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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

Not sure what our relationship is anymore

13 replies

Poppiedelight · 26/07/2020 14:38

We've become like a team since having the kids. It feels like nothing bad has happened but we have fallen into a place which feels like we just live through the slog together.

We never get a break. Maybe twice a year for an afternoon. Other than that we are both full on parents. He works and I take on all other responsibilities. But he helps out with the kids too. He will do jobs around the home etc.

We had a good sex life before the kids. After our first that continued. But now I can't take hormones we need to use condoms. We've had sex just six times in 2.5 years. Lockdown has made things worse because the kids don't sleep as Great now. Always one waking up. It would be typical that we would be half way through and get interupted. Which really puts me off getting in the moment.

I find my partner always tries to kiss me or grabs my bum when I am in my pyjamas doing something like making dinner. I know he's trying to be sweet. But the kids are in the other room. If my five year old sees him put his arm around me or anything she tells him to get off me. She interupts all our conversations too. Our youngest is two and needs constant supervision.

We just seem to be together to clean up and work and care for the kids.

He's off work for a week and we are still finding our feet with lockdown. Not really sure where to take the kids with all the new queing/washing hands/tracking and tracing/social distancing and masks. I've thought about a farm that's local. But anything more than 45 minutes away feels too far with the restrictions. Plus one of the kids always seems to get travel sick. So long car journeys are abit stressful. We've been for a family walk through the woods today. Got back and I was trying to think how we could make it a nice day when we got back. Partner has sat on the sofa and put top gear on. So I've made a cuppa and I'm sat on my own whilst the kids are in the garden.

I am trying to figure out what's going on. We both do anything to help the other. But we both have got quite negative. He's always moaning his back aches and he's tired. I'm always moaning about the housework and the boredom and the kids not being asleep anymore until late. I honestly feel smoothered. I wake up to them calling me and crash when they finally crash.

I feel like once my youngest is at school we will feel more refreshed. As the kids get older and more able to amuse themselves or go to bed without help we will get our evenings back. Then maybe we can watch films and have sex and drink wine again. But it just seems impossible right now. It seems everyone else has their shit together and we don't. Everyone else seems to have date nights and weekends away. Even in lockdown people have had lovely evenings at home when the kids are in bed.

When we finally get the kids to sleep (lockdown insomnia) he will stay up late to watch family guy or something and I go to bed. He chooses to sleep on the sofa alot too because his snoring is so bad my daughter cries about it.

Does this sound like a dead end due to young kid? A relationship that's over?

I'm just bored. I want some excitement again. No idea where to start! Also he's such a bore with work talk. I've noticed when he rings his mum he's the same. He tells you really boring stuff that you can't understand unless you work in that field. I find myself switching off. I literally ignore him 90% of the time whilst he moans about Gavin in Kent and the software he has sold not working with the systems. Or the guy in Leeds who messed up the cables. He can drone on alot about companies and brands and types of cables and I have no idea or opinion because I'm not trained. I often find if I mention anything he goes back to comparing it to a work situation. I have told him off about it as it feels he's slipping off into work mode.

Anyone got any advice. Please me nice. I'm not sure how we got here apart from being tired parents too little people!

OP posts:
litterbird · 26/07/2020 14:44

Firstly, have you got him to the GP because of his snoring, if it is that bad there could be an underlying health issue. If he can get help for his snoring he can return to the bed and you may find you become closer again. For what I know, kids can disrupt the best of relationships, add lockdown to this and everyone can get very very bored. The kids will need less care the older they get but for now, its probably going to be slog. Try and get some help with the kids and chat about making and exciting night out even if its to a pub....thats exciting in todays world! I live on my own, have great friends, boyfriend who lives a couple of hours away and I get bored stiff even with a fairly busy life on lockdown and furlough. Its really tough being a parent....hated mine when she was 14...shes lovely now! Don't want to see your marriage suffer anymore when you might be able to salvage stuff.

Aquamarine1029 · 26/07/2020 14:52

There's a lot to unpack here, and having two young children doesn't make it an easy job. There are some years when you just have to slog through it, and things will change massively as they get older.

One thing did stand out to me...

If my five year old sees him put his arm around me or anything she tells him to get off me. She interupts all our conversations too.

This nonsense needs to be stopped immediately. You tell her that you are the adults and mummy and daddy can cuddle if you want to. She does not get to make the rules. When she interrupts, discipline her for it. Don't let these behaviours continue. It's making it even harder for you to communicate and feel close to your partner.

madcatladyforever · 26/07/2020 14:54

I'm sorry but this seems like pretty normal family life with kids really.
Its boring and hard work, I'm sure if people could see what really happens when you get married and have children they would run a mile.
I remember feeling bored out of my gourd and hating my husband who didn't really help out at all. In the end I ended up loathing my husband, having an affair, well two affairs, I'm not proud of it but to be fair I only married him because I was pregnant and he was a nasty person anyway, getting divorced and being a single mum which was also extremely hard.
Its just utter relentless tedium and all your energy goes into the children and just getting through each day.
Now I'm much older I can see how dangerous this is and the people I see now, friends, having successful marriages with children are the ones who make time for themselves no matter what.
Date nights without the kids, regular sex, time away together and it's a massive committment when all you want to do crash out and sleep or get some laundry done.
You have to put your marriage before the kids and everything else if you want to make it.

Cheeseislife2020 · 26/07/2020 14:58

I would say that it is probably not healthy to avoid any sort of affection in front of your kids? Just laugh it off if your dd says ‘get off mummy’ - you’re not her property and your husband can show you affection as you can show him. I kiss dp on the lips in front of dd, we hug, hold hands. cuddle on the sofa etc.
Your kids need to know mum and dad love each other.
It sounds like the kids run the household and leave you no room for anything else. Understandable with young kids but you aren’t hired help for their every whim, you’re a family. You need time together alone with DP. Can you get them in bed earlier ? The thing about not traveling anywhere - you can’t be bound within 45 mins of anywhere for ever. Why don’t you try travel bands or sickness tablets. Worked for my dd ! How about a weekend ‘glamping’ or in a caravan ? Kids in bed at 8, few hours out on the deck or balcony with wine for you and DP, chatting as grownups ? Do you have a grandparent or other family member involved that can babysit? In your ‘bubble’ as it were. ? A nice walk and picnic or drink at a pub can be exciting If you make it so! What do you and dp usually do together ?

Poppiedelight · 26/07/2020 15:07

Thanks for the replies.

Yes we do still cuddle Infront of her. I think she's just going through a that's yuck stage and I hope she comes out of it again.

They normally go to bed earlier but lockdown has made it worse. Basically before lockdown she was in bed after a busy day at school by 7.30. my son was still not a good sleeper but in bed asleep by 9pm. Since lockdown my DD never sleeps before 10pm. I've tried everything. But obviously we don't do as much as before. Much less infact.

DD has kwells but now her brother gets travel sick and he's too young to medicate. We were supposed to be on holiday this week but it got cancelled due to not being allowed to open until August.

Grandparents don't help out that live locally. The one furthest away will come over for the odd afternoon. She was coming tomorrow so me and oh could go for a drive out somewhere for a break. But she's been near her daughter who's caught coronavirus. So she's not coming near us now for ages.

I do wonder if this is how it is when you don't have babysitters or children that don't sleep great. I am so hopeful that I feel differently in time. It's just sometimes when I'm watching something on Tele and see people falling in love or something it makes me feel sad remembering when I used to feel that way. Now I just feel like a boring mum who isn't fun anymore. I miss the old me I guess. Whilst I have nobody to have an affair with and I'm not planning on doing either, I get why you did it. To feel alive again!

OP posts:
Poppiedelight · 26/07/2020 15:09

P.s we don't do anything together now we have kids. We used to love the cinema and meals out. Trips to the beach. Trips to London for the weekend. Walks. Seeing family. Shopping days out in the nearest city to us. But we don't have the chance to do those things now.

We are not really pub people either x

OP posts:
Cheeseislife2020 · 26/07/2020 15:13

Can you not just put dd in her room earlier and tell her she has to play quietly ? Audiobook? You’ve asked for help but have an answer for everything. I just think it sounds like you need to be stricter with your kids to make more time for yourselves. Maybe not now but when possible you can hire babysitters - they cost money but childcare or nursing students or nursery nurses often want extra money so can be found on babysitting websites.

Cheeseislife2020 · 26/07/2020 15:15

You don’t have to ‘hope’ your dd comes out of a stage, you just tell her it is how it is! Now if you don’t actually want to kiss your dh etc then that’s another story. But if it’s because you’re worried she’ll see, then that’s daft

namechange12a · 26/07/2020 15:21

Sounds like The Midwich Cuckoos.

FifteenToes · 26/07/2020 15:26

It sounds like you don't feel able to be a mother and a partner at the same time. I suspect that even if you managed to schedule date nights etc, you'd be too preoccupied with kid stuff to be able to really enter into the spirit of them anyway. I would echo what pp said that withdrawing from physical affection just because your kid responds like a kid about it is ridiculous. Sex six times in 2.5 years and now even a cuddle requires your daughter's approval first?

My DW was like this. We ended up separating after 20 years. You may be right that if you can just hang out till the kids are at school you'll be able to steer things back again. But whether you do that then, or now, will depend first and foremost on whether you want to.

Immigrantsong · 26/07/2020 15:29

OP would you go to marriage counselling so you can get some tools to deal with the difficulties you experience?

Relate can offer free counselling if your income is low.

I highly recommend that.

If that's not an option, I would seriously reach out to family and friends to allow you some respite. You need time together.

YellowWave · 26/07/2020 16:15

At least you have some excuse for the slow down in sex with her partner. 6 times in 2.5 years is still better than my position and I have no small children. I read mumsnet for work reasons. 0 times in 18 months for me and my partner and the 6 months before that was once every 2 months or so.

Poppiedelight · 26/07/2020 16:15

Answer for everything?? What have I written that's am answer for everything? I've just told my situation. Rude response.

OP posts:
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