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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

Am I going crazy?? Or is my husband a c*ck?

137 replies

CalicoPony · 01/05/2023 22:10

Really struggling to validate my position and could do with some help figuring it out.

we are due to move to France in 3 months (husband is french, we lived there together for 6 years, we have 2 kids born in France)

Husband is very avoidant when it comes to anything important - fear of failure makes him sort of freeze up and he buries his head in the sand. We both know this and we (mostly me) try and mitigate it by planning ahead and breaking big tasks into smaller ones to make them less terrifying.

anyway, the move has him very very stressed and he is refusing to talk about it, do any planning, organise his work etc.

tonight I tried to talk to him about it, said we have 3 months left so we should start thinking about finding a place to live (we will rent while we look for a place to buy), think about packing, etc.

he is scrolling on his
phone and generally irritated that I’ve brought it up. So I ask when would be a good time to talk about it. He says he doesn’t know. Then I say how should I respond when you say that (I genuinely don’t know) - he says he doesn’t know. I ask when would be a good time to talk about it. He gets annoyed, bangs his hand on the table, says ‘Fine! What do you want to say?!’ I’m taken aback and pause. He carries on ‘Go on then!!!’

I say I’m not wanting to just announce something, just that we should have a conversation and do some planning, or it will be more stressful because everything will be last minute. He says it’s already too late, it will be a shitshow. Gets up, walks out of the room. I give him a couple of minutes then go in and calmly (I was very sure to be calm) tell
him that I think he’s being unreasonable and that his behaviour is upsetting. He laughs facetiously and mutters something like ‘what a surprise’ and leaves the house.

this isn’t an isolated incident, it happens pretty much any time I talk to him about important stuff. In fact pretty much every time I talk to him about anything.

i know he is stressed and I want to support him. I want us to be a team and work together through the challenges. But he always seems to want to set himself against me - like it’s easier for him to blame all his difficulties on me than to actually face up to life.

im trying not to black and white about it but genuinely feel that he doesn’t love me, doesn’t enjoy being part of our family, and just wants to be left alone with his phone.

for context, we both work full time and with two young kids, life can be pretty full on. But we’re not on the breadline and have a lot to be grateful for.

i have lost all sense of perspective on whether I’m being unreasonable or not. He seems convinced that I’m a nagging bitch and that he has done nothing wrong. But his entitlement and disengagement and ingratitude are really getting to me. Am I going crazy???

OP posts:
SorePaw · 01/05/2023 23:19

@CalicoPony

think very carefully.

ctan you really see yourself still dealing with this shit in 20 years?

be careful where you take your children to live because it might mean you're stuck there until you feel you can live in a different country to your (then) adult children, who maY get married & have children there etc.

what would you rights be to live in France if you separate? Would you want to live there if you were no longer a couple?

randomuser2019 · 01/05/2023 23:19

This reply has been withdrawn

This post has been withdrawn at the poster's request due to privacy concerns.

determinedtomakethiswork · 01/05/2023 23:21

I wouldn't move to another country with a man like that, particularly one that I was financially supporting. If you end up divorcing, then he can prevent you bringing the children back here if that's what you want to do. You could end up living in France, separated from your children for half of the week and funding him. I wouldn't put myself in such a precarious position.

Cattenberg · 01/05/2023 23:23

Like PPs, I’d be very concerned that if I moved abroad and it didn’t work out, I wouldn’t be able to move back to the UK with the kids without their Dad’s permission. And if you’re not communicating well/working through issues as a team, then the odds are that the move won’t work out. You’re NOT crazy, it sounds as though he’s being very unreasonable.

Would you want to stay in France long-term, even if you and your H were to split up? What if your H ended up with residency of the kids? Personally, I wouldn’t go.

SunflowerTed · 01/05/2023 23:28

It’s madness moving to your husbands
home
country. When it finally goes to rat shit you might find a custody battle very difficult!!!!

PotteringPondering · 01/05/2023 23:28

He sounds like somebody suffering from depression.

As well as being a cock.

SmallFerret · 01/05/2023 23:32

he always seems to want to set himself against me

& you want to move yourself & your children abroad with him because ..?

This won't improve in France.
Is it worth it? For the rest of your life, or at least the kids' childhood?

SmallFerret · 01/05/2023 23:35

CalicoPony · 01/05/2023 22:18

Mainly house prices. I’d like some land to grow veg, have some chickens etc and we’d have to be millionaires to afford that in this area

Parts of the UK will be comparably priced.
So why risk a potentially ruinous & unwinnable custody battle, when you could set yourself up in e.g. rural Wales or Scotland?

What will you do for income, if you go to France? & ditto if you don't stay with this man who wants to constantly set himself against you?

Rosula · 01/05/2023 23:39

CalicoPony · 01/05/2023 22:18

Mainly house prices. I’d like some land to grow veg, have some chickens etc and we’d have to be millionaires to afford that in this area

So think about moving somewhere cheaper within the UK, without him.

Moveoverdarlin · 01/05/2023 23:40

Does he even want to go? Moving countries for a bit of land and chickens seems extreme. Can you put down your name for an allotment or move to a cheaper part of the UK?

Rosula · 01/05/2023 23:43

If you are the higher earner, how are you planning to support yourselves in France? Can you work remotely?

randomuser2019 · 01/05/2023 23:44

This reply has been withdrawn

This post has been withdrawn at the poster's request due to privacy concerns.

howdoesatoastermaketoast · 01/05/2023 23:50

Booklover40 · 01/05/2023 22:14

Are you sure it's a good idea to move to his home country lock stock and barrel considering he is such a nasty, abusive cock?

this, sorry op. He may be absolutely wonderful but that really isn't what comes across from your post.

This is looking like a don't dream of moving an inch further away from your support network situation.

MattTebbuttsDenimShirt · 02/05/2023 00:02

Has he ever shown any signs of Autism (I know, yawn).
But he sounds like me - demand avoidance.

Everything too stressful, left until the last minute. If in doubt, just leave without packing.

Erm... It's difficult. Concentrate on the little things, not the big MOVE. Put things he needs in front of him - clothes and a box. Plates and a box etc.

It's very overwhelming to pack up your 'life'. Baby steps.

I know people are calling him a lazy cock and whatnot, but sometimes it's just not that easy.

Lists are good to break things down.

Maybe he is just a dick, but there's usually an underlying reason.

Little lists. Good luck on the move!

MattTebbuttsDenimShirt · 02/05/2023 00:03

Didn't read full thread.

If he's just nasty and abusive - send him packing!

Justhereforthebotox · 02/05/2023 00:09

He’s behaving like a cock. So YANBU. But he sounds like he’s suffering from anxiety and/or depression.
Maybe hold off on France for the time being and see if he will see a professional about his avoidance.

howdoesatoastermaketoast · 02/05/2023 00:12

MattTebbuttsDenimShirt · 02/05/2023 00:02

Has he ever shown any signs of Autism (I know, yawn).
But he sounds like me - demand avoidance.

Everything too stressful, left until the last minute. If in doubt, just leave without packing.

Erm... It's difficult. Concentrate on the little things, not the big MOVE. Put things he needs in front of him - clothes and a box. Plates and a box etc.

It's very overwhelming to pack up your 'life'. Baby steps.

I know people are calling him a lazy cock and whatnot, but sometimes it's just not that easy.

Lists are good to break things down.

Maybe he is just a dick, but there's usually an underlying reason.

Little lists. Good luck on the move!

the fact that it's like he'd rather turn it into a fight rather than a heavy conversation did make me wonder that too, not sure it would change my advice about being cautious about moving away from support network.

HamptonCaught · 02/05/2023 00:17

If he’s leaving massively important things to the last minute and just scrolling on his phone he may have ADHD. He sounds like me 🥺

SmallFerret · 02/05/2023 00:18

MattTebbuttsDenimShirt · 02/05/2023 00:02

Has he ever shown any signs of Autism (I know, yawn).
But he sounds like me - demand avoidance.

Everything too stressful, left until the last minute. If in doubt, just leave without packing.

Erm... It's difficult. Concentrate on the little things, not the big MOVE. Put things he needs in front of him - clothes and a box. Plates and a box etc.

It's very overwhelming to pack up your 'life'. Baby steps.

I know people are calling him a lazy cock and whatnot, but sometimes it's just not that easy.

Lists are good to break things down.

Maybe he is just a dick, but there's usually an underlying reason.

Little lists. Good luck on the move!

Autism is no excuse for abusive behaviour, & it;s not OP's job to run his life for him. The last thing she should be doing is packing up & pissing off to the home country of a husband who actively sets himself against her whenever possible.

Maybe he is just a dick, but there's usually an underlying reason.
The "reason" doesn't make his dickishness any easier to live with does it?

Plus ... how close are you skating to the old chestnut "he only hits you because he's got anger issues" with that statement?
Women are not rehab centres for poorly behaved men. OP is not his therapist, coach, or doctor.

SmallFerret · 02/05/2023 00:20

HamptonCaught · 02/05/2023 00:17

If he’s leaving massively important things to the last minute and just scrolling on his phone he may have ADHD. He sounds like me 🥺

It;s not about his incompetence, or whatever reasons for it.
It's about his aggressive, stonewalling & contemptuous treatment of OP when she tries to tackle him about it.

HamptonCaught · 02/05/2023 00:24

SmallFerret · 02/05/2023 00:20

It;s not about his incompetence, or whatever reasons for it.
It's about his aggressive, stonewalling & contemptuous treatment of OP when she tries to tackle him about it.

Yes very true. There’s no excuse for that behaviour.

BadNomad · 02/05/2023 00:32

You're either going to have to make the arrangements yourself, or sit back and let him make them (or not), because it doesn't sound like it's going to be something you can sort out together.

Like others have said, you really need to work out where is best for you to be if your relationship ends. You might not be able to take your children out of France, which would mean having to stay there for a long time if you want to remain with them. You can find a plot of land anywhere.

Fraaahnces · 02/05/2023 00:32

Hi @CalicoPony - I can assure you that no matter what the citizenship of the children happens to be, The Hague Convention treats them as citizens/residents of the country they reside in/go to school in, etc. I would honestly think VERY carefully about this move. Maybe even divorce the moody manchild now, so you don’t also have his family and their language skills and better knowledge of the French court system enabling him and his moods.
I think if you were to get this stroppy gnome out of your life, he wouldn’t be especially hands on with the kids and you could probably do what you wanted then. (As long as you didn’t discuss anything with him.)
How anyone could be attracted to a sulking, moody twat who hurls all responsibility their way and still resents them for it, I don’t know.

hopsalong · 02/05/2023 00:48

Don't move to France with this man unless you would move there anyway if he dropped dead / ran off with another woman tomorrow.

Lots of people have said this.

Just don't.