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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

DIVORCING sulking H!

992 replies

jamaisjedors · 13/07/2019 20:16

This is my fourth thread ! (Long-time mn-er.)

I initially started a thread reluctantly in December after my H ruined my birthday weekend (and 1st anniversay of my dad's death) by giving me the silent treatment all weekend to "punish me" for not being grateful enough for him coming away and buying me a present and a card.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/3448545-Confronting-DH-about-his-sulking?msgid=84022238

Thanks to some amazing posters I realised that H's behaviour (which was not at all a one-off) was abusive and unacceptable.

I prepared to leave him and got plans in place but got "hoovered" back in by H with promises of joint counselling, individual counselling for him, and regular "date nights". Unfortunately none of that changed the dynamic in our relationship : 2nd thread :

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/3498886-Confronting-DH-about-his-sulking-part2?msgid=85957683

I started a 3rd thread in May when H and I had decided to separate :

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/3580872-LEAVING-sulking-H?msgid=88239005

and that's when things got nightmarish.

As everyone on here pointed out, the most dangerous time for women is when they decide to leave an abusive partner.

In a nutshell, H went missing, had an acute psychotic episode, was admitted to a psychiatric facility and is still in there now.

Staff at the hospital warned me H could be dangerous for me and advised me to move out asap which I did, in fear for my life.

Things now are on a reasonably even keel 2 months on but now the battle is managing H who is continuing his abusive behaviour and also protecting the DC (12 & 14) - H is expecting to get joint custody.

Thanks again to all the wonderful posters who have advised me, informed me, cheered me on, shared their experiences and generally been an invaluable source of support over the last 7-8 months.

Flowers Flowers Flowers Flowers Flowers Flowers Flowers Flowers

OP posts:
Mix56 · 05/09/2019 20:35

he wants to be seen as participating, more or less says loud & clear
"I am not giving you a penny, but to make it look (to the judge) like I am paying something towards my own children, we can pay half & half for the canteen form the joint accout
i would say, "as we are divorcing the joint account is being closed. Your salary will go into your own personal account.
The standing order for the canteen is in place, & I will not be changing it.
The fact that I have solely provided for out 2 boys since May & in view that you have opted out of any support it is pointless trying to con people into believing you are a decent father by paying half their canteen bill " (CC to Sol & mutual friend.)

jamaisjedors · 05/09/2019 21:12

@Mix56 Grin I have just sent an email saying pretty much that but much more politely (because if H produces all our emails again to the judge, once again he will be shooting himself in the foot because my emails are polite, informative and calm, whereas his are paranoid and rambling!)

I'm entitled to withdraw from the joint accounts which will mean the cards and cheque books don't work anymore and we need both signatures to do anything.

I'm not going to do this immediately, because actually there is no risk of him emptying it etc. - as @MsPavlichenko says, he's just trying to keep contact and control.

He's not stupid, it is a lot more insidious than emptying the account, he wouldn't want to look bad. Much better to keep insisting that his salary is still going into it and that I am not contributing.

He is definitely scared I will say he hasn't been contributing to the DC, he obviously thinks I am making a case against him and collecting evidence (which is so patently what HE is doing).

I have said the direct debit will stay as it is, he can transfer me half the money each month.

I've also said that I'm delighted that he is wanting to contribute to the DC's upkeep and have suggested he look online at the child maintenance amounts (have linked the websites) and then make me an offer for upkeep of the kids for the period beween mid-May and the end of September (when it will be settled by the judge anyway).

The joint accounts need to be settled up and closed, and he needs to get back to me on the furniture and I want this settled within 2 weeks before he goes away for work.

I very much doubt he will do any of these things, but the aim here is to be able to prove to the judge that I DID try to reach agreement with him amiably (and probably that he refused).

I've written off the furniture and any hope of back-dated maintenance anyway, so it's no loss to me really.

If within 2 weeks he hasn't done anything about the bank accounts, I will transfer out the amount I consider is due to me, and then freeze the account. He can't say I didn't warn him.

Then I can sit back and let him worry about whether it was shared out fairly or not, there is actually no rush.

I just want these things over with so that the interactions between us can be cut to the strict minimum and so that there are as few "pending topics" between us as possible.

I have realised that my mental health can't cope with all of this "polite" to-ing and fro-ing and it stops me getting on with my life (his aim) so I need an end date, which will actually pretty much coincide with the judge's decision anyway.

DS1 has just had to call his dad because H's fretting that he hasn't received any paperwork from the school. DS1 was exasperated and stressed and having to tell his dad that nothing had been sent out yet.

I reassured DS1 that just like for DS2 yesterday, if anything comes through from school, I will take a photo of it and send it directly to H, he doesn't need to worry about it.

Night all!!! Hoping for a better night tonight.

OP posts:
Wallywobbles · 05/09/2019 22:48

Have a look at the 2houses app. It's a good way of sharing paperwork. Scannable is a good app for copying the paperwork over too. Good luck. This really is the slog part of the process.

Mix56 · 05/09/2019 23:51

well done jamais, you are so Spot On !!!!!! :o)

CharityDingle · 06/09/2019 00:02

I know I have nothing much to offer but koko.

Innertwist · 06/09/2019 07:09

You seem to have a very effective pattern going here jamias.

Ignore this completely if it doesn't resonate at all though - that's always allowed. Grin

It seems that just as you naturally and normally go down down the dip of the big struggle to deal with all the pointless rubbish being chucked at you... (which is normal and natural and the way of things) what's really happening is you're having a much needed & required wallow in order to gather your strength for the next bit.

Therefore wallowing must be an integral part of life happenings.

I feel wallowing is underrated and we might all do it a little more. Allow ourselves to be in the cool, sad, sticky-that-gets-everywhere mud. Perhaps consider shouting out to us earlier next time ~ we can all join you and wallow together ~ like a bunch of friendly hippos who learn to love the sad & sometimes scary squishiness because we know we'll get out as soon as we are ready..... and then......... hear us roar.

ThinkWittyThoughts · 06/09/2019 07:16

It might not resonate with jamais, but it does with me.
Thank you!

NettleTea · 06/09/2019 08:51

I love your latest update. It really sets the scene out perfectly and gives a very reasonable account of where everything lies and what needs to be done.
like you I doubt he will do anything but rile against it, but as you say the judge will not that you are being reasonable, and that you are also not getting anything from him
He is such an idiot
But his fretting and hassling of the boys needs to stop
I think this needs to be made clear by the judge too

Haffdonga · 06/09/2019 12:07

Despite everything you are being incredibly calm and fair. You are absolutely right that you need to keep looking after your own mental health in all this. What you are dealing with must require superhuman mental resilience. You are starting to become a bit of a MN superhero of mine. Smile

With regards to your ds's texts
he doesn't understand why custody is only with me for the moment when we agreed on 50/50. He also says that his dad just "cracked" but is fine now.

I wonder if for the best of reasons everyone has downplayed the frightening realities about the nature of his dad's mental illness to ds? Does ds know that a symptom of his dad's mental illness can be not believing he is ill (and believing everyone else is out to get him) so what his dad says is not a good measure of how fine he is. Is he aware that H's psychiatrist says the risk of relapse is high and that this is likely to be a condition that will need long term monitoring and medication. Are there any materials or resources aimed at young people to help them understand serious mental illness in the family?

Hope the boys are continuing to like their new schools and the routine is settling.

jamaisjedors · 08/09/2019 19:29

@Innertwist

Great metaphor/description, you are right, the grieving at night or "wallowing" does allow me to then get up and get on with things the next day and continue with everyday life WITHOUT bursting into tears at every setback. Thanks!

@Haffdonga

I agree that some people might have been down-playing H's illness to not scare the kids. I have tried to be relatively truthful about it, but H is looking and acting "normal" (I would now call that "HIS NORMAL") so the kids are struggling to understand the risks of him going over the edge again.

I guess what the judge has to do is to weigh up the risk of H getting sick again or even being sick and the benefits of having a father and contact with that father.

I don't subscribe to the idea that no father is better than a "bad" or "imperfect" father. I think the DC will need help (hopefully from their psychologists) in dealing with their father who will not always have their best interests at heart and will try to manipulate them.

Ultimately unfortunately they have to do that anyway, because I am no longer around to absorb some of the crap or pick up the pieces.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend, I ended up being super busy seeing friends almost non-stop, which was lovely, at the moment I am accepting every invitation I get, even when I'm tired because I don't want to lose contact with them and need their support (and am trying to support them too).

Hopefully this coming week will be "easier" - the DC are with me all week and all weekend so there shouldn't be any need for interactions apart from possibly school stuff so I might get some headspace.

I'm seeing a solicitor on Monday (on my lawyer's advice) to discuss the different financial implications relating to property, inheritance etc.)

Also going to see the bank to cancel any ongoing direct debits in both names and warn them I will be withdrawing from the account very shortly.

In the end H has much more to lose from me withdrawing from the accounts because I have just calculated that he has money tied up there (3 salaries) whereas I am just owed a small amount of money to settle things up.

So it's no skin off my nose if the accounts are frozen in 2 weeks' time once H has had a reasonable amount of time to deal with his own direct debits. He's had since mid July when he got of the clinic but has done nothing about it so meanwhile the amount of transactions which need accounting for are building up which is a pain but not impossible to sort - I've downloaded them all and labelled them in an Excel file today.

OP posts:
RandomMess · 08/09/2019 21:20

Perhaps time to tell the DC that H has never been "well" and much of his "normal" behaviour leaves a lot to be desired so 50:50 may be a long off happening until they are better at understanding when he is being on and when not!

You are doing really well KOKO Thanks

prawnsword · 08/09/2019 21:29

You have come so far!

What is his actual diagnosis ? As far as can tell isn’t he some type of paranoid personality disorder case? Which in that case is a mental issue but basically just means his personality is impaired. He didn’t have some undiagnosed mental illness your whole marriage or did he? From everything I read it sounds like you were just the bandaid for his flawed personality & when you left he snapped & had a meltdown

Anyways it’s so good you’re rid of him & settled into your new life. I feel like your experience will help others here.

mankyfourthtoe · 08/09/2019 21:39

It's perhaps good to talk through a few incidents from the past where they saw their dad as well and everything ok.
Talk from your perspective and how the boys didn't know as you shielded them as much as possible.
Well now dad can't behave that way with you so you need the boys to be aware of their dad wanted to change what they want etc.
They think it'll go back to normal but it wasn't ever normal, you just made it look like that.
Maybe a group counselling session?

jamaisjedors · 09/09/2019 14:31

@prawnsword no official diagnosis that I know of, probably because they don't come up with a psychiatric diagnosis after only 3 weeks of observation (9 weeks in all but in 2 different places).

All we have is the "exit letter" which the psychiatrist at the clinic addressed to the psychiatrist at the psychiatric unit of the hospital.

The description there is of an "acute psychotic episode" with the following personality traits or behaviours observed:

  • obsessive
  • obsessive compulsive personality (so not OCD)
"psychorigidity" = control freak "sensitive paranoia"
OP posts:
jamaisjedors · 11/09/2019 08:57

Guess what?

A bottle of gin from mumsnet is heading my way!!!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/sponsored_discussions/3646663-Celebrate-your-fellow-Mumsnetters-by-nominating-a-Mumsnetter-who-deserves-a-treat-Silent-Pool-prizes-to-be-won

Thank you to @MotherofTerriers and @cinders15 for nominating me.

I have been on mn for about 15 years and never won anything.Shock

Obviously my luck is on the turn!

Wish I could invite you all over and share it with you - unfortunately you'd need ferry tickets! Flowers Blush

OP posts:
MotherofTerriers · 11/09/2019 09:26

Aww I'm really really chuffed for you! You deserve it.

Ghostontoast · 11/09/2019 09:32

GinFlowers

springydaff · 11/09/2019 09:35

Aw that's great! Flowers Flowers

RandomMess · 11/09/2019 10:03

I'm well up for a visit even if it means a ferry GrinGrinGrin

I hope the rest of your week is as good Thanks

jamaisjedors · 11/09/2019 10:44

@RandomMess you'd be very welcome, pm me anytime!

Fingers crossed for the rest of the week - ex H is away and super busy with work and the DC are with me the whole time so no interactions on the horizon, so looking good!

OP posts:
RandomMess · 11/09/2019 10:49

Result for a quiet week!

justilou1 · 11/09/2019 11:27

Awesome!!! Well done!!!

CeeCee88 · 11/09/2019 14:39

@jamaisjedors I'm loving the fact that you're getting gin but also that you're now referring to him as ex H and no longer H!

It's amazing to see how far you've come over the last months. Keeping my fingers crossed that things will work out the best way possible for the kiddos.

cinders15 · 11/09/2019 14:45

I have followed all of your threads and am so impressed with your calm and faultless logic that have steered both you and your DCs into a safe harbour
He is ex indeed
I'm so chuffed for all of you! GinThanks

jamaisjedors · 11/09/2019 15:28

Ha! I thought you would all be proud of me for moving from H to ex, need to be there in my head too and this is one step towards it!

OP posts:
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