Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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

Saying no to sex but doing it anyway

122 replies

Amongstchaos · 06/02/2022 13:18

Hi All,

Im feeling so lost atm when it comes to my marriage but there's one thing in particular I would just like some advise with.
This has always been quite common in our marriage but it never really bothered me before, I kinda just accepted that's the way things were but then the last couple times it has happened I have felt really low and cried to myself after.

Anyway,

Of course there are times in a relationship one person will want sex and the other won't ... a lot of the time its my husband who wants it and I don't ... I just struggle sometimes to be in the mood when I feel like I am ignored constantly .. he's a gamer and spends a lot of time on ps, so Im dealing with the house and kids(we have 3) working cooking etc and he literally works and plays ps. He doesn't spend much time with the kids or any of us. literally gets up, goes work, comes home, plays ps. I don't really want to get too much into it.
In terms of our relationship there isn't really one .. I always know when he is in the mood though as that's the one time he will make somewhat of an effort and then I know that is what he is expecting later.
He will be on his ps until say 11.30 at night, barely paid me attention all night, then come up to bed and just expect it just like that because he is in the mood. I will say no because im tired or I have work in the am or im just not in the mood and it always goes one of to ways ... he will sulk and get annoyed and tell me I don't love him or he will keep going on and on and on until I give in. Most the time I give in because its just easier. sometimes I do end up enjoying it but most the time its just me thinking, right if i do it now that will just keep him at bay a few days or so.

However, the last couple times... the other night he came up and I was asleep, he was in the mood and basically woke me up trying to put it in, I obviously said no but he just kept going saying he wanted to, he was in the mood etc etc, I could tell he wasnt going to stop so I just kinda let it happen .. don't get me wrong he wasn't forceful or anything and maybe If i had been really stern he would have listened but I just end up feeling bad so never do.
afterwards he went sleep.
Then this am was kinda similar. He was in the mood and just kept grabbing and me and trying to put it in. I said no, our daughter was awake in her room and I just wasn't in the mood but he just kept trying to put it in and grabbing and kissing. I said no again and asked him to listen, he stopped and said so you don't want it or something like that, I said no and then a minute later he was trying again and once again I just give and let him. He is then trying to kiss me etc during and make it all loving between us like he hasn't just ignored me.

We have spoken about it before and he just says well if he doesn't go on he never gets it .. I have tried explaining that I just need more .. not just grabbed at and told .. oh Im getting some of this tonight ... I want to feel cared for and loved, I want cuddles without exceptions, kisses without expectation, just some attention, some help round the house, someone to talk too .. i don't bloody know to be honest just more ... I am actually a very sexual person, I like sex but I don't know.

How can I make this better, I've tried just accepting things and how this is who he is and trying to snap myself in the mood in the hopes after a while it will makes us better and our relationship better but all that has happened is I feel so low in mood and am always angry .

To be honest, Im probably not explaining this very well, my head is such a mess and I am conscious of how much I am writing.

OP posts:
lottiegarbanzo · 07/02/2022 05:48

Oh and if you think the answer to what I said about prior obligation is marriage, then take a look at your marriage vows. Is he living up to his?

turksturban · 07/02/2022 08:55

Aside from the coerced sex which a lot of people have talked about..
You said he shouts and swears at the kids and has a nasty tongue.

If you continue to allow this, you are allowing your kids to be abused.
It will destroy their self esteem just like it has destroyed yours.

Please act quickly. Make a change. Be brave . You have power. Use the support available

Freddy12 · 07/02/2022 09:16

He sounds absolutely awful
Brings nothing positive at all to your life
Does he smoke weed / drink heavily?
Rapes you when he feels like it
Has you thinking this may be ok as you have seen from earlier replies he is a rapist
A total cunt who needs to go

billy1966 · 07/02/2022 09:40

You poor woman.

Living with an abusive rapist.

Of course you have low mood, living with an abusive rapist.

Please call Womens aid and see what they say to you when you tell your story.

He is a criminal, committing a CRIME.

He is a rapist.

What about telling the Welfare officer what your husband is doing?

Whatever you decide, please know this.

He is a bad man who is a RAPIST.

You do NOT have to allow this.

Flowers
ScrollingLeaves · 07/02/2022 10:01

“lottiegarbanzo

As for 'putting up with your low moods', people who love each other don't 'put up with' aspects of the other person (for the sake of what? convenience? having a live-in housekeeper and living sex doll?), they care for and support the other person, encourage them to be the best and happiest person they can be.

You sound as though you have no idea what love is, what healthy, happy relationships look like. (I wonder about your upbringing).

In general, stop making do with someone who merely tolerates you. Find someone who adores, supports and celebrates you.

You work, you do all the domestic work and childcare. What do you actually need from a man? Why not be single for a while? Then, if and when you find someone who makes you happy, makes your life better, cares about you and shows it consistently over time, then enjoy yourself - but take it slowly, don't rush to move anyone in and mother them.

You're making a very basic mistake in thinking that because he works hard in a job that isn't easy he 'deserves' to be looked after, he is 'owed' this by the universe - and that you are obliged to provide this to him, on the universe's behalf.

Think about that for a moment. Is that how life works? People who work hard, try hard, have difficult days sometimes, are gifted housekeepers, nannies and ever-willing sexual partners who cater to their every need?

Is that how life works for you? For all the women you know? Why not? Are you not deserving and hard-working too? Don't you have hard days? Are you not people?

Why does being the nearest woman to this man mean you have to put up with everything he throws at you, do all the domestic work, have sex when you don't want it, then smile and pretend you like it?

The notion of 'deserving' of 'being owed' makes no sense, because there is no two-way contractual arrangement between one man and the universe. You cannot 'deserve' to be given something, if there is no-one with a pre-existing obligation to provide that thing to you. There is no prior reciprocity built in to the universe. Thus he is not 'owed'. He can feel he 'deserves' all he likes but that feeling doesn't generate an obligation in anyone else to provide that thing.

What about all the hard-working single people who have hard days? What do they deserve? Where does that come from? The answer is, if they want another person to recognise and support them, they have to win love and respect from someone and will be lucky if care, comfort and reward follow. Where is your husband's sense of luck, of gratitude?

Actual deserving emerges out of mutually supportive and beneficial relationships, where both people recognise and value the others' efforts. One person goes over and above and the other one recognises and appreciates that. 'Just deserts' are bestowed, not demanded.

Just like respect.“

@lottiegarbanzo
What you have written here is so wise I think.

Amongstchaos · 07/02/2022 11:02

I know I deserve better and to be honest, Id rather not be here at all in this life than think about having to life this life every single day for the next how ever many years ... its just I feel like this is all my fault. I look at him and our marriage and I feel to blame for who he is and what we are.

We have actually separated before, about 2/3 years ago. It was really messy.. the police ended up involved and yeah, he moved out ... I struggled to work and deal with three kids, he would only have them if he could stay in the house when he did which meant I had to leave because he couldn't have them in the blocks, the military gave me an eviction notice, the council were 'helping' but never actually did much .... one minute he was nasty the next he would be asking for me back, he would tell me he couldn't be with anyone but me, that he was even going to his gp because he was having troubles down there ... telling me that I was his soul mate, we were meant to be ... life was going shit for me to be honest, i was about to be homeless and had nothing, I don't want the kids to have a shit life and I panicked and I agreed to try again. He moved back in immediately because it was the only way to stop me being evicted and things were so good for a while and now we are here again and I am just so bloody tired. Every single day just feels like such hard work but I can't do all that again.

OP posts:
username1987a · 07/02/2022 11:15

Can you contact Shelter OP and get some advice on your housing situation? You need to focus on one step at a time rather than everything at once. If you leave your housing is the most important step so get some advice from Shelter and take it from there. You can also contact Gingerbread as they have a good helpline for anything you need as a single parent for example contact arrangements. Get some advice and see how it goes.

Amongstchaos · 07/02/2022 11:16

@turksturban

Aside from the coerced sex which a lot of people have talked about.. You said he shouts and swears at the kids and has a nasty tongue.

If you continue to allow this, you are allowing your kids to be abused.
It will destroy their self esteem just like it has destroyed yours.

Please act quickly. Make a change. Be brave . You have power. Use the support available

He shouts and bellows a lot .. especially when he's on the ps etc, he will tell them to shut up, go away, fuck off etc. When he yells he can go on and on and it can be a bit much .. He doesn't have great patience either and goes from 0 to 100 in second .. There was an incident a month or so ago for example .. he had picked up our eldest and from what I can gather, in the car on the way back he had asked my eldest to do the dishwasher when he got in, I guess the eldest being a teen moaned or argued and they ended up in an argument over it, the eldest had got out the car when they arrived home and slammed the car door really hard and walked in ... my husband walked in after him bellowing and shouting that if he ever slammed his car door like that again he would smash his face in ... I of course immediately tried to get involved and he then started on me and how it was all my fault, I'm too easy on the kids, he's sick of them, he's sick of me, sick of our shit and he was fucking going. A few hours later he was all fine and calm .. when I explained to him I wasn't, he told me he was sorry and he didn't mean it, it just came out wrong ... the next day when I was still mad he told me that i was the only one keeping it going, he had said sorry, he didn't mean it and I needed to put it behind us. He tells me to step in when he goes overboard but then when I do he yells at me. He would never hurt them physically but I have told him that he is going to hurt them emotionally but it doesn't change anything.

I have suggested parenting classes but he won't.

OP posts:
MeSanniesareBrannies · 07/02/2022 11:19

This man is raping you and abusing your children. We can tell you how horrible he is, but you already know. You clearly already know. You’ve been given links to a number of resources on this thread. I hope that you make use of them.

ScrollingLeaves · 07/02/2022 11:46

Have you ever tried contacting that site for military wives posted earlier? There are problems specific to military housing in your case aren’t there?

I am so sorry you are going through this💐💐

Could you access some psychotherapy for yourself to try to rebuild your own identity as a valued individual? I know it can be difficult
In practice though.

arethereanyleftatall · 07/02/2022 12:18

What on Earth does he have to do to make you leave and protect yourself and your children? Abusing you and your children is fine, raping you is fine. Just out of interest - how much lower does he need to go before you'd protect your children and yourself?

Fluenty · 07/02/2022 12:25

I know you’re saying he wasn’t forceful, but he was
He woke you up trying to have sex that you didn’t want
It’s easy to imagine rape as a horrifically violent thing from a stranger
But coercion is still rape, it’s still violent towards you, just in a different way.
You care for his children, make his food, then provide your body for sex when he wants it
And he thinks nothing about you as a human.
This is not ok and I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. Flowers

deeplyrooted · 07/02/2022 13:58

Your story is utterly heartbreaking. Ignore the posters trying to guilt trip you - you’ve tried to leave. We need to help you figure out a better plan so that you don’t fall back in.

I know next to nothing about what supports and benefits you can claim or are are available. Housing seems to be the key thing here, and accessing dependable childcare so you can work.

We need to help you make a better plan this time.

52andblue · 07/02/2022 14:09

OP: you don't 'allow it' - you TELL HIM you don't want sex & he just carries on. That's rape, as much as 'date rape' as much as a stranger in a dark alley: it's rape. You can't keep living like this. Please contact Women's Aid xxx

Colourmeclear · 07/02/2022 14:35

Im so sorry OP. I've been in your situation. You have to believe that you had a choice because the alternative to that is too painful to bear. Eventually my mind said fine get it over with but my body physically would not let him or if it did it was extremely painful. I blamed and hated myself for not giving him what he said he needed.

I only realised how bad it had been when I had left my ex and found a man who cared about me and what I needed. We were having sex once and he stopped when he noticed I was just lying there (trauma response I think) and asked me to promise never to have sex I didn't want and to always let him know how far we should go. The idea that I had to present during sex and that I should enjoy it too was so alien to me. I found sex 10 years after I'd lost my virginity.

Colourmeclear · 07/02/2022 14:36

*to be present

turksturban · 07/02/2022 17:21

@deeplyrooted

Your story is utterly heartbreaking. Ignore the posters trying to guilt trip you - you’ve tried to leave. We need to help you figure out a better plan so that you don’t fall back in.

I know next to nothing about what supports and benefits you can claim or are are available. Housing seems to be the key thing here, and accessing dependable childcare so you can work.

We need to help you make a better plan this time.

This.

Please can anyone advise regarding housing and financial support for OP

Trunumber · 07/02/2022 18:07

Can womens aid help? I agree, it's not fair that you have to make a plan but you do. And they can probably help better than any of us.

Chichimcgee · 07/02/2022 18:13

it doesn't feel like rape because I let him .. I give in. I allow it.

The vast majority of rape victims do the same. Because it’s easier to deal with something for 10-20 minutes than it is to risk being hurt/threatened/attacked.
It doesn’t mean it’s not rape.

He is raping you.

On top of that he is an abusive partner and father and you need to protect yourself and your children.

WallaceinAnderland · 07/02/2022 18:20

I'm sorry your husband is repeatedly raping you OP. He will never change. I hope you find the courage to start taking steps to leave him.

PicsInRed · 07/02/2022 18:22

He used to coercively rape you. Now he physically keeps on at you until you needed to choose whether to fight and potentially sustain signficant physical injury, or give in and sustain less injury.

If the only way for you to not have sex with him is to engage in a violent physical fight with a grown man, this has crossed over from the (already illegal) crime of coercive rape, into rape by physical force.

Flowers Flowers Flowers

Changechangychange · 07/02/2022 18:27

He's never been forceful in trying to be rough pin me down and make me .. I think he just carries on trying because he knows I will give in

Try pushing him off next time, or saying no more forcefully. He will move straight on to “trying to be rough, pinning you down and making you’. You know this, which is why you aren’t fighting him.

No decent man would carry in when he knew his wife didn’t want to have sex. He’s a rapist.

Sunbird24 · 07/02/2022 18:55

From what I’ve managed to find out, if you separate as a military family the serving person would move into single accommodation and the spouse & children would be entitled to stay in the married quarter for a ‘grace period’. I’ve not yet pinned down how long that is but it sounds like it’s a period of months rather than days or years. Apparently you need to find your local welfare officer OP - I don’t know where you are (and please don’t say on here) but if you have a Hive, or a base community centre, (or a military wives choir?), somebody there should be able to point you in the right direction. I hope you’re ok.

arethereanyleftatall · 07/02/2022 19:18

Shouldn't the op be going to the police about this? Her husband has been repeatedly raping her for years.

gobbynorthernbird · 07/02/2022 19:42

@arethereanyleftatall

Shouldn't the op be going to the police about this? Her husband has been repeatedly raping her for years.
Not unless she wants to, and feels able.