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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

DH's behaviour

29 replies

OKDear · 15/04/2020 14:26

Sorry this is long, I'm trying to give you background for this.

In the early hours, I woke up and heard the shower go and it was DH having a shower and brushing his teeth. If you knew my DH you'd know that it was abnormal, he's the type of person to say it's too late and not shower at all. We have a big issue in the fact that his hygiene can be awful in all areas, I've mentioned it in so many ways but frankly, it falls on deaf ears and if he does do it, it would have usually been because we were going to see friends/family but I just don't want to sleep with a man who can't shower and brush his teeth for himself. If I wanted to have sex he will have to shower and brush his teeth for the occasion, it's just not sexy in any way. Even though he's trying to shower every 2/3 days, he sometimes goes a whole week and won't change his boxers for at least a couple of days, I just find it grim.

The showering in the early hours could have been a positive turn around, except for the time of night that bothers me. This is because we've also had a chat about where he's popping out to late at night in the past, he'd say it's things I've asked for (do you mind getting XYZ after work/taking the bins out). Apparently, he is sometimes too busy to do it until 1am. Again, that in itself I could understand, his job doesn't always allow for us to have quality time together, I might head to bed at 11/12 sometimes. However, it got to the point most things he'd do at night and I would wake up and he wouldn't be home at all, not a note or anything. I asked for a note left or a quick message so if I woke up, I'd know he was alright but started to feel I was asking too much of him. He's not done it since I've asked him not to but this is whilst we are all at home though.

Anyway, his attitude towards me has changed, I do feel like I nag him about things all the time but to me it's basic things like not letting the young DC do certain things that may potentially be unsafe, picking up after himself, basic chores, etc. I feel drained from even mentioning anything. His snappiness is something else lately though, and it's taking a toll on the family. In turn, I'm getting resentful and say cutting things back, I'm not sure I recognise who I am anymore and I feel as though he doesn't encourage the best in me as a person anymore.

The biggest part is when I heard the shower, I went to see what he was up to but his phone was on the side and I started to wonder if there was more to it all. I really shouldn't have (and I truly know this!) but I thought he was hiding something or even had an online thing going on. There was nothing at all apart from a paid porn account which shocked me (I mean, you can get it for free and he's paying more than you'd pay for Netflix, I'm yet to discover if he's paying for that through our joint account or his own!) and some notes which I'm sure are passwords to sites but cannot work out which ones they could be for. I do wonder if there's more to all of this though. He's got spam emails saying that they know his passwords (except, I think they are correct) which puts photos of DC in the hands of whoever they are and potentially leaves his card information associated with his account, including that of our joint account unprotected. I really want to bring these up but can't unless I admit to snooping.

I find that he lies quite a lot about small, unnecessary things, he will even say the toddler isn't telling the truth and it's him. I'm starting to lose the ability to tell when he's lying.

I still love him as a person, he's a good dad but I'm not sure if I can do anything else, I've communicated issues with him and I'm not sure there's anything I can do about it.

OP posts:
Windyatthebeach · 15/04/2020 14:29

First thing I thought of was a paid sex worker appointment..

puds11 · 15/04/2020 14:33

I honestly couldn’t cope with the lack of hygiene.

Did he know you were up? Could he have been heading out?

Lilolily · 15/04/2020 14:36

What is wrong with these men that just don’t wash?!

Crackerscheesescabbyknees · 15/04/2020 14:42

Sounds like he's seeing someone and cleaning up after himself (his person and his phone).

Can you get access to his phone bill?

Windyatthebeach · 15/04/2020 14:45

If he is paying for porn maybe it's more than a basic need he has... Maybe he has found an outlet for his needs...

pooopypants · 15/04/2020 15:04

You lost me at 'paid porn'

He's fucking gross and I don't understand why you're with him

Womenwotlunch · 15/04/2020 15:07

Possibly seeing sex workers?
Something fishy is going on. The fact that he doesn’t wash often is disgusting

Youcanstay · 15/04/2020 15:11

Agreed with pooopypants.

hellsbellsmelons · 15/04/2020 15:22

What do you love about him OP?
Apart from being a good dad?
This sounds fucking exhausting.
How you haven't kicked his disgusting stinky arse out is absolutely beyond me!

OKDear · 15/04/2020 15:30

He knew as I was up as I thought he heard me so I popped to the loo.

He's a shy person, I really can't see him going to a prostitute at all. He gets embarrassed at the thought of strippers and he was always a bit of a prude when we met. I can see what he's watched and it's nothing 'out there' either.

I've wondered about there being someone else and checked when he was making phone calls and there was nothing is out of the ordinary there. If he was communicating with someone, I'd suspect it would be via WhatsApp.

Something has just occurred to me, he said he popped outside to get the washing late last night as it got forgotten but he showered after. I think he may have been smoking as he knows he shouldn't for health reasons.

I'm now wondering if it's depression and interlinked as he had a period of it before DC but it was very different in behaviour. The hygiene thing got a bit bad then.

Do I just to come clean about the situation with looking at his phone? I'm quite concerned about photos of family ending up in the wrong hands.

OP posts:
Aquamarine1029 · 15/04/2020 15:31

I still love him as a person

What's to love?

Raise the bar and get rid. Your tolerance for the intolerable is astounding and very concerning.

KnockDownNinja · 15/04/2020 15:35

You've asked him to shower and now he's doing it, you've taken that as a reason to invade his privacy (and found nothing)?

People are saying it's because he's meeting someone, but presumably if this incident happened recently he hasn't been going anywhere.

It sounds surface-level reasonable, but if this is in any way indicative of the rest of your relationship, I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't feeling at least a bit worn down by you trying to find something wrong with him.

You should discuss those concerns with him. Maybe he literally is just showering more because you asked him to shower more.

Re the spam emails, they're likely a non-issue. Insecure sites get hacked and user details dumped. Scammers hoover up the details and try to use the passwords as a convincer. I'd be surprised if they actually tried them out and if your husband hadn't already changed his passwords just in case. It's why I tend to use fake sign-up details and the same password for accounts that aren't that important to me

cordeliavorkosigan · 15/04/2020 15:38

People can get photos of families everywhere. I think fears of your photos being “in the wrong hands” are completely misplaced. The question is what’s he doing, because what you have described is far from normal! Affair? Sex workers? Smoking, maybe? Very very odd though. Can you follow him?

category12 · 15/04/2020 15:42

How long does he stay out for his late night mystery outings? Sneaky cigarette length or longer?

If you can't/don't trust him, you don't have a lot.

Interestedwoman · 15/04/2020 16:41

it got to the point most things he'd do at night and I would wake up and he wouldn't be home at all

What justification did he give for not being home all night OP? Confused There's no reason for that which isn't shady IMO, if there's no genuine reason for him to do it.

Interestedwoman · 15/04/2020 16:44

I had one of those emails and while the passwords were right for a couple of raunchy sites, they weren't ones on which people view videos particularly, and I hadn't viewed any. They wouldn't really have endangered my other accounts as those passwords are different and also that wasn't the purpose of the spammers, which was attempted blackmail.

hellsbellsmelons · 15/04/2020 17:11

I've had those spam emails.
They are total bollox.
In fact I had 2 today for some strange reason.
Similar password but not totally correct and it's obvious they are spam / phishing so I delete immediately.
Don't let him get drawn in by them!

nopenothappening · 15/04/2020 17:22

he will even say the toddler isn't telling the truth and it's him.

he's a good dad

Please talk me through how these two statements fit together.

GigiLamour · 15/04/2020 17:31

How come you have to "nag" him not to let the kids do things that might hurt them, and yet you describe him as a good dad?

That's not a good dad.

inacheeseandpicklesandwhich · 15/04/2020 17:38

Hi op I can't get my head around that he lays and watches lorn but doesn't like strippers and is quite a prude . My ex was the same . Oh I don't watch porn strippers are sleazy blah blah turns out he used to watch strippers and loved his porn 😂 I don't get why he pays for it when you can get it free mind that would piss me off x

TorkTorkBam · 15/04/2020 17:39

I would not worry about the spam emails. I seriously doubt photos of your children are at risk.

I would worry about about him lying, using his children as human shields, being selfish and lazy. Those are major issues. Good people don't do those things.

What make you classify him as a good dad and good person?

Miraclescometrue · 15/04/2020 17:41

Is he still going out at night during lockdown?

Does he shower before or after he has been out?

carriebreadshaw · 15/04/2020 19:34

I'd say it's paid sex he's going out for or if possibly dogging.

I say this because if he was having an affair he'd have upped his personal hygiene game. It's all part of the "script" when men start cheating... there's no way he'd have attracted another woman judging by the way you've described him.

There's definitely something up here.

Unless he went outside for a fag, came back in having decided he wanted sex, then showered in the hope he'd get some. But no, I'm afraid I'm going with my first instinct.

Either way he doesn't sound like much of a catch!

carriebreadshaw · 15/04/2020 19:36

Saying that about paid sex though - no independent escort would have sex with a man who wasn't washed. So I go back to my dogging theory or street prostitutes.

I'm incredibly wary of men though and often jump to the worst conclusions so I could be very wrong

SandyY2K · 15/04/2020 19:44

So he disappears in the middle of the night with no explanation?

Very fishy.

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