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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

Husband highly sensitive to criticism means I have no say

324 replies

JulieJones22 · 03/12/2019 07:55

It’s driving me crazy. I’m very open and honest and have been brought up to say what’s on my mind.

He on the other hand has been brought up with a domineering mother who he is to this day still trying to gain approval and love for. He says he never feels good enough for her.

He clearly has the same thing going on with me. He was in tears today after an argument about his snoring. I said he should sleep somewhere else because I can’t sleep (with earplugs). After much shouting and talks of divorce he broke down crying saying how did I think that made him feel telling him he had no place in our bed. He felt like I was saying he didn’t belong. Confused. But he’d been saying that I should sleep somewhere else if I couldn’t sleep for his snoring. At no point did he say sorry for my poor nights sleep over the last few nights, or show any empathy.

He says I’m constantly criticising him. I am not, I will say to him if something is bothering me. Eg he thinks it’s ok to use his electric razor and put it back in bathroom cabinet without rinsing! Stubble is all over the drawer. It’s disgusting. When I brought it up initially he just said he’d always done that and made out I was being ridiculous. When I’ve brought it up since he’s highly defensive and says I’m criticising him again - he feels he’s always in trouble.

I’ve said to him, I’m not your Mum, you aren’t in trouble. I’m just asking you logically to consider that it’s a bit gross.

He said how do I think it feels to be constantly criticised? I said how does he thinks it feels to have no voice and feel he has no respect for me because anything I have a problem with is seen as criticism?

I have suggested counselling but he absolutely refuses.

OP posts:
AnotherEmma · 05/12/2019 10:37

PS However, I can see why some people interpret it that way. When a man lacks emotional intelligence and responds so badly to criticism - getting angry, silent treatment etc - it definitely veers into emotional abuse territory. However, I don't think it is always part of wider pattern of abuse and control. You just have to be very careful that you don't take the blame and adapt your own behaviour to accommodate his dysfunctional behaviour.

doublebarrellednurse · 05/12/2019 10:42

I talked about this thread with my husband last night. Like I said he was very similar. He had a read.

He said the OP sounds like him, how he used to justify everything to himself, how he used to use emotions to manipulate not just me but others around him as well. He was very damaged.

It took a good year of therapy, not counselling, actual therapy, for him to see this.

He wasn't conscious in his controlling behaviour and when he finally understood it he's had to deal with a lot of shame. I had counselling to deal with the fact that I put up with it so long and how much it damaged my self respect battling it.

Like I say we are in a much better place now because he grew the fuck up and stopped putting himself and his needs front and center, stopped being a victim of things that happened 15-20 years ago. He's now invested and values our family in a way he never understood before, he is grateful for all he has in life even though he's worked for it he sees we all have a part in it.

I hope your counselling is effective to.

frazzledasarock · 05/12/2019 11:18

The thing that’s underlined it for me, is your ah saying he doesn’t feel important, coming last after you and your son.

And he yet he wants you to think of ways to make him feel important.

That pretty much leaves you permanently on the back foot, doesn’t it?

You’ll be forever second guessing everything you do with regards your H wandering, will this make him feel less important to me and son? Then you’ll have to prioritise him over both yourself and your son.

Unless you’re mistreating him. Which you’re not from what you’re saying. Eg cleaning up after him.

How are you going to make him feel more important than your young, helpless, tiny little child who is completely dependant on you for everything?

Many years ago I posted thread about something innocuous. One of the posters was aghast at then H’s behaviour. I ignored the poster and others who queried it too. I wasn’t in the right place to LTB.
I did tho, eventually. Because they were right.

We may all be wrong here and you’ve got a wonderful marriage and you are happy. I really hope you are. Because this thread really makes for uncomfortable reading.

Like I mentioned previously DP used to leave pissy toilet seats. And I asked him to clean up after himself. It only took one conversation and he does it. It doesn’t take much thought on his part, he uses the toilet, he cleans it before he leaves the bathroom. Why leave the excrement to dry on and collect for weeks before cleaning, surely it’s easier and takes no thought to quickly clean after you’ve used the loo?

Lweji · 05/12/2019 11:28

How did his previous relationship end?

JulieJones22 · 05/12/2019 13:35

@AnotherEmma You just have to be very careful that you don't take the blame and adapt your own behaviour to accommodate his dysfunctional behaviour.

Absolutely. I am aware when an argument arises due to him feeling criticised, that it ends up being him annoyed with me for being angry and then it all becomes about me being in the wrong Confused, and the very reason I was annoyed becomes forgotten. I can see this pattern. I have pointed it out to him. That is why I made sure he has understood my frustrations and it didn't end up with me being disempowered. I asked him to tell me what bothered me and he did. He said that I think I can't speak my mind bc he'll blow up, that I don't feel listened to or respected. So he did get it and I did feel heard.

I am not blind, I know this behaviour is not fixed. This will probably happen again. His behaviour is dysfunctional. He has admitted before to me that he is quick to get defensive and snap when he feels he is being attacked. He also says his reason for saying divorce whenever there is an argument is self-preservation, as he thinks he is going to lose me, so he gets in first.

I'm not going to be a quiet little frightened mouse as a result though and do everything to make him feel important and me feel less so.

Relationships take work. This part IS work, but this is 5% of our relationship, the other 95% is great.

OP posts:
JulieJones22 · 05/12/2019 13:41

officially team Julie. I 100% agree with everything you've said this morning. Lazy, slovenly, careless he might be, but a controlling abusive bully (based on your posts) he is not and I'm actually amazed at the way this thread has gone.

@Carrotgirl87 see, I'm not such a pain in the arse Wink.

I know I am too. I am glad you and a couple of others agree.

OP posts:
busybarbara · 06/12/2019 09:37

No matter what I’ve said you’ve twisted around to an example of him being controlling.

Welcome to MN. It is very black and white sometimes. There’s a thread where someone got smacked on the arse once and it’s turned into a long line of “you must immediately leave this person and because they’re a violent abuser”. That is how threads often go because it’s more interesting to be sensational than helpful, I guess.

AspiringAmazon · 06/12/2019 10:04

Team Julie here as well. There is so much projecting going on here, it’s ridiculous. @JulieJones22, only you know yourself and your partner and you sound extremely level-headed to me. Take what you can use from here and leave the rest. Good luck to you going forward Smile

AspiringAmazon · 06/12/2019 10:22

One might say that all the posters on here hell-bent on denying you your reality as you see it are being a bit ... controlling and abusive Hmm

Dullardmullard · 06/12/2019 11:03

So are you going to be his reminder then, will you come back and say he's now resenting you for that even if you asked you to do so.

yes MN can be very black and white but we only have one side of the story yours. What you wrote was very damning of him

Have you been to more counselling sessions as I'd bring this up to her/him as well as they may flag it up as controlling.

He needs his own therapy for his past, have you broach that with him or will he just go no I'm ok bollocks or threaten divorce. also for the record most spouses don't threaten this every time they have an argument.

Lweji · 06/12/2019 11:11

@busybarbara
There’s a thread where someone got smacked on the arse once and it’s turned into a long line of “you must immediately leave this person and because they’re a violent abuser”.

That's your example of an OTT thread? Really? You have really low expectations and poor boundaries.

Lweji · 06/12/2019 11:14

The problem with the update here is that it's setting up a long time pattern of you being responsible for reminding him constantly to be considerate of you.
Even the hook was him thinking about himself and not considering your needs.

I suspect you haven't reached tipping point yet, but if your relationship turns into a constant battle of being careful with how you phrase things and constant reminders, it will get very tiring. My best guess is that you'll have the same problem in a few months, even if things get better now.

My best advice is never get into a position where you can't leave.

Span1elsRock · 06/12/2019 11:15

Dear God, what an exhausting way to live Hmm

His way or the highway, basically and you tiptoeing around him on eggshells.

One day those rose tinted specs are going to fall off, OP and you will see your life for what it is. And don't think your kids won't be walking round on those eggshells too....

legolegolegolego · 06/12/2019 11:18

Has he been to the doctors about his snoring? DH snores like a chain saw and it was seriously affecting our relationship. He saw a doctor and was diagnosed with sleep apnea. He now has oxygen over night and we are able to sleep in the same room as he no longer snores. 😊

Shesalittlemadam · 06/12/2019 11:30

Send him a link to an online description of CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

Shesalittlemadam · 06/12/2019 11:33

It's definitely abuse

LTB

Treesthemovie · 06/12/2019 12:40

Sorry, but people are being black and white on this thread because it is blatantly obvious to anyone with a bit of knowledge on the subject that this man is abusive.

OP read up on emotional abuse, read Why does he do that by Lundy Bancroft. Your partner checks fucking loads of the boxes.

busybarbara · 06/12/2019 15:46

That's your example of an OTT thread? Really? You have really low expectations and poor boundaries.

If my husbands had left the second I gave them a slap for being cheeky I’d never had got as far as having children Grin

Treesthemovie · 06/12/2019 17:19

@busybarbara charming. So what are you trying to suggest - that it's ok to give slaps for "cheek"? If OPs husband had slapped her, it wouldn't be a problem if she'd been "cheeky"?

Dullardmullard · 06/12/2019 18:51

@busybarbara so by your way of thinking women deserved to be slapped regardless because he would find everything "cheeky"

sigh

Thats abuse end of no matter how you slice it.

frazzledasarock · 06/12/2019 20:34

@busybarbara presumably your husbands did eventually wake up to the physical abuse and leave you.

Personally I’d leave the second a partner raised his hands to me. And I’d report him for assault.

EKGEMS · 06/12/2019 22:55

BusyBarbara You really need to step away from Mummy's computer (you've got to be 12 years old max judging by the emotional maturity of your post)

HowdidIenduphere · 07/12/2019 00:54

100% Team Julie here too and I don't mean to be challenging it's just that I see a lot of me about a year ago in your posts - It's true I may be projecting but if so then maybe I am doing no harm because I am not trying to be combative about it, just wouldn't want another woman going through what I went through.

I was in 2 prior relationships that were overtly abusive and when I left my last Ex I decided to spend some time alone to work on what made me fall for men that were so awful to me and what made me stay for so long.

When I met my STBXH I was happy in myself, productive and active with a fun job and a social life. I thought that I had learnt to recognise abuse.

Passive Aggression is so very insidious that it took me years of unhappiness that I couldn't define to others (similar small incidents like your pissy toilet seat and the resistance to the coat hook which turned out after the fact to be useful/ a great idea in hindsight as far as he's concerned?), and years of trying to deal with the fallout of the cognitive dissonance created by his actions not matching the reality.

I found it maddening to try and sync up his absolute understanding of what he did/didn't do that was bound to upset me as shown by experience, from the small to the big stuff - he was able to explain unaided (at times, others of the same incident would be met with blank "I don't know"'s to be later met with absolute understanding again) - but yet time and time again he did the same things over and over.

Like I said earlier his go to excuse was "honest mistake, will try harder next time", his other favourites were 'life' "got in the way", or in cases where it was basic human responses "I've never done this before and you're so much more emotionally intelligent than I am"

I read somewhere on here I think "You shouldn't have to teach someone not to be an arsehole" as in you shouldn't have to teach anyone to treat you with consideration and respect, let alone someone who professes to love you. I really am going to try and live by that myself but I like it as a good quote for those being treated shoddily for whatever reason.

FWIW I still struggle to use the term ABUSE when it comes to my STBXH because it is such a weird form of abusive relationship, I still struggle to straighten out how he projected himself as Kind, Funny, Loyal, Honest, Family Man, Generous with Time & Spare Money if we had it, Sensitive etc with who he really was which was Cruel, Unkind, A Stranger, A Knowing Abuser who Punished me with PA for (perceived) Injustices Against HIM.

It took years for me to see it for what it was Julie and when I did it was a shock I can tell you, it still is!

Have you had a look at that article/ tried any previous threads on PA at all?

I say all this with kindness ^ If I'm wrong, which I honestly hope I am! It is possible it's not all that bad and this is just a momentary snapshot of an otherwise happy life together.

If it is, unknown to you, actually as bad as it sounds to an outsider reading those articles/threads may just help you see it for what it is quicker and save you some hurt and emotional/financial damage along the way.

People seem unkind or controlling on threads like these because they know how hard it is to spot from the inside.

No one here wants to see another woman go through what they did if they can help at all so whats the harm in a little extra-curricular reading?

You weren't wrong for posting. It is upsetting to have someone ignore even a small consideration in your favour, especially after you have pointed it out not once, but a few times.

Don't be afraid to shine a light into dark corners, there shouldn't be anything there to see. If there is, do take a little comfort from the poster who's partner sought help and became a better (and happier from the sounds of it) partner. At least in the worst case scenario, there is an alternative outcome to what happened in my case with a partner who wasn't ready to face themselves and take steps forward in life.

BercowsFestiveFlamingo · 07/12/2019 08:35

The Abuser Profiles www.mumsnet.com/Talk/relationships/2268977-The-Abuser-Profiles

Have a read of this OP. Like a few have said: textbook.

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