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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

DH has no friends and following me round the house

288 replies

DotDashDottyDashy · 11/10/2021 16:23

My husband dropped his friends years ago and he has nothing to do with his family. He now works at home since the pandemic and his employer has made this a permanent thing. I already worked at home because I freelance. He goes to a book club once a month, but apart from that I am literally never alone in the house. He doesn't count the book-club members as friends and he will never stay for a drink after they've discussed the book as the rest of them do. I have lots of friends and interests that take me out of the house, but sometimes I'd just like some time in the house on my own without hearing his ever-there presence - the TV, his stomping and sighing.

If I close a door behind me (e.g. if I'm reading in the snug or in the bath, I close the door so I can't hear the TV that he has on all the time, or if I'm in my office I keep the door closed so I can't hear him on his work calls), he will always, without fail, find a reason to come into the room, and then leave the door open on his way back out. If I ask him to close the door behind him, he always frowns and sighs very loudly and exaggeratedly. I find this so unpleasant that I've stopped asking him to close the door and I wait until he's gone, then quietly close it myself. He wants to watch TV every night, whereas I don't - sometimes I want to read or do some drawing or something, but if I say this, he always asks why can't I do it in the same room as him (the reason is because the TV is distracting, but also I just want some time on my own as well sometimes) or he'll pull a 'jokey' sulky pouty face and say sarcastically 'oh that's nice'. Or, he'll give it half an hour, then come and join me in whatever room I'm in, sit next to me, and scroll through his phone.

He cares very deeply about furniture, decor and clothes. He watches what I do in the house and corrects things I do. For example, if I put the box of teabags on the kitchen counter, he'll lift it up to put a protective mat under it. Or he'll pretend he's admiring the knife I'm using and come to look at it (when in reality I know it's because he wants to make sure none of the veg I'm chopping have fallen off the chopping board onto the worktop). If he thinks one of us might have damaged something, he goes nuts, even if he can't see any damage with his naked eye, so he'll do things like get a torch to inspect it. I never do things to his standards - I apparently do gardening wrong, cleaning wrong, bedmaking wrong, washing wrong.

He doesn't like us using things in case we damage them, so the kitchen worktops are covered in lots of protective mats (so we can hardly see any of the worktop now) and the settees are covered in protective throws. And he gets really tense when we have visitors in case they damage something.

If I try discussing anything with him, he either denies whatever I say (even stupid things that are obviously true - it's his default position to just deny anything I say. I could point out his grey hair and he'd deny it's grey), or he gets really defensive, or more often than not he just walks away and refuses to discuss anything with me, going completely silent on me. He literally never gets riled or worked up. He likes to ignore me when I ask something of him, and if I repeat myself, he'll just say really dismissively and calmly, "yeah I heard you", but then he won't comment any further. He also makes things up about me. For example, he was sorting out our important documents and I asked him to leave mine alone and I would sort them myself, and he told me that I had lost my driving licence once so I shouldn't do the sorting and should let him do it. I know for a fact that I've never lost my driving licence, but he was so adamant that I started believing him. He could tell me I'm spelling my name wrong and he'd be so believable that I'd doubt how my own name is spelt.

I'm 20 years into this marriage, and now I'm perimenopausal, and suddenly I'm just drained by it. We're currently not talking to each other at all after he was snappy with me on Saturday all day but wouldn't tell me what the issue was. He does that a lot - snapping and frowning at me, but if I ask him what's wrong he says "nothing" every single time. I really fucking hate the silent treatment - I think it's a pathetic game and really manipulative, but I can't be arsed trying to engage with him anymore, so I'm just not bothering. I know I'm in the wrong not talking to him, but I'm exhausted by him and actually it's quite nice not having to talk to him and listen to him go on about how his work colleagues have wronged him this week.

OP posts:
RandomMess · 11/10/2021 21:39

jamaisjedors - Divorcing Sulking DH - it WILL happen in 2021

Shoxfordian · 11/10/2021 21:52

How do you cope with this Klingon?

Jimmyshoes · 11/10/2021 22:04

My fil is like this with MIL. Fil has no friends, no social life and is suffocating MIl who used to be a social butterfly and he won't leave her alone. He follows her everywhere even to her friend meet-ups where he sits in the corner sulking waiting for to her hurry the fuck up and finish her coffee so he could take her back home and control her life indoors. Fil has caused many problems in the past with MIL's family and isolated her where they are all nc. DH thinks it's being protective and he was shocked when I said his dad is being abusive to her.

DrinkFeckArseBrick · 11/10/2021 22:06

So you might not even be half way through your life. He sounded awful in the first paragraph but abusive by the end of it. I think you need to do something now or you will regret it later. I feel like you'll be happier in a one bed flat, doing what you fancy, when you fancy, than in a nice house with him. You're not even 50! If you want more security around earnings can you work for a company for a bit, while you look at getting a mortgage by yourself etc

Silenceisgolden20 · 11/10/2021 22:10

You've been completely conditioned by him and worn down.
You must be losing yourself?
Start by saying no a few times. Practice it. Get stronger. Speak to friends. Find your life away from him

EarthSight · 11/10/2021 22:11

There's a lot in your post that it's difficult to know where to start.

What stood out to me at first is that you feel you need this alone, private time in the first place. Most people need a degree of that, some more than others, but I believe yours has partly been caused by you feeling stifled by him. It sounds like you feel like he's breathing in your face all the time, taking up your oxygen.

I wonder what he would say if you put one of those locks on your door that when the door closes, it locks automatically. You'd have to be mindful not to lock yourself out, but it might be worth it so that when you are in your room, you can be assured he won't come in. It wouldn't surprise me if he would start huffing outside because he can't come in, or create a diversion so you would never get any peace.

I apparently do gardening wrong, cleaning wrong, bedmaking wrong, washing wrong

For example, he was sorting out our important documents and I asked him to leave mine alone and I would sort them myself, and he told me that I had lost my driving licence once so I shouldn't do the sorting and should let him do it

In addition to the quotes above, I read about his sulking. Done over many years, many times it's incredibly corrosive. Some people cannot handle confrontation, but please don't think those type of people don't have a temper. Instead of shouting, they quietly seethe and plot ways to have their revenge, usually accompanied by silences which are a punishment in themselves.

I believe your husband has an anxious, more materialistic than average, and dominant. That thing with the driving license sounds to me like an attempt at gaining control of you. If he can make you believe you're incompetent around the house, if he can micro-manage your actions there, then the next step might be to make you feel incompetent in other areas of life to so he can micro-manage those as well.

I don't know how anyone can respect someone as an equal partner if they think they are are incompetent and wrong about everything as he thinks you are, and that in itself would be a good reason to end things. Most people want to feel respected, want to feel like they have an equal voice in the relationships, and it doesn't sound like he's capable or willing to give that. Just like a naughty or silly child, you need to be supervised and can't be trusted like an adult would be and it puts him on edge that he can't keep an eye on you at all times.

So ingrained are these qualities in people like this that they see it less as them being anxious or controlling, and more about them rescuing you from your stupidity. They do this with much drama, eye-rolls, sighs and huffing to remind you of how inconvenient you are to them and magnanimous they're being by 'helping' you do the right thing (i.e what they want).

I'm sure he has nice qualities, but it sounds to me like you would breathe a lot easier without him.

Loveshelly · 11/10/2021 22:12

My god. I don’t know why. But this thread makes me feel so depressed and sad on your behalf I can’t express it properly.
You are in no way old.

MumUndone · 11/10/2021 22:18

OP, I've read many sad stories on MN but never has a feeling of such complete and utter defeat come across as in your description of what you put up with. I really hope you make the choice to pursue a better life for yourself, without your husband in it.

JumperandJacket · 11/10/2021 22:19

OP, can you say something more about him dropping his friends? It seems such a big and strange thing to do.

Loveshelly · 11/10/2021 22:23

Abusers always drop friends once they’ve got a full time target

3luckystars · 11/10/2021 22:28

I would say they dropped him. Sometimes it takes years to see through a person.

You might be surprised if you broke up with him, people might approach you and say ‘I don’t know how you put up with it for so long, you are so nice and we never understood what you were doing with him, he is such a critical man and is deeply unhappy with no friends and you are the opposite’

EarthSight · 11/10/2021 22:39

Will I feel empty and a lack of love?

So you feel loved by him now??? Do you think he behaves like a loving, respectful person?? Yes you might feel empty, or you might have a lot more time and energy for friends.

Also what will I do on Christmas day?
Your Christmas Day, even if you spend it alone, might be fabulous. You can have Christmas exactly how you want it, with the food you want, or you might get invited to a friend's house.

Also what about going on holiday?
I'm sure you can find companies who organise trips for single women or similar? You might find a holiday alone really enjoyable in the right circumstances.

Also my parents are elderly and my dad has dementia. What if they deteriorate further? I don't get paid if I take time off to help them, and I'll have no one to emotionally support me through watching my dad go through a horrible disease like dementia or hug me when he gets worse

Can't comment on finances but does he emotionally support you now?? How drained do you feel when he's in the house?

What if I get seriously ill - cancer or dementia or something - myself? How will I earn money? Who will look after me? What if I die on my own in my house and no one finds me for days or weeks because I don't have children or family?

Sadly, a lot of people die alone because a lot of people don't have someone with them 24hrs a day. I would look into private unemployment insurance if I were you. It's the specifically to help people like you in the event you can't work because of illness. You might also not be single forever if you divorce. You might meet someone else.

CharityDingle · 11/10/2021 23:44

@RedBeetroot12

Aw I feel he just wants companionship when he wants to be in the same room as you even when you’re doing different activities, that’s actually a really positive thing in my eyes, he enjoys the quiet company and just having you in the room obviously gives him a sense of well-being. I’m the same in my relationship, please don’t be unkind and move to somewhere different for space, spend a few evenings together in the same space doing different things, I feel he’s clearly very lonely to be focusing on making sure everything is pristine in the house… I truly feel for the poor guy. I bet he feels jealous and resentful of your ease at having and maintaining friendships though.
I actually find this post scarily sad. It's as if it's written about say, the family dog, who is coming towards the end of it's life and is seeking comfort and companionship.

Not about a husband or partner who is slowly suffocating the person that they presumably claim to love.

Silenceisgolden20 · 11/10/2021 23:55

Op do you really think he would look after you if you were ill and old age?
I wouldn't invest in that as a reason to stay. He won't give a shit and use it against you. By them you'll ve ebm more isolated. Don't hold out for some happy ending, he'll keep wearing you down.

tankcrossing · 12/10/2021 00:01

Shirley Valentine comes to mind when I read this. The part where she talks to the wall and orders him out of the kitchen while she cooks the tea.

His own son called him a boring bastard.

Next thing you know, she is wizzing around the Greek Island on a moped, alone and smiling and buying herself flowers.

She simply couldn't bear to go back to life behind the wall!!!

Im sure you have watched this film before OP, if not, grab a glass of wine, take the TV remote off your own miserable bastard of a husband and maybe watch this film together. He might have an epiphany

I doubt it though, you may need to just need to travel your own journey without this dead weight dragging you down.

Good luck OP

redastherose · 12/10/2021 00:04

Practically speaking you need to see a good solicitor who specialises in divorce. After a 20 year marriage everything is joint property, you say he is a high earner, presumably he has a decent pension, well that is a joint matrimonial asset too. Plus any savings even if they are in his name solely, plus cars etc. everything gets valued and split. If his pension is particularly large you may walk away with much more of the house equity in exchange for leaving him with his pension. So get a good solicitor is the most important thing to know where you stand.

In relation to things right now and for the foreseeable future whilst you are getting your ducks in a row grey rock is your friend. Simply don't react to him at all. You put the tea bags down, he puts a coaster under them, act like you didn't even notice. Clear the worktops of the covers and ignore if he reinstates, if he tells you off just ignore and walk away. He is doing these things to annoy and control you, don't give him the reaction he craves.

sospspsp · 12/10/2021 00:07

@TatianaBis

I would suggest a direct access barrister to give you an idea of likely outcome if it were to go to court. Might be the best advice you ever pay for. I have found solicitors tend to be quite vague about actual figures on divorce.

I’ve not been divorced but was advised the same in a different legal context and it was really worthwhile.

Definitely- great advice. Solicitors are just there to get their cut for doing more very much, just generating paperwork which you can do yourself much more efficiently, the barristers will actually earn their fees.
sospspsp · 12/10/2021 00:08

Doing NOT very much

Justilou1 · 12/10/2021 00:31

@DotDashDottyDashy - I couldn’t sleep last night. (Australian time and we had a thunderstorm and a nervous dog.) I was thinking about the paperwork situation. Your DH is potentially also showing signs of paranoia along with control. I suspect that he knows every single detail about your financial situation, and would be surprised if you could say the same. Do you have access to all of his bank details, credit cards, shares, investments and pensions, etc? I would recommend getting copies as soon as possible, preferably before you seek legal advice. I’m worried about the fictitious comment about you having lost your driver’s license and not being trustworthy. Something’s very off with his behaviour.

Maskless · 12/10/2021 06:10

You deserve a medal.

ApolloandDaphne · 12/10/2021 06:18

How do you think he would react if you said you were leaving him? Would he accept his faults and try to change or would he put all the blame on you for his behaviour?

LadyCampanulaTottington · 12/10/2021 06:27

@DotDashDottyDashy you said something that hit me hard ..

He's given me all the freedoms I could want

He’s GIVEN you, like he had the power to decide. He hasn’t “given” you anything, you are entitled to all the freedoms you want, not just what he “gives”. He’s made himself seem like the benevolent, caring husband by “giving” you freedoms of his choosing. Can you see how badly gaslighted you’ve been and how distorted your perception is?

ByeByeMissAmericanPie · 12/10/2021 06:54

Your story has many parallels with mine… I’m older than you, and I left last year. It’ll take a while for you to unravel your feelings as you’ve been made to feel so inadequate. It truly is the boiling frog analogy.

I realised that he’d never care for me if I got sick in old age. He’d just pay someone else to do it. His OCD was terrible. And like you, I was hopeless at running the household. (I had an allowance, you see 🤔) and lost all control of my finances.

I’m in rented while the house sale is going through. I’ve met another man who is the complete opposite to my STBEX who listens, laughs, supports my vision in life. I’m not sure I’d ever get remarried, but I’m truly gobsmacked that there are nice men out there.

Meanwhile, I’ve kept my old friends, picked up some new ones, started new hobbies, and am basically making up for lost time. I’m mid 50s and haven’t been this happy since my 20s.

It’s not all a bed of roses, and the divorce is horrendous and costly… and lockdown was hard. Really hard. But I don’t regret it one bit.

anthurium · 12/10/2021 07:19

@EarthSight

Will I feel empty and a lack of love?

So you feel loved by him now??? Do you think he behaves like a loving, respectful person?? Yes you might feel empty, or you might have a lot more time and energy for friends.

Also what will I do on Christmas day?
Your Christmas Day, even if you spend it alone, might be fabulous. You can have Christmas exactly how you want it, with the food you want, or you might get invited to a friend's house.

Also what about going on holiday?
I'm sure you can find companies who organise trips for single women or similar? You might find a holiday alone really enjoyable in the right circumstances.

Also my parents are elderly and my dad has dementia. What if they deteriorate further? I don't get paid if I take time off to help them, and I'll have no one to emotionally support me through watching my dad go through a horrible disease like dementia or hug me when he gets worse

Can't comment on finances but does he emotionally support you now?? How drained do you feel when he's in the house?

What if I get seriously ill - cancer or dementia or something - myself? How will I earn money? Who will look after me? What if I die on my own in my house and no one finds me for days or weeks because I don't have children or family?

Sadly, a lot of people die alone because a lot of people don't have someone with them 24hrs a day. I would look into private unemployment insurance if I were you. It's the specifically to help people like you in the event you can't work because of illness. You might also not be single forever if you divorce. You might meet someone else.

Some excellent advice from @EarthSight

Op reminds me of another poster on MN. A woman unable to manage by herself basically...I'd asked her earlier about whether she'd be financially worse off and she said she would be. She's also worried about being lonely/alone/isolated.

The issue is some women have spent an inordinate amount of time burying their heads in the sand in these sort of partnerships and now, decades later, although it's not too late of course, are actually thinking about their choice of partners (the women have been too reliant emotionally and financially on their partner's for a better quality of life).

And now leaving him, even though he sounds dreadful, isn't so appealing... As Op would be leaving for a possibility of a better life which she may not get and it could be much worse in a different way....

I'm not advocating Op stays in this marriage, just that it's really sad to read how frequently a similar dreadful scenario comes up on MN.

Signoramarella · 12/10/2021 07:24

No way OP. You have 1 life. This is fucking miserable. Leave him.you won't be happy in 20 years. He will get worse. If you were my friend I'd tell you straight.

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