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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

Do you think we can recover from this?

11 replies

Dogman2020 · 13/07/2020 19:55

I'll try and keep this brief as I feel i'm just repeating myself all the time.

Dp suffered a breakdown after the death of his dad 4 years ago. it wasn't diagnosed as such, but myself and all his family have agreed. he has changed beyond all recognition. I no longer know the person who lives with me.

At this time I also lost my nan and my stepdad (both brought me up so were mum more like parents) I don't feel Ive grieved, Ive had to wake up each day putting on a brave face to look after our ds and go to work to pay the bills.

Dp left work through depression and ended up going back to university. During this time ds would sleep till noon possibly go to uni for a lecture and stay out 2/3 times a week with people off his course. Myself and ds just got on with things, the weekends would come and he would again sleep till noon. To cut a long story short I tried to regain some self confidence back in the last 2 years and started going to the gym in the evenings when ds was at home, he would constantly accuse me of having an affair at this point. There's so much more I could go into but suffice to say we hit rock bottom. His relationship with our son is awful when I compare it to his friends relationship's with their dads. They are always screaming and arguing at each other - they do make up but it's the arguing daily that sets my anxiety off.

At the beginning of lockdown we agreed he was going to get a job abroad, i'd stay here with ds and then covid hit so we've been stuck here, we've actually been getting along fine not arguing as much as before (which was constant).

In the last few weeks my anxiety has started to rise again, hes become worried about what to do for work as his course is now over, and I find myself still paying for everything and doing most of the housework while he does nothing. alongside this for the last 10 months we have alternated in sleeping in the bed, one night ill have it and hell take the couch, next night we swap over and I honestly dont know how I feel of the possibility we repair this somehow and I have to sleep next to him in the same bed again.

On paper id tell anyone else to walk away and start over. yet theres something about the unknown that absolutely terrifies me and I somehow have made myself feel at least im better off here with a roof over my head although I dont have my own bed.

would you say this is repairable at all? or do I need to grow up, admit defeat, get the fuck over it and move on with my life. I hate the fact hes had a breakdown and the knock on effect its had on the rest of my life. up until then we were sailing along talking about having another dc and now my whole future has just gone kaput.

OP posts:
Supersimkin2 · 13/07/2020 20:00

Nothing to do with the breakdown any more - he's a selfish git. You can keep the roof over your head too.

rvby · 13/07/2020 20:08

He sounds awful and your home life sounds worse.

I mean, if you really believe that your fear of change is the most important thing to attend to, then sure, stay with him. I would probably prioritize DC mental health, if it were me. But if avoiding change is more important, so be it.

Have an appointment with a solicitor and get a handle on the benefits you are due. Then perhaps think again about the choices you have made.

Dogman2020 · 14/07/2020 08:18

I appreciate your comments, I probably wrote all that in a rush as I've not been perfect too.

Like I said my self worth/confidence is at an all time low right now and Im constantly second guessing myself over the slightest thing. I feel I'm constantly in an anxious state of mind.

OP posts:
frozendaisy · 14/07/2020 09:01

You pay for everything yet you are worried you won't have a roof over your head, why? Should be him who is worried about that surely.

Your anxiety might be because you live with him. Perhaps suggest a trial separation just to see if you can both get back on track.

LemonTT · 14/07/2020 09:14

@frozendaisy

You pay for everything yet you are worried you won't have a roof over your head, why? Should be him who is worried about that surely.

Your anxiety might be because you live with him. Perhaps suggest a trial separation just to see if you can both get back on track.

If she doesn’t own the house and they aren’t married.
Purplecatshopaholic · 14/07/2020 09:19

My marriage didn’t. After years of me working and Supporting him while he had a breakdown, started watching lots of porn, treated me worse and worse, and became verbally abusive, did nothing around the house then got caught cheating...l finally saw sense and divorced him. I suffer from PTSD as a result of what he put me through, but things are finally getting better. Yes splitting up after a long relationship is scary - but It was worth it - I should have done it sooner.

EvenMoreFuriousVexation · 14/07/2020 09:30

I think the best thing you can do right now is to inform yourself on what the situation would be, practically and financially, if you split.

Do you rent or own? If owned, is it in his name only or both?
How old is DS? (some of what you wrote makes it sound like he's an adult at uni but I think you wrote "DS" instead of "DP" a couple of times.) Do you have childcare options? Assume no parenting help from DP.
Calculate what benefits you would get as a single parent. Assume no maintenance from DP as he's not currently working.
Check average rents for your area and look at your options for increasing your own earnings.

By the way:
"started going to the gym in the evenings when ds was at home, he would constantly accuse me of having an affair at this point"
It's very common for people who are having affairs to start accusing their partners of being unfaithful. With what you've said of his behaviour, I'd assume he's been banging someone from his uni course.

Dogman2020 · 14/07/2020 11:58

Hi sorry not trying to drip feed, my minds all over the place right now.
It's his house (as in his name) we bought it cheap from my parents and I couldn't get on the mortgage at the time so we have it written in a contract by a solicitor that I paid the deposit, and will receive 50% after debts paid of any funds - so that part i'm ok on.

Currently he pays the mortgage and I pay the bills, this is the way we've always done it - the bills are roughly £100 - £250 more than the monthly mortgage.

To take on a house rented elsewhere id be looking at paying a lot more each month but do have family who could help me get on my feet if need be.

One thing thats stops me currently is him having depression, I feel huge guilt (and I know I really shouldnt) but I still do that the dream life we spoke about s often in the beginning is being taken away from me. no more children, no growing old together watching ds grow up, and finally the thought I have to share my son (and I will, he is not a pawn between us and I do believe without me on the scene dp will find his feet in the parenting world and bloom - I think at the moment he relies too much on me)

Our son has just turned 8 and I worry what it will do for him as my parents split when I was younger and it has affected me.

OP posts:
EvenMoreFuriousVexation · 14/07/2020 12:39

It's understandable that you feel guilty about leaving someone who you believe to be ill.

What actions has he taken over the last few years to improve his outlook?

Him choosing to stop work and study must originally have been driven by him wanting a better life, but was it made out of a desire to better himself, or because he thought it would be "easier"? It sounds like he's fallen into a routine of doing as little as possible and resenting any demands made of him, e.g. "please spend 2hrs parenting your son while I go to the gym." This will not help combat depression, in fact it will have the opposite effect.

If he did start making changes, do you think you could move forward, or have you now got "the ick"?

I have to say, I thought your DS was older, because I hate to imagine a grown man having a screaming match with an 8yr old child :( If this is a frequent occurrence and it's flaring YOUR anxiety, imagine what it is doing to your son?

If you truly think he would have to pull his pants up and become a better human being and parent if you left, then surely leaving must be the sensible decision here for everyone's sakes? Then it's simply a matter of achieving that in the kindest way possible for everyone.

Cherrysoup · 14/07/2020 13:19

Sell up and get out of there. What a shitty life for you.

Yeahnahmum · 14/07/2020 14:02

This is horrible for your son and you . So you should leave. For him. AND you

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