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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

Can I continue a relationship with dp when he continues to prove that he lies?

90 replies

FarkingFalafel · 18/12/2020 08:57

I have known dp for a long time and we have been going out for 4 years. I have name changed for this. I have dc and he has dc but we have none together.

Dp is a great partner - he spent 3 days last week driving the ends of the country to pick up all my dc from university. He cooks all the meals, he takes care of most of the admin. I work FT (and am the breadwinner) and he runs his own business.

2 years into our relationship, I found out that dp had lied about some pretty significant things in his past. Nothing that would impact us or our future - but things like lying about how he broke up with someone, dates of relationships to make it look like he hadn't cheated, he lied about being estranged from his family, just a lot of lies and I only found out because someone else told me. We discussed it, he promised he wouldn't lie again and I thought that was that.

Coronavirus has been really tough on dp's business and he's not making anywhere near the money he's made the last few years. Because of that, he's been unable to contribute to the joint account (though he had fully contributed up to this point) and has actually been taking money out. I had a word with him about it - he owns a house with his exw that she was meant to have sold in 2018 but she didn't. It's none of my business but I feel that if he's essentially taking money from me because he has none, I'd rather he got the money from the house that he's actually entitled to. He said he was going to arrange a meeting. He went and saw her and came back and said they had visited 3 estate agents and she would make the final choice and it would soon be on the market. I said nothing more then a few months later, I asked how the sale was going and he said it was very quiet. I said ooh let's look at the listing and he said he wasn't sure who it was on with (at which point I knew something was up) and we looked on rightmove/zoopla and couldn't find it.

next week he says to me 'oh he knows why we couldn't find it, it was on purple bricks!' - i say great, let's see it. Of course, it's not on there.

Rather than him saying to me 'she won't sell it', he's continued with this ridiculous lie till the point this week where he needed to 'borrow' £2k from me and I put my foot down and he admitted that the house is not on the market and he'd have to see lawyers because she doesn't want to sell it.

So essentially he's been lying to me for months. This isn't the only thing, there are some tiny things too, really inconsequential things like when I went away to help care for an elderly relative and he told me that he'd managed to stay in bed because the dog slept later than normal yet I could see the dog had got up at his normal time (we have a dog cam), he just hadn't bothered to go down and let it out. This is an issue because I know dp doesn't bother to get up when the dog wants to go out for a wee in the morning (I usually do it) and I had asked him specifically to make sure he listened out for him.

I'm no demon, I don't start fights, this isn't about me being so difficult he needs to lie, I honestly think it's pathological. But my kids adore him, he does more for them than exh ever did - we get on so well, love the same things, are v happy together but I don't think I will ever be able to trust anything he says to me and I'm not sure I can continue any sort of relationship with someone I can't trust.

OP posts:
EmbarrassingAdmissions · 18/12/2020 10:55

A liar called on it lies again. He is making no attempt to fix this and it's a pattern.

From bitter experience, check his 'admin' but be prepared for all sorts of obstacles.

Think what your future would be with someone who lies to you in this way. As PPs say, what are you teaching your children about relationships.

EvenMoreFuriousVexation · 18/12/2020 11:00

So he learned as a child that lying got him a reward (praise from his mother) whereas the truth brought pain.

In order to reverse that either he needs some in-depth therapy - not some quick fix CBT or a handful of counselling sessions. It will be expensive, time consuming, and painful. As you've already noted, you'd have no confidence that he was even attending, let alone engaging properly.

Your other option, if you want to keep him, is to re-parent him. Teach him that lying brings negative consequences and praise him when he tells the truth. This means your default response to literally everything he says (from "ex has told me the house is now for sale" right down to "I had a biscuit this morning") needs to be "prove it" - and that unless he does prove EVERY single statement, you assume he has lied. Again.

Frankly to me that sounds exhausting, and I could never have sex again with someone I essentially was a parent to.

I do have a friend who did this with her DH. Like your man, he was very damaged by his childhood and in other ways incredibly loving and caring. They are still together but she has chosen to remain childless as she could never trust him to take care of a child. And they haven't had sex in over 10 years. And she STILL has to double check everything he says as although he now mostly tells the truth on big things, his default response on anything he considers to not affect her, is to lie.

ReggaePerrin · 18/12/2020 11:22

My younger sister can cry on cue in a rather amazing way.
I saw my ex yesterday out of the blue and as soon as he saw me he put on his 'I'm getting ready to cry' face. It would have been funny if it wasn't so pathetic.

AnyFucker · 18/12/2020 11:30

Hmm, this seems fitting

Can I continue a relationship with dp when he continues to prove that he lies?
Dontletitbeyou · 18/12/2020 11:34

You can stay with him , if you are happy to spend the rest of your life doubting everything he says . It wouldn’t be a life that I would chose for myself or anyone I cared about . You know how much he lies , he won’t stop , but if that’s ok with you then go for it .

BethlehemIsInTier1 · 18/12/2020 11:35

Does he have kids with his ex wife? Perhaps she has no intentions of selling until the children are 18 etc. I think only you know where your heart truly feels about this.

FarkingFalafel · 18/12/2020 11:43

I don't think I can have a relationship with someone I second guess. I've been thinking about it all day as we have a few days apart and it's easier for me to think when I'm by myself. I'm already feeling like I'm distancing myself from him.

I just want to make sure I am not rushing the decision. I've been divorced once many many years ago and I feel I made that decision too quickly (he was a lovely honest man but a shit partner!).

I'm seeing one of my closest friends later today to get her thoughts too.

you're all right, I should have dealt with these issues immediately but I have been so busy this year work wise (we had to make a lot of people redundant and it was so bloody awful and I was managing the whole thing) that I've been distracted. It's as we come to the end of the year when I'm starting to get a bit more time that I realise I can't handle this.

If I had been younger there is absolutely no way I would have kids with him either @EvenMoreFuriousVexation. I'm too old now anyway but how could you have kids with someone you don't trust. The thing with the dog pisses me off as is

OP posts:
pinkyredrose · 18/12/2020 11:52

I would throw buckets full of praise when appropriate and build his ego where I could

Hmm yup that's what every woman wants, a partner they have to treat like a child.

OP it's not going to last, you can't ever trust a word he says.

Wanderlusto · 18/12/2020 12:08

It isn't another persons job to try and fix his issues.

Part of being an adult is being able to identify our own weaknesses and work on them. When we have poor reactions to stressors, we have to recognise that and work on it. If our reaction is to lie in order to avoid any sort of confrontation then that is a huge issue and one that probably requires therapy. But that would be up to him, if that's what going on for him.

Some issues are not suitable to take into a relationship.

We should be aware of that and be careful that we don't find ourselves trying to fix other people (which may be our area to work on ourselves).

You sound like you've got your head on straight op but please ignore suggestions that you should build him up with praise ect. As pp said, he isnt a child and you aren't his mum.

firecracker69 · 18/12/2020 12:12

It sounds like you know what you need to do OP. Take some time to sort your head out. You know he's untrustworthy. You know without trust you cannot move forward. I know the festive period and the current uncertainty makes everything even more challenging and traumatic. Please keep talking to us. The support and wisdom on here is just amazing.

It deeply saddens me just how many men we have all encountered that have such similar, shitty traits. But this site really is a god send for making you realise you're not alone. ❤️

YukoandHiro · 18/12/2020 12:38

Agree with all the others - if he won't change his behaviour over big and small lies over time your trust will be so eroded you won't believe a word he says. It doesn't sound promising.

Wondering why you have a joint bank account? Guessing you set it up when you started living together? It's just that if you do have one you have to accept that he is "entitled" to everything in it, even if he's not in a position to contribute. You can't agree to joining finances and then say it's not his money. It is, legally. So I suggest you only put into that account what's needed to run the house and one of your personal income.

The lying about the house makes him sound quite weak.

FarkingFalafel · 18/12/2020 12:45

yes I set up the joint account when we moved in together (before I discovered about any of this). At the moment, the house direct debits come out of it and I (manually) transfer money in from my own account and up till this year, he would put money in too but obviously isn't any more. There's never much in there as I only put enough in to cover the bills but agree I need to keep an eye on it.

OP posts:
hadesinahalfahell · 18/12/2020 13:12

@FarkingFalafel

no he hasn't said why he does it and he actually gets really upset when we get to talk about it - not 'fake' upset but real genuine upset. He's sat there crying his eyes out when I've caught him out and begs me to stay and not end it with him.

he has told me his mother humiliated him a lot as a child - he is from a v large family and he is one of the youngest and was always told he wasn't as good as his brothers so a lot of stuff is about him saving face (which I can see, a lot of the lies are about him looking better than he is). The problem now is if I push this with him and he says he will get counselling etc., I won't be sure that he is dealing with it!

I don't mean to sound overly harsh but his naval gazing reflections of his childhood are just such bullshit. He just knows that this makes it harder to challenge him. Of course he hasn't lied to you numerous times because 'his mother humiliated him'. He lies to you whenever it suits his agenda or needs. He wasn't honest about being unfaithful in previous relationships because he knew it would put you off him, he wasn't honest about selling the house because it's easier for you to lend him money than to release his own/argue with his XW. I'm not surprised you want to leave him, I agree that this would be the right decision for you.
FarkingFalafel · 18/12/2020 13:22

thanks, I also worry that it's not necessarily a weakness but supreme manipulation of a situation to get what he wants (whether that be an easy life, a lie in, money etc.)

but as mentioned before, i ended my marriage too quickly in hindsight (though I think it was the right decision) so I just want to be more measured this time

OP posts:
LilyLongJohn · 18/12/2020 13:28

The problem you have now, is that whatever he says, I promise never to lie again, I'll get counciling etc, you simply won't believe him.

Branleuse · 18/12/2020 14:21

a lot of behaviours come from what we learned in childhood, coping strategies etc. part of being a grown up and having a functional relationship is understanding the shit you need to sort out. He has been bare faced lying, with proper details hes considered. These arent just little fibs. If hes saying its pathological and he cant help it because of childhood trauma, that doesnt make it any better

HollowTalk · 18/12/2020 14:34

Quite honestly, if someone was kind enough to let me stay in their house and not pay any bills for a long period of time, the very last thing I would do is to betray their trust in any way. I'd be so grateful.

I can't see how you can keep a relationship going long term with someone who lies like this.

Closetbeanmuncher · 18/12/2020 17:02

I'm no demon, I don't start fights, this isn't about me being so difficult he needs to lie, I honestly think it's pathological

Run. For. The. Hills.

ReggaePerrin · 18/12/2020 18:08

as mentioned before, i ended my marriage too quickly in hindsight (though I think it was the right decision) so I just want to be more measured this time
Take the time to make sure you can get all your ducks in a row, as they say, and get as much information about his finances as you can. I know that might seem a bit underhand but he's not exactly proved himself to be trustworthy - don't come out of this with less than you deserve. I also wouldn't tell him any of your plans until you have everything lined up and you're ready to go. I hope it works out well for you Flowers

MercuryRising · 18/12/2020 18:29

I finished an 18 year relationship in March because ex dp was a compulsive liar. With hindsight I should have done it years before as I could not trust or respect him and those two things are absolutely essential to a relationship. As a previous poster said please think about the message you are sending your dc. Since leaving my ex I have had conversations with both of my older dc about the importance of honesty and trust as I would hate them to ever put up with the relationship I had with their dad. I think a good litmus test is if you wouldn't want your own children to be treated like it by a partner do not put up with it yourself. I know how hard it is to take the decision to end a relationship when you hope someone will stop lying. Take your time and be ruled by your head would be my advice.

NewlyGranny · 18/12/2020 18:32

You're right, OP, you can't believe anything that comes out of his mouth, really, can you? And that's not any basis for a relationship. While you are earning and providing and he is not, what incentive does he have to liquidate his asset with his ex? You'd ony be expecting him to chip in from his capital. Much more advantageous for him financially if he could convince you that the sale was in hand so you would continue subbing him until he was working again. And you know what? You might have done, had he been honest and upfront about what was really going on. Only you know.

I don't think the two of you can pull it back from here, really. He's broken it. He's a habitual liar and you're clearly struggling to believe anything he says, so what's to be done? He has no right to expect to be believed if he swears to be truthful from now on, has he?

You might do the dropped plate demstration with him if he doesn't get it...

EvenMoreFuriousVexation · 18/12/2020 19:52

@ReggaePerrin They're not married so thankfully she won't have to worry about paying him spousal maintenance.

But OP I do suggest that before you start any discussions, you take back the life admin, update your passwords on your email, banking and all devices. Set up double authentication if your bank offers it (ie every time you log in, you get a text with a one-use password before you can do anything.)

He's proven himself a liar and untrustworthy, and you know he's in financial shit. Unfortunately you're going to have to assume he will try to steal from you on his way out the door. I speak from experience, sadly.

Aminuts23 · 18/12/2020 20:08

Are you sure hes entitled to a settlement from his ex? Sounds suspicious in light of his other behaviour

willowmelangell · 18/12/2020 23:11

So as he is saying the words, I am not going to lie anymore, he is lying. Can you go back to dating or fwb or seeing him whenever suits you?

Thespidersweb · 19/12/2020 09:34

@Aminuts23

Are you sure hes entitled to a settlement from his ex? Sounds suspicious in light of his other behaviour
Yep. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s bought him out and he hasn’t told OP
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