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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't cope with him, is he expecting too much?

28 replies

Sicktothecore · 18/08/2021 05:36

My husband (together 14 years) is being nothing but plain right horrible to me, talking down and nasty to me in front of people and our 11 year old daughter. It's so embarrassing and is really affecting our daughter who burst into tears yesterday.

Its because I won't keep giving him money and covering all our joint outgoings. I'm currently on the sick due to my line manager not being replaced and being told I must do all his work as well as mine with no extra capacity or money to do it. As hard as I have tried doing it, I found it really impossible to do two full time jobs and got so stressed out with it. So I'm currently on the sick but still covering half of our mortgage and all other bills. I have no problem at all with this.

My husband who's self employed had been really busy with work but despite knowing my work situation and that we had some big bills coming up, he didn't bother to save any money. But kept splashing out on things for him/his hobby. Now them big bills are landing and his work has gone real quiet he expects me to pay them all and because I won't he speaks to me in such a vile nasty tone, belittling me in front of others, upsets our daughter and creates a terrible atmosphere. This isn't the first time, and he reminds me of that Geoff Metcaffe from coronation Street. I feel myself crumbling away as a person, I feel destroyed.

In the past I've given in and just paid all our bills and giving him more money for spending, just to keep the peace, but I think that he should at the age of 50 now be able to understand a little bit about saving and priorities. Instead he is choosing to buy and spend out whenever he has a bit of spare income, which I feel just shifts all his responsibilities to me.

Another example, I bought a new car 11 years ago. He chooses the car then I bought it out of my own money, paid all road tax, insurance for both of us to drive it, mot, repair and maintenance costs for it myself despite him using it too and it was used as our family car. My car had a number of issues so I had to get rib of it recently. I asked him if I could use his vehicle now for our food shopping and running our daughter to club, but he's made it extremely clear he's not happy with that unless I pay the road tax and insurance for it. I've explained that he has used mine for the past 11 years and contributed nothing to its running costs plus I'm only using it for our food shopping because he won't go to the shops etc but now I feel trapped here too ashamed to borrow his vehicle again.

Plus he has been invited to go on a hunting trip with in November at the cost of £600 pounds, I know he will find the money for that and has told them he wants to go. I thinks that's fine but he should prioritise his half of the mortgage etc first and only go away if he has spare money after our responsibilities, as they are supposed to be joint responsibilities and not just mine.

This has gone on for some time now and like I say I normally end up feeling sorry for him and just covering his side of our mortgage, our bills etc. But I'm fed up of him just spending instead if saving a little when it's going well for him. Am I right to say no I'm not doing it no more?

OP posts:
Finfintytint · 18/08/2021 05:53

I’d be planning to leave him. Sounds like you can cope financially on your own anyway. Does he add anything to the relationship?

CloseYourEyesAndSee · 18/08/2021 05:57

He's financially abusive as well as emotionally. Time to leave?

Sunnyjac · 18/08/2021 06:02

Definitely time to end your relationship. What positives does he bring to your life? Most importantly, what do you want to teach your daughter?

WhiskeyGalore212 · 18/08/2021 06:03

Financial abuse, abd emotional/verbal abuse.

Doubt he'll change.

I'd get ducks
In row to leave. See how you'd manage financially.

PalmarisLongus · 18/08/2021 06:07

Look into getting free from him, he's not a nice man for you or your daughter to be around.

You work and should be able to claim something from Govt so have a look on EntitledTo website.

THisbackwithavengeance · 18/08/2021 06:15

I don't get the point of your being married to this man?

Marriage is a loving partnership. You sound like flatmates who actually hate each other.

He won't even lend you his car to go to the supermarket for a family shop? My God! That's not normal, OP and you know it. And all this your half, my half stuff.

I hope you can find the strength to get rid of this horrible man.

AtlasPine · 18/08/2021 06:19

Show your poor distressed daughter than no woman should have to put up with an abusive partner by leaving. He sounds utterly nasty.

JustGiveMeGin · 18/08/2021 06:23
  1. He should be ashamed about not letting you go food shopping not you!
  2. Put your foot down hard right now, he pays half of exactly everything or he will be paying in full for a home of his own (and mean it)
  3. Unless he can afford the above and make the payments for the next couple of months he doesn't go in November (if he does I wouldn't be there on his return)
I don't want to sound cruel to you OP but bloody hell, how did you get to this point? You might find once you stop being his cash cow he ups and leaves by himself (no loss I would have thought) but you really need to think long and hard what it is about you that meant you got into this position.
TacCat49 · 18/08/2021 06:39

Hang into your money and make a great investment for your future. See a lawyer ASAP.

Eviethyme · 18/08/2021 06:42

I'd be taking a stand and not let him run your life so much. Yes he can go on a trip. If all bills have been covered by both of you

updownroundandround · 18/08/2021 06:43

OP he is abusing you both emotionally and financially.

Your 11yr old DD knows that his behavior is not normal, so why don't you recognise his treatment of you as abusive ?

You need to be very clear with him and calmly tell him that he either grows up and takes responsibility for both his behavior AND his financial obligations, or it's the end of your marriage and he can fuck off and fund his 'lifestyle' himself !

If you don't stand up for yourself and your DD now, you will regret it, because you'll have shown your DD that a man can and will treat her horribly, and she's expected to put up with it ! Sad And I'm damn sure that is not the future you'd want for her, is it ?

HeartvsBrain · 18/08/2021 06:54

It seems so easy for strangers on Mumsnet to tell someone to leave their partner, and I often think that the mumsnetters don't then have to deal with all the massive fallout this causes, especially if children are involved, but this time I really do believe that you should leave him, especially as there is a child involved. Is there anything stopping you from leaving him OP - except of course the fear of the unknown, the niggle in one's mind that says "but what if it is even worse without him? What if I can't cope as a single parent? What if my daughter hates me for leaving him? There are sadly no guarantees OP, but from my perspective, it is hard to see how life would be worse when not having someone belittle you everyday, and upsetting your daughter more and more each day; when you are being so mentally abused for doing your utmost best for the family, when he is just being a completely selfish waste of space. As for coping, you already are - brilliantly, it will be easier with him gone, much easier, not harder. Your daughter will probably be scared of the unknown when she finds out that you two or splitting up, even if you are not, as she is only eleven (I think you said eleven?), but even at that age, deep down, she knows who she can trust, who she can depend on, and it is not her dad. Don't let her grow up thinking it is okay for a man, a husband, a father, to treat anyone this way, but particularly not his wife and child. I am almost positive that she will understand that you need to leave him for both of your sakes - or rather you can hopefully make him leave, but if he won't leave, he will have to pay all of the mortgage, all of the bills, and see if he can still afford to go hunting with his "friends" until the house sells - it sounds like you can afford another place without him, you will probably actually be financially better off in the end, as well as emotionally. I think your daughter will look back at this time and be so impressed with how well you have coped, and she will know that no-one should trample over the feelings of those they are supposed to love, and no partner should get away with being so selfish. You and your daughter should suddenly find that a weight has been lifted off the two of you, that you are laughing together more, that you actually recognise a strange feeling as being that of happiness, hopefully I am wrong, hopefully you have both been happy throughout, even though it doesn't sound like you have had much to be happy about for a long time. Of course it will still be hard at first, it doesn't sound like he will go quietly, or without an emotional fight, but that won't last, it will be worth it.
I am sorry that this is so long, especially with no paragraphs, but I only have my mobile to do it on, and however big I make the gaps between paragraphs, they disappear when I press send - so I have given up!

username34512875 · 18/08/2021 07:51

Get your ducks in a row for the sake of your daughter. He sounds selfish and verbally/financially abusive. And your daughter doesn’t deserve to be so affected by this.

bigbaggyeyes · 18/08/2021 07:55

LTB

Justcashnosweets · 18/08/2021 08:00

This man brings absolutely nothing to your marriage, and is abusive to boot. There is no reason for you to stay with him and every reason to get rid of him. You and your poor daughter will be happier once hebis out of your lives. If you aren't sure what to do, contact Womens Aid for advice, or even speak to your GP the next time you have an appointment.

chocolateorangeinhaler · 18/08/2021 08:08

As soon as you said 'hunting' my blood ran a bit cold. Any person wanting to kill unarmed wild animals for sport fun doesn't really have any compassion. IMO.

I live rurally and have met a lot of people that hunt. They are a different breed, quite arrogant when all together with a gun in their hand.

Do you have friends/family that can help you leave. At the moment you are his cash flow, take that away from him or even suggesting it will cause a massive tantrum.

I'm quite worried for you if he keeps guns in the house and is this controlling. Don't rock the boat until you have a solid exit plan. Buy a PAYG cheap phone and hide it up. Use that for communication to get help. Do you have any joint accounts? Get rid, make up any lie you can to get him to agree.

Blossombo · 18/08/2021 08:15

This situation seems awful but I can give first hand advice about your daughter.

I am in the process of separating from my partner of 14yrs and we have an 11 DD. She was getting more and more upset and withdrawn with us as a couple, when we announced the split I literally see how relived she was and she has been her bright sparkly self again.

It’s tricky, she didn’t want to see him for a while until I explained that he is her dad and loves her which is different from our relationship. To be honest she is my driving force to keep the separation going because I know I would loose her respect if I went back. (My partner was just plain useless and didn’t care about us at all).

So please consider my experiences (of course everyone is different) but your DD may surprise you

NameChangeNamaste · 18/08/2021 13:46

What’s the actual point of him?

Wombat64 · 18/08/2021 13:49

Why are you feeling sorry for him?

EKGEMS · 18/08/2021 15:18

Leave the scumbag

2catsandhappy · 18/08/2021 15:20

If you can cover his and your contributions to a households expenses, then you can afford to live with just you and your dd.
Look up his cms and what other single parent benefit you could get.
Arm yourself with this knowledge and keep it in the back of your mind.
You don't actually need him.
He is using you.
You do not have to carry him.
He is an adult and should pay his way.
I strongly suspect(but cannot prove!) that as Christmas aproaches and you gradually realise you are being left to magically pay for it all,(again, just a hunch) that you will decide that this is the last year you will do that.
Wishing you the very best OP. Hoping for a good outcome for you xx

I could be reading this parasite wrongly, I hope I am.

Ohsugarhoneyicetea · 18/08/2021 15:36

You are setting your daughter up to be similarly abused later in life by carrying on with this relationship. This is what you modelling for her, and even if you think you wont make the same mistake as your parents, its incredibly difficult to even see the same traps let alone not fall into them, if that's all you have ever known. So if you cannot leave for yourself please do it for her.

aerosocks · 18/08/2021 15:45

He wants to go on a trip in November?

Let him go. And while he's away, you can move out. There's plenty of time to quietly arrange things between now and then.
Flowers

Holothane · 18/08/2021 15:58

Get planning ready to move out you can then have a better l8fe and without your poor dad being made to cry, dreadful behaviour. Hugs

frozendaisy · 18/08/2021 17:06

He won't got to the shop to buy food for his daughter (and you).

Just that alone.