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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

New Fab & Glam (Part 2 - happy endings?!)

1000 replies

Baffy · 15/11/2007 10:08

Lets hope this is the thread where we all find our happy endings

OP posts:
TimeForMe · 15/11/2007 10:20

Can I ask you Baffy, are you going ahead with the divorce or the legal separation.

I hope you don't mind me asking BUT, as usual I have a reason for it

When you were planning your 'talk' with h re the above you seemed so keen to draw a line under your relationship and move on. You were excited about your future.
But H starts crying and saying he may have made a mistake and, once again, he is in control. He has you waiting around for him to make up his mind.
Like you say, he should know by now what he wants. You know what you want and, that is to move on.

Please Baffy, make sure that you only hold off on the divorce/legal sepration because that is what you want. Not because of any pity you feel towards H, or any last chances.

Nothing is final. Not even divorce. It will never top you from ever having a relationship with H but, you can't allow him to have control over your life for a moment longer.

You deserve better! xx

TimeForMe · 15/11/2007 10:21

stop not top

TimeForMe · 15/11/2007 10:24

What I mean to say is don't be scared of making the decision and moving forward for fear of leaving h behind or missing out on what 'might have been'. If it is meant to be with H he will move forward with you. Don't let anything hold you back. You are taking the lead from now on! xx

Baffy · 15/11/2007 10:40

Hello

I am still definitely going ahead with the legal separation for now, and then if I still feel the same in 6 months or so I will go for the divorce.

Have thought LOTS about it - it's definitely what I want. Nothing to do with H, NM, making a point, doing the right thing or whatever - I don't see H much now, but when I do I have no respect left for him.

The 'games' he plays - the 'I love you both' texts and saying he heard xyz song and it reminded him of me/made him sad etc... it's all to keep me hanging. He's been doing it for 12 months and I can (finally) see right through it.

When I look at him I now think that if he doesn't know by now just how lucky he was to have me and ds, then it's too late! I don't mean that in a big headed way. But we literally had everything we could have ever wanted and a great relationship. We just totally took each other for granted after 14 years together. The problems only started once ds came along and we were both working long hours in full time jobs. I saw that as completely natural and easily fixed. Which it could have been.

He saw it as 'the end of his carefree life, too much responsibility' and bailed out in a heartless and manipulative way. Selling our home knowing full well that he was already having an affair and didn't plan to come to the new house with us... what kind of man does that? He left me and ds literally homeless. There was no way I could afford that new house alone and he knew that. But didn't even care. He took me and ds to my mums 3 weeks before Christmas, and just walked out the door. To a girl he hardly knew.

Like I say, all our problems could have easily been fixed.
And even the affair - it could have been forgiven. There were reasons behind it. And we could have learnt from our mistakes.

But how long do you give someone to realise all of that? I feel that I can't put my life on hold for him anymore because in reality, there is a chance that he will never want to come back. He may realise that the grass is actually greener and he's made the best choices of his life in doing what he did! (We'll see hey )

Hindsight is a wonderful thing! I have no regrets in the amount of effort I put in or the way I dealt with it all. But now I can see - he took away every ounce of confidence I had. And after spending half of my life with him I believed that the key to my happiness lay with him. But in reality, due to the person he's become, the key to me being happy at the moment is without him! Because his selfishness and ability to keep treating me this way is just beyond belief.

I won't say I am not totally devastated. I married him for life. I wanted to be with him for life and that is why I chose to have a baby with him. He's taken all of that away from me which is something I'll never fully come to terms with.

But...He knows full well he's had every chance to put things right, and the fact that he's not jumping at that chance tells me everything. I gave him and our relationship everything I had. But he couldn't (and still won't) give that back in return. So I can't wait any longer.

OP posts:
Baffy · 15/11/2007 10:40

Sorry for the mahoooosive post!

Once I started writing all of that I just couldn't stop!!

That's how I feel right now anyway!

OP posts:
TimeForMe · 15/11/2007 10:44

I knew I shouldn't have been worried. What a brilliant and amazing post. I am very proud of you! xx

Baffy · 15/11/2007 10:45

Thank you

I feel so happy right now and finally have some of that confidence back. Definitely onwards and upwards for me!

xx

OP posts:
Raffaella · 15/11/2007 10:48

Wow what a powerful post. You just bought a tear to my eye (I am a wuss and now need to mop myself up before going out!).

Really sounds like you have turned a corner which is great news.

Keep it up!

TimeForMe · 15/11/2007 10:48
Smile
Dior · 15/11/2007 10:50

Message withdrawn

Baffy · 15/11/2007 10:52

thanks guys

Dior why do you feel so sad?
Do you have any nice plans for this weekend?
Shall we tell you some jokes?!

OP posts:
Dior · 15/11/2007 11:29

Message withdrawn

Baffy · 15/11/2007 11:43

Ah right! PMT not good at all! I'm rubbish with the advice there though as I've never had it - I'm guessing you've tried whatever's out there to help ease the symptoms...??

Can you plan something nice for the weekend or tomorrow night to look forward to?

OP posts:
Dior · 15/11/2007 11:50

Message withdrawn

Baffy · 15/11/2007 12:10

Well have that as your plan... lots of chocolate just until you feel better

Plenty of time to be good once the PMT passes!

OP posts:
ginnedupumpkin · 15/11/2007 12:32

What a great post Baffy. You have definitely come out of this stronger, and I think you are absolutely right re the legal separation. Time to move on.
Dior - sorry I just gave you a bit of a lecture on your thread and now I feel awful seeing how down you are today. Feel free to ignore me or tell me to shut my cakehole!
((((((((hug))))))))))

Dior · 15/11/2007 12:38

Message withdrawn

Tanee58 · 15/11/2007 13:55

Hi Everyone, Dior, I must have a look at the A&C threads more often. I do quite a lot of sewing and knitting when I have the time, but haven't painted for ages. Our MP thought the design was a bit twee (which of course it was, Christmas IS twee - she's more of a minimalist and my design was more Victorian Children's Book. However, she was voted down - now it turns out that they've ordered 5000 cards though they only need 4000, as it's cheaper - so I'm being given 1000 cards for my pains. I don't have THAT many friends so I'll be sending out the same card for about the next 10 years - and they all say 'love Lynne' on the front !

Baffy, I didn't know your whole story before. You HAVE come a long way and well done for resisting H's approaches. You'll be much better off without him, with or without NM. If nothing else, NM is showing you how a woman SHOULD be treated, and that men ARE capable of treating us well.

Dior, sorry you are feeling down. Glad my PMT days are over. Now I just get the odd hot flush . Have a piece of good plain choc if you like it - it's good for you and it's less fattening than milk .

Baffy · 15/11/2007 14:21

thanks tanee

And I shall be expecting a christmas card off you very soon!!

That is great news though. Am so pleased for you.

OP posts:
Tanee58 · 15/11/2007 14:30

Baffy, I shall be sending you several hundred !!

sunshinegirl · 15/11/2007 21:58

Baffy, I'm so pleased that you are so positive now and also finding some happiness for yourself, you really do deserve it.

I can't believe it's been 12 months That has really flown. It means that we have all been friends here for over a year too

In answer to your questions, things have been strange lately. Moving into a new house with dc's on my own I have felt like that's what I wanted. Although H and I have been still getting on great there has been nothing physical, we have lived platonically for a long time now. I guess I thought deep down that we would maybe get back together at some point but for me if he goes and sleeps with someone else that really would be the end. He has got to the point where he feels I am never going to give him what he wants and he just wants sex. He says he can't wait any longer but wants us to remain best mates and still be around to support me and dc's as much as possible. I can understand his fraustration with the physical side of things. I do think tho that things will change between us when he meets someone else. I don't know, I don't want to lose him but don't know what to do to make things right.

Sorry rambling there

BTW, legal seperation, what does that entail? Does it mean that financially you are not responsible for the other person anymore? I think if things continue how they are here I'm going to need to do something like that.

x

Dior · 16/11/2007 09:30

Message withdrawn

MascaraOHara · 16/11/2007 09:59

Hi guys, I still feel like such a novice to all this

Baffy · 16/11/2007 10:00

{{{SG}}} I know it must be so so difficult and I understand where you're coming from with how you feel, and in feeling like if he sleeps with someone else then there will be no going back.

But I suppose I can see both sides too and he may be feeling like he's not sure how long he can wait for you to decide what you want. Even though he loves you so much I think perhaps he's feeling like he has no other options left.

I only say that because I know my H has said that one day, when he wants to settle down again, the only person he would want that to be with is me. And if I still feel the same about him at that point, that would be great.
But that is effectively asking me to wait while he decides if he wants me or not - and the scary thing from my point of view - is what if I wait, and then he decides that actually, he never wants us get back together. Where would I be then. Years down the line and still trying to live in the past.
It's too much to ask of someone

We are here for you 100% and I am totally on your side. I know just how much you're going through. I guess that I just want to try and give you his perspective too, because even if he did sleep with someone else, it doesn't have to be the end for you both. While you're apart you both need to do whatever gets you through it. If you're meant to be, then time and fate will bring you back together.

FWIW he could also be saying he is going to sleep with someone as a 'threat' to you. Not in a nasty way. But as an attempt to shock you into realising how much you want him back when you can't bear the thought of him with someone else.

I tried that with H too. And tbh, when he acted like he didn't care, I went out and did it! It did give me some confidence back and actually made me feel like I was in control of something for once - which was a good thing for me.
But deep down, it never changed my feelings about H. Nobody could come close.
So no matter what he does - my bet would be that he would feel exactly the same. It won't change his love for you. It's just his way of taking some control back over his situation.

I really hope I haven't said anything wrong there. I just want to help I honestly do

xx

OP posts:
Baffy · 16/11/2007 10:01

Hi MoH

You're not a novice at all

How are you?

OP posts:
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