after you separate if it's too expensive for him to leave?

HisBetterHalf · 12/07/2019 09:31

If he has to think about it then its already over

Omzlas · 12/07/2019 09:32

Haven't RTFT but Jesus, he 'doesn't give you a second thought' and then wants sex and get pissy when you don't?

Please PLEASE read back what you've read OP

Omzlas · 12/07/2019 09:33
  • What you've written.

Stupid fingers.

VictoriaBun · 12/07/2019 09:34

Mango234

Do I want him, yes if he can commit to being the person I need him to be

I'm not sure that someone can commit to do that.
He is the person he is, as of course are you.
I'm sorry you are going through this but a relationship is a two way thing. He could say he wants you to commit to things that are not your normal way of being also, and then you could be on here saying he is being unreasonable !
Better to sit down and try to talk to air your differences and see if you can compromise with each other ,but sadly, if he isn't in the relationship you can't make it work.

PeoniesarePink · 12/07/2019 09:43

He's already checked out of your marriage.

All of this is on his terms.

Fuck that for a laugh. Go to a solicitor and see what your rights are. And in the kindest possible way, remove yourself as his back up plan - you're worth better.

GottaGettaway · 12/07/2019 10:06

You have agency in your own life. Waiting to see if someone wants you or not? Fuck that. Honestly, I wouldn't wait at all.

You deserve so much better than this.

MsMustDoBetter · 12/07/2019 10:12

Leave, you need to set your standards high.
Waiting for him to decide if he'll settle for you is not good for you and even if he stays with you it will slowly destroy your self esteem. Move on.

TowelNumber42 · 12/07/2019 10:15

It is over.

Yes the practicalities of splitting up are awkward.

Why would DD lose her dad? Would he go off an never see her again? 50:50 childcare is fairly normal.

As for money, you might have to go full time, get a lodger or Dh has to live somewhere horrible and cheap until you can sell at a profit.

Or he can move in with his girlfriend. He has followed all the early parts of the cheater's script so this seems the most logical next step.

minou123 · 12/07/2019 10:34

Mango234

What would your advice be if your daughter was in the same situation and came and said the same thing to you?
Would you say

"Give him 4 weeks and make a decision "

Or, would you say

"Who the hell does he think he is? You are worth more than this. Tell him to shape up or ship out"

madcatladyforever · 12/07/2019 10:41

Wow and with that behaviour still wonders why he gets no sex!!

I waited 10 years after he started moaning about our relationship and my ex still left anyway leaving me in the shit so I had to sell up and move away.

Don't be me, start issuing ultimatums and mean them.

My ex has started asking to come back after all he put me through as he has debt and nowhere to live but I have firmly shut the door in his face for good. Wish I hadn't given him 10 years of my life.

stucknoue · 12/07/2019 10:51

To divorce the cheapest way takes 2 years. I'm in a similar situation, we get on fine but he says he doesn't love me and isn't sure when he truly did (but in next breath I'm his best friend so go figure). We have a spare room so he sleeps there, we will stay like this until he can afford to buy somewhere else (mortgage is tied for 5 years as had only just renewed but will be mostly paid off by then).

BiBabbles · 12/07/2019 11:01

I've been the "depressed and don't know what I want" spouse - and I think he's taking the piss and needs to stop yanking you around. If he actually cared about all the things he's saying he knows he's not doing - the lack of support and taking you for granted - he would do something about it, not just give lip service. To me, it looks like he's trying to make himself look like a better person by saying the words, but actually is just trying to push so you make the final shove so he's not the bad guy he is really is.

In my situation, it had been a shitty year+, family death and another getting a terminal diagnosis, lots of health problems, and I had people in my ear, in my social circle, who were essentially feeding me poison, but I didn't see that until later. The shittiness made it easier to do, but the poison was what was making me question everything from my relationship, my sexuality, even my concept of love. I was beyond messed up.

However, in trying to find those answers, I did a lot of reading, I initiated us going out more and more one-on-one time without the kids to help with the disconnected feeling I had, we talked a lot in person and over text, I sought help, and in spending more time and less with the poisonous people, it eventually clicked that - while there were some decent questions that came up (especially as we've been together since being teenagers) - a lot of it was ideological bullshit that was only hurting me for someone else's ideal. It wasn't as easy as just dropping it, but seeing it for what it was was a big step back on track.

My husband was very patient through this, put up with so much of my bullshit that I still regret even though he's very forgiving and always says it's not water under the bridge, but he was also practical about it. We were also not really in a situation to split houses at that point and he basically said 'if you really feel this way, we can rearrange the house. I'm not going to push you to leave or toss you out, but I don't want to share a bed if you don't see and love me that way". He works nights to my days so that wasn't entirely needed for us not to be literally in bed together, but he was making a clear line that I couldn't just keep talking & reading about it, that this was going to be the next consequence going down this path. Between that, his support and outside support to help me see the BS for what it was, it was probably still a good month or so before I really felt like I was back in my marriage.

While he might have people in his ear, I think your husband similarly needs a next consequence with a deadline because it is unfair to you for him to just keep talking and doing absolutely nothing else. Even if he doesn't want to see a doctor yet, he needs to be putting something in - other than his dick - to show he's interested in trying to figure this out. He's not going to get answers just in his own head - if they were there, he'd have them already - he needs to be doing something with you, even better would be you and outside support, to work through this if he actually wants to do that.

Otherwise, yeah, see someone about your financial & legal situation and figure out how to rejig the house because this isn't good for you or the kids. As someone who had parents who did this kind of thing for far too many years, it can create a lot of harmful instability and we were all happier once things were finally settled.

Mum4Fergus · 12/07/2019 11:07

The decision is clearly already made. Start your own planning and then ask him what he has done for his own planning.

Scott72 · 12/07/2019 11:31

"Do I want him, yes if he can commit to being the person I need him to be"

What do you mean? Can you tell him exactly what you would want him to do? Its possible you've just fallen out of love with him too and there's really nothing realistic he can do to bring that back.

JustmeandtheKIDS2 · 12/07/2019 13:34

Omg my husband did this to. He also didn't want to work on it, just wanted to see what happened .... While talking to other woman. He went around the house like there was nothing wrong. My mental health took a massive noise dive. Long story short I asked him to leave about 6 weeks later , my mental health improved and since then I have realised I was in an abusive relationship. I am now divorced and even though things are still very hard as he comtinues to play a lot of games and tries to control me through the children asking h to leave and taking control of the situation was the best thing I've done.
I think it's one thing to have doubts in a relationship but to sit back and not care after saying he has doubts means that he has already checked out of the marriage, he just hadn't got the mental strength to actually leave or act on it, he's wanting you to take action.
I would see a solicitor in secret and see where you stand legally.

StarlightIntheNight · 12/07/2019 13:49

Pack your bags and run for the hills. Why does he get to decide?

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