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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

He did the mash. The Geller mash.

938 replies

StuckInPollyannaMode · 12/03/2021 15:55

Thread 4. Wow. Thank you for putting up with my ramblings thus far, and for all the support - I couldn't have done it without you all.

Previous thread here

I can confirm he has purchased a masher. He sent me a picture of it and asked if it was alright Confused

OP posts:
Thread gallery
9
moanieleminx · 18/03/2021 12:50

He is seriously confusing you for his mum when he was a toddler.

Ugh.

Man child is sooooo pathetic.

marriednotdead · 18/03/2021 12:59

I know you shouldn’t respond to his madness but the temptation to say ‘You keep sending me messages about wifework you need doing but the position is currently vacant and I will not be reapplying’ must be enormous!

Megan2018 · 18/03/2021 14:12

@AcrossthePond55

I think his 'you must do this for me' and 'you must do that for me' is intended to keep you 'tied' to him in some way. Maybe 20% is because of 'past patterns', but 80% is to keep him front and centre of your attention.

Ignoring it is the best response. Even saying 'no' means you're paying attention to him and that's what he wants.

This with bells on.

He knows exactly what he’s doing, he’s not thick or incapable. He’s choosing to behave like this because you dared to leave.

I’d get a new phone. Keep this one for when he has the kids in case he has genuine need to contact you. At all other times leave it switched off. He can talk to himself.

AcrossthePond55 · 18/03/2021 15:56

That is a good idea, @Megan2018

Or if that's not practical, he can be 'instructed' (via solicitor) to contact OP by email only unless he actually has the children or it's directly related to the children's immediate needs. Plus emails are easier to keep and print for that all important 'paper trail' than a bunch of screen shots.

Then OP can set up a separate email folder for his crap to dump in and she can check it when she chooses. Constant text message notification are irritating in situations like these because they scream "Look at me!!! LOOK AT ME NOW!!!" whereas a 'You've got mail' is easier to ignore. I don't even have my email notifications turned on for my phone. Only for my laptop.

VettiyaIruken · 18/03/2021 18:12

I will pay you your weight in chocolate if you reply
We are no longer a couple. I am not responsible for your food, appliances, snacks for the kids when with you, sorting out accounts, pairing up your socks, changing the loo roll or making sure you don't run out of sugar. You're a grown man who claims he wants 50/50 care of his children. If you can't do your own basics, how can you think you can take care of children? Grow up.

Twice your weight, hell, twice MY weight, in chocolate if you add on a FFS

RandomMess · 18/03/2021 18:25

Beefeater Strawberry Pink Gin on offer in Sainsbury's today as were quite a few others such as Plymouth.

I was very self constrained and resisted!

timeisnotaline · 18/03/2021 20:50

Since this is a gin appreciation society, there is an award winning distillery in a local town (I’m in oz) and they do a Shiraz gin. Four pillars bloody Shiraz gin. I’ve never had anything so incredibly drinkable in my life. I have the surprise hangover to prove it. That stuff is amazing.

justilou1 · 19/03/2021 00:09

Love the Four Pillars Shiraz gin with a slice of dehydrated lemon. (I do that in the oven because I’m not fancy enough to buy an air fryer, much to my son’s disgust.)

timeisnotaline · 19/03/2021 01:46

I am contemplating an airfryer justilou Grin after we add on a sunroom so I have an extra cupboard and with a heritage overlay that will probably take a full year.

StuckInPollyannaMode · 19/03/2021 06:22

Urgh. Yuck.

What a night.

DD1 didn’t have a good evening last night. She’s broken her headphones she’s jerked them so violently in the laptop. They’re only 2 months old. Just hope the laptop is ok. (I was on a family call from 6-7 so let them have screen time)

I was asleep by 9.30. Up again at 11, 12.30 and then it was all game over from 1pm. Crying that she can’t sleep, lying there wide awake, poking me the moment I dropped off, winding herself up by huffing and puffing. She eventually dropped off some time after 4.

I am completely strung out and overtired and haven’t managed to get back to sleep.

Can I have some advice please on what is a sensible ration of screen time? I am totally fed up with the amount of mindless shite they will happily consume. I suspect that played a part on last nights debacle. I need to set my limits and hold them strong. I know they don’t have much in relation to some of their classmates but life is a balance, right?

OP posts:
Pashazade · 19/03/2021 06:54

Oh Polly that sucks. Perhaps it's the when of the screen time rather than the quantity. If they come away from screens when asked then you're probably ok for time spent as they aren't getting addicted. (I'm not one to talk for amount of screen time, but I'm lucky DS always puts it down when asked) It may be that making sure they stop using them at least an hour before bed would be beneficial as the blue light can mess with sleep as you suggested. But that sounds like a hellish night. Brew

harknesswitch · 19/03/2021 07:04

Urghhh lack of sleep is the worst.

I agree with the pp, it's less about the amount and more about the time. I've installed an app on my dd's phone and one on her chrome book which means that after a certain time she can't do anything on them. It does mean that they will come and sit and watch tv with me, or I'll have to get off my arse and do something with them Grin but I do find that it helps them sleep better. My youngest especially (she's got various behavioural issues), tends to go a bit 'whappy' after screen time and her behaviour deteriorates. So neither of them get screen time at least 2 hrs before bed

ByeByeMissAmericanPie · 19/03/2021 07:24

In situations like that, do you think some kind of sleepy story would work? I know there are a number of apps like Calm... or I have Insight Timer which is free.
You could do stories, or body scans, or just white noise? Something for you/ her to focus on, other than the fact you’re awake.

My DS had problems getting to sleep when he was younger. I bought some bed time herbal tea called Sleepytime Tea made by Celestial Seasonings. It had a picture of a bear in his nightcap on the box. A small cup of that while he read in bed did the job for several years.
No idea if it was the tea or auto suggestion that made it work!

And I wish you strength and fortitude for today.

ByeByeMissAmericanPie · 19/03/2021 07:26

www.celestialseasonings.com/products/herbal/sleepytime-classic

CongealedCrags · 19/03/2021 07:56

We've got a mega app thing that also extends WiFi around the house. I can limit the types of sites, block particular sites, add overall limits and bedtimes. I can also just press pause. It caused no end of rows to start off with, but it helped it was The App doing it and not me trying to grab screens off them or whatever. I'm also fairly negotiable - they can always ask for more.

It sounds like there's an awful lot going on in your DD1's head. I'm betting Geller would not have allowed last night's shenanigans and that's half the issue. You are dealing with her normal as well as the effects of his reaction to it. And all on no sleep.

My DS has ADHD/ASD and was a shitty sleeper, loads of attachment issues so as a baby/toddler was velcroed to me all night, had a few years of mostly sleeping in his own bed but for the entirety of primary school he came in every night. We'd managed to get him off to sleep - generally with someone else in the room but then at some point around 1-2am he'd come in until he was up for the day at 5am. We tried rapid return, a bed on the floor in our room, going into his room/bed, antihistamines, melatonin. In the end we bought a super king and tried to sleep through it and assumed he'd grown out of it. He has Grin I'm not allowed even to hug him, he has lie ins and everything.

Channel the Serenity prayer- accept the things you can't change etc. Her behaviour is her reaction to her life, she can't help it, and she can't articulate what's going on. For me accepting it wasn't my fault, I couldn't change it, and just to roll over and make space at 2am was much better than getting up at 2am and trying to deal with it.

Fooshufflewickjbannanapants · 19/03/2021 11:30

I don't think it's the amount of time but perhaps the amount of time off before bedtime iykwim. Mine whilst school age come off electronics (phones and all) one hour before their bedtime. They seem to need the wind down. Two of the six are shit sleepers both Adhd plus one has other stuff going off the eldest of the two buggers is now 18 and was trained to stay in their room and read it gets better and this is the only thing keeping me going with my youngest !!!! This too shall pass, we got a bigger bed and anything after 4 am is a lie in to me at the moment (he's just 8)I know it will get better as it already did with my 18 year old. Taking the pressure off to actually sleep seems to help as well as in "ok you can't sleep just lay and relax for a bit" hope you are ok, you've got this!

drspouse · 19/03/2021 12:35

For my DS we have a basic 90 mins time per day which can be extended (doing something on his "hard list" as we are doing CBT for anxiety) or we can add a calming TV programme with an adult. He has no access to YouTube after it became impossible to get him off watching game play.
DD prefers to just watch rather than play and she gets half an hour of YouTube Kids and then half an hour of iPlayer kids (she's 6).
Weekends they can watch TV or play with the Wii in the mornings then game/personal screen time is after an outing.
For the keeping you awake I would go with a bolster and noise blocking earphones...

Grrrpredictivetex · 19/03/2021 12:57

@Polly have you considered the weight blankets? I've not got one but believe they do relieve anxiety and stress. Not cheap but could solve some problems.

Mix56 · 19/03/2021 13:22

I know it's awful. I always sent mine back to bed if they then messed about in mine.
Did she then go to school as normal ? Who has her tonight? because she is going to be exhausted & crabby.
I think the problem is that you let her stay in your bed & then she goes on to poke & huff & puff. She could go to her bed & read.
Or would she act up & wake up DD2 ?

Ariela · 19/03/2021 14:01

www.aldi.co.uk/haysmith%27s-rhubarb-%26-ginger-gin/p/705923407176700 is my favourite (not really keen on gin)

RandomMess · 19/03/2021 14:08

I have just had a surprise gift from a friend of a gin from the wren distillery lots of different gins and stuff to put in them!!

Need to find a local friend that is a gin lover to share it with.

ElGuardiandenoche · 19/03/2021 22:21

@RandomMess if you’re down in the far south west there’s a Cornish Maid here who’ll be your drinking partner 🍸Gin

RandomMess · 19/03/2021 22:23

@ElGuardiandenoche alas no am far far far away!

NanooCov · 19/03/2021 22:28

Sorry you had a bad night last night, hope it's better tonight.

Late to the gin suggestions but my absolute favourite is Botanist gin, made on Islay.

RandomMess · 19/03/2021 22:39

I love Botanist!