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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 male best friend just told me that he thinks my DP is abusing me

319 replies

helpisitme · 09/10/2019 18:22

I met up with my best friend of 15 years last night and was telling him how things were going with my DP. I have been with DP just under a year. I said that we had been arguing lately. What I told him I thought was "normal" arguing... I gave a few examples and he was taken aback at what I told him. He said that he was emotionally abusing me and that I needed to leave him. I have no reason to think my friend would encourage me to end our relationship for his own benefit (he's gay and married) or that he dislikes DP? I know DP isn't an angel, but I am not sure I am being abused?

I basically gave an example of the only "big" argument we've had (incidentally the first time he's ever been nasty). DP was meant to pick me up from work because my car broke down. He was 45 minutes late. I was noticeably annoyed getting in the car, dripping wet and full of cold. He was late because he was chatting to his friends after he had done his hobby with them. He asked what was up - I said that I was cold and tired. He shouted at me, saying that I shouldn't "make him feel guilty" and that I was manipulative. He said he ALWAYS put me first and considered me, but I never considered him, and that I was selfish and self-centred. I told him that I did things for him and always consider how he feels, it wasn't him I was annoyed with, but the situation (e.g. having a cold/being cold). He ignored me for the rest of the drive, dropped me at my house (he was meant to come in) and drove home, saying he was "done". I was crying and apologising for upsetting him, asking him to please come back, but he ignored me, and then told me the relationship was over. I accepted this. A week later after the silent treatment, he called to say he overreacted and for us to get back together. I said yes, because this was the first time this had happened.

Another occasion, I told him over a very busy weekend "you're always so busy, rushing around looking after everyone else!" gave him a hug and jokingly said "now I know why you fall asleep replying to my messages! you're so sweet, but you need to sleep!". I said this because in the past, I had commented that he shouldn't feel compelled to reply to my messages late at night instead of sleeping (he had told me work was busy). He started saying that I was manipulative again - saying that I was "not trusting of how he spent his time", and how "everything is an issue to you". He again didn't speak to me for 3 days.

I brought up to him last week that I was feeling overwhelmed at work, my mum isn't well and my MH was getting bad and I was feeling generally rubbish. Insecurities stemming from my body image (previous anorexia) makes me feel shit about myself when I am stressed. I rang him basically asking why his ex had commented on his social media, because I didn't think they were in contact. This is the ex who cheated on him, and who openly calls me a "slag" to anyone who will listen. It was totally out of order of me to do this, I know. I apologized immediately. He told me it wasn't an issue and he would remove her. He ignored me for a week again, despite me asking him to talk to me, saying I was sorry etc.

He always tells me whenever I am unhappy or bring up an issue that I am "destroying the relationship" and that "you've ruined who we are". He will NEVER respond in an argument to me, I am always just met with "okay" and the silent treatment. He always threatens to break up over the smallest of disagreements. Nothing is ever a small discussion, any small criticism or concern is dragged out for weeks. I am scared to bring up anything to him in all honesty and feel myself being pushed away as a way to make me suffer, if I do. He always says "you're always accusing me" Confused

The common theme seems to be that I make him feel bad. If I mention anything, even if I think it is wrong, it will always be twisted into how I am "making him feel guilty". He said he shouldn't have to change anything he does for me.

My friend told me he was stonewalling me, gaslighting me (you're the problem with this relationship, not the issues), and projecting onto me (e.g. in the car pick up example, my friend said he SHOULD have felt guilty as he had left you waiting knowing you were ill, and that HE was being manipulative trying to make me feel unreasonable for being annoyed).

Is this abuse? I think abuse is too strong? I do feel uneasy with any conflict with him, but I am not scared of him. He's sensitive, and maybe I am too critical?

OP posts:
wineconnoisseur · 09/10/2019 19:33

After writing all of that OP how do you not see that it's not normal behaviour? Your friend is 100% right! He's controlling you and by the sounds of it he knows you'll come running back no matter how he treats you. No-one deserves to be treated like that OP you shouldn't be waiting around for someone who ignores and dumps you for a week at a time when he's the one in the wrong. You should still be in the honey moon stage, not constantly worrying when he will dump you again for a week and ignore you.. Is this what you want for the rest of your life? If not then you need to think and make some serious changes!!

krustykittens · 09/10/2019 19:34

Your friend, and PP, are right. You ARE being abused and it is going to get WORSE! Right now, he is just testing to see how much shit you will take. You already take quite a bit. Leave him, now, before it gets even worse.

BigFluffyCatWhiskers · 09/10/2019 19:35

Your friend is absolutely right. Listen to him.

Lightinthedark · 09/10/2019 19:35

When you partner accuses you, he is basically mirroring onto you what he knows to be true about himself, a, e manipulative, destroying the relationship, etc, he is very abusive.

I just left my ex a month ago who started off like your partner, my ex, over time became increasingly abusive once I became numb to his present abuse, he would escalate it.

You have known your friend many years, and he only got a glimpse of your year with your partner, your friend is right, don't let a man you known for a year destroy you gradually. He doesn't love you. This may feel like love at times, and your partner may know what to say to manipulate you once he has ignored you for days, what he is doing is disciplinin you into a position to suit him.

I promise you that if you stay with him, you will gradually loose sight of who you are, and one day your partner will get tired of you because he managed to make you so submissive, and that's when he will turn around and tell you he no longer loves you, rewrite history and skip into the sunset with someone who crawled out the wood work 15 minutes prior, aka another woman. These men are classic in how the reel in their victims, gradually build up mechanisms to eradicate your confidence and then discard of you when they get bored. Please see sense now.

Livelikejackandsally · 09/10/2019 19:36

It may be abuse, it may not be, we only have one side
(fwiw it does sound like gaslighting and stone walling - but ime these can also be a sign of immaturity and not knowing how to handle conflict, if you're very young maybe it's something that can change, but it's unlikely and he would have to recognise his problem, which seems less likely)

The question is though, if YOU don't think it's abuse, what do you think it is?
Surely you don't think this is a nice way to be treated? If your friends husband made him cry all the time and kept dumping him would you see that as acceptable?

Clangus00 · 09/10/2019 19:36

Your friend is bang on.
Sorry, but he is.

Babysharkdoodoodood · 09/10/2019 19:37

He's an abusive arsehole. Dump him and tell him why
'You're a manipulative, gaslighting wankbadger and I never want to hear from or see you again!'
And block!

Cauliflowerpower · 09/10/2019 19:37

Do you think its right that he gives you the silent treatment after relatively minor arguments?

Do you think its right he puts chatting with friends above you?

Di you think its right you're already walking on eggshells so as not to upset this man.....???

You know your friend is right. And brave enough to voice it....

Coughsyrupsucks · 09/10/2019 19:40

You have a great friend, and a really shitty abusive boyfriend Flowers

JoObrien7 · 09/10/2019 19:40

@helpisitmeYour friend might be right but he might just want to be more than a friend imho

MardyLardy · 09/10/2019 19:40

Would you like anyone to treat your friend like that? I don’t treat people I don’t like that badly. Don’t let this happen to you - what a good friend you have. God he is very right.

I have never had a partner who did any of those things to me - good partners do not behave like that. Ever.

JoObrien7 · 09/10/2019 19:42

@helpisitme

Try again

He might want to be more than just a friend.

RolytheRhino · 09/10/2019 19:42

What a good friend you have. And he's right- LTB.

Dahlietta · 09/10/2019 19:43

might be right but he might just want to be more than a friend imho

If the OP is telling it accurately, the friend clearly is right so his motivation is really irrelevant. However, did you miss the part about him being gay and married?

AnneKipanki · 09/10/2019 19:43

@JoObrien7 her friend is gay .

emilybrontescorsett · 09/10/2019 19:44

I agree that your friend is right.

Ated · 09/10/2019 19:44

Get rid of him he's a useless/

ClemDanFango · 09/10/2019 19:44

Listen to your friend.

cacklingmags · 09/10/2019 19:44

Dump his sorry manipulative arse. Just imagine what he would be like if you had children with this guy. Shuddering to think of it. Classic gaslighting fuckwit. Buy your mate a pint.

JoObrien7 · 09/10/2019 19:45

This scene always makes me lol

user1472216705 · 09/10/2019 19:45

Its called cohersive controll and is a form of domestic abuse. Thats exactly how it starts for most. I have just got out of a cohersively controlling relationship and it has done alot of damage to me so id get out whilst your still oblivious to the fact that it is abuse because if you dont, you get dragged further and further along until you dont even realise what has happened to you.

Regaurdless to anything, you should be with someone who you cant express your feelings and emotions too. I was made to feel awful for the tinest of things and questioned to the point of insanity whilst if my partner did things that were much worse and i dared to confront him, i would never get answers and always get it twisted on to me.

Please leave and find someone who will treat you right and not make you feel small.

SeraphinaDombegh · 09/10/2019 19:46

Red flags here. Your friend is right. If he's like this now, he'll be far worse in a few years, and horrendous once you have children. Please dump him.

Mimishimi · 09/10/2019 19:46

Your friend is correct.

3timeslucky · 09/10/2019 19:46

Your friend is right.

He shouted at me, saying that I shouldn't "make him feel guilty" and that I was manipulative. He said he ALWAYS put me first and considered me, but I never considered him, and that I was selfish and self-centred. I told him that I did things for him and always consider how he feels, it wasn't him I was annoyed with, but the situation (e.g. having a cold/being cold). He ignored me for the rest of the drive, dropped me at my house (he was meant to come in) and drove home, saying he was "done". I was crying and apologising for upsetting him, asking him to please come back, but he ignored me, and then told me the relationship was over. I accepted this. A week later after the silent treatment, he called to say he overreacted and for us to get back together. I said yes, because this was the first time this had happened

Do you think this is normal? I'm married 15 years and have known my dh for 30 years. Never ever has he spoken to me or treated me like that. That doesn't make his special or our relationship special - that's normal. Your boyfriend is not. Run for the hills.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 09/10/2019 19:47

Team friend here too. Sorry, @helpisitme - that definitely sounds like abuse.

Put yourself in your friend’s place - someone you love describes how their partner treats them - and tells you the things you have outlined in your original post. How would you react? Would you think it was OK for your friend to be treated like that? I am sure you wouldn’t - and I am equally sure YOU deserve much better treatment than this.

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