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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

would appreciate a man's insder knowledge

38 replies

wessexwomen · 24/02/2008 17:54

my husband and I have - I think and he agrees (but he is not very forthcoming - says anything for a quiet life!!) that our sex life is pretty good.

Why then does he 'sneak off' to watch soft porn on the tv? On occasions he would rather 'w..k' off whatching late night phone sex calls than have sex with me. He doesnt know I know that he 'sneaks off'. He watched stuff on internet and I found out and was deeply hurt cos he would rather that than have me, so I havent approached him about this. I have watched the tv stuff with him a couple of times, making out that I have just 'stumbled' across it, so he knows it isnt really 'out of bounds'. He has now been getting up early in the mornings to watch stuff then - and I don't even know what is on at 7.oo that is so bad that he has to pretend he is not watching tv. (he pulls the aerial for the upstairs tv out of the socket - that how I know he is watching stuff he doesnt want me to see). I feel unwanted cos he could have me anytime - and even says sometimes he is too tired. Thats fine too - I'm a cool and open minded enough so I'm not totally opposed to being titivated myself, i just feel hurt and bewildered that he would prefer watching that to me. Can anyone throw some light on this for me - I feel very hurt?

OP posts:
AnyFucker · 12/03/2010 22:09

dp...yep

daftpunk · 12/03/2010 22:11

Thank you....

laurawaterford · 13/03/2010 18:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

wessexwomen · 13/03/2010 18:56

When I wondered if he was nice cos he wanted sex, I don't mean he is not nice generally. He is very pleasant, NEVER raises his voice, or uses sarcasm or makes horrible remarks. He is so not bitchy. I just meant that when I kissed him on walk, and reached for his hand (yes, I'm owning up - I made all the approaches but he accepted them! whoo aren't I lucky!!??)he joined in with the mood. I'm on a bit of a high now, cos I feel we are closer, but I know it won't last. It never does. Please how can I help him to realise that we are in trouble. I say this to him and it distresses him but he doesnt HEAR what I am saying. It doesn't sink in. (i'll try and stick to same name. No-one knows my maiden name in this town but even so I'll stick to my incognito one. Thanks for pointing that out MP)

OP posts:
AnyFucker · 13/03/2010 19:13

are there some name-changes going on in this thread ?

my eyes are crossing here !!

OP (whatever your name is..) when I said "not real" I was coming from the point of view that I could not believe that your issues had not been sorted and were still literally the same 2 whole years later !

so I disbelieved your story

you say you are a good communicator...err, no

either you are a hideously poor communicator, or you are a doormat

because only someone who cannot communicate their issues effectively so they are heard properly or is with a partner who just fucking ignores them, would post the same stuff 2 years later

so, OP, put your tin hat on, run for cover, but certainly have a think why nothing has changed in 2 years although the situation clearly makes you very unhappy

wessexwomen · 13/03/2010 19:32

AF.

Well, ok then lets say I am a doormat or a poor communicator.

...????? Any help offered or are you just happy to rub my face in the doormat?

OP posts:
ItsGraceAgain · 13/03/2010 19:57

The most obvious start would be to get yourself down there and find out what he has been doing downstairs at 7am for the past two years.

sayithowitis · 13/03/2010 20:12

WW, I think AF, among others, has offered you plenty of advice and help, or do you mean you actually want her to hide in your house overnight and surprise your husband at 7am tomorrow morning? Maybe he doesn't 'hear' what you say because he doesn't 8needto. After all, you are back here, two years later and nothing has improved, if anything, it has got worse. You have to make him believe that this problem, and it is a problem, has* to be sorted. At the moment, you are telling him one thing, but your actions belie your words. He can do what he likes with your feelings and self esteem, because you are allowing him to do so. You have to decide. Do you want him, whatever he does, however he treats you, or do you want a relationship where you matter as much to him as he does? If that is the case, you have to be prepared to be extreme: make it clear to him that if things do not change, the relationship is over. And then stick to it.

It sounds simple and I appreciate it is anything but, but you have to begin to take control of your own well being here.

AnyFucker · 13/03/2010 21:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

autumnlight · 13/03/2010 23:39

I hope you can now communicate with your H. If I was that concerned about something, even I would have confronted my H about it by now because it would have been bugging me too much. I couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer and would want an answer.

In my case, I probably wouldn't get an answer as my H would never be straightforward, communicate, be honest, and just answer the question in the first place. (but I am on another thread about being with someone who makes like unhappy and difficult). Hopefully, you can just get on and get your worries sorted.

prh47bridge · 15/03/2010 14:44

Sorry for the delayed response - busy weekend.

I'm not a counsellor I'm afraid. However, I've been to relationship counselling a few times and a long involvement in voluntary youth work has given me some knowledge. But I'm far more geeky than that!

I'm really pleased you went for a walk with him, especially given how it worked out. That's good. And it shows what can happen.

Thinking more about your husband first, you say he is terrified of strong emotion. That seems a bit extreme. Men are often uncomfortable with emotions, especially strong ones. They certainly don't talk to other men about their feelings and may feel that men are expected to keep quiet about such things, even in this day and age. But being terrified of strong emotions goes way beyond that. I wonder why he reacts so strongly. What has happened to make him like this? I'm not saying you should try and find out. This is just something you might want to think about. I don't know if it helps to understand him.

You ask "was he nice cos he wanted sex". I'd like to take a look at that for a minute. Let me tell you a story...

I had a girlfriend who was a real pessimist. She believed that anyone who really knew her would hate her. She found it very difficult to accept that anyone might love her unconditionally. That meant that, whenever I did anything for her, she was always looking for a way of explaining it which didn't involve me loving her. When I bought her flowers, for example, her reaction was always, "You must have needed to buy some petrol", not, "You must love me." From my point of view both explanations could be said to be true - I bought her flowers because I loved her but it was also true that I often bought flowers at the same time as buying petrol.

Was he nice cos he wanted sex? Was he nice cos he loves you? Was he nice cos he loves you and wanted sex with you? Often the same event can be viewed in many different ways, some more positive than others. You can make yourself feel better simply by choosing the positive interpretation. Easier said than done, I know, but worth thinking about.

Yes, I'm avoiding the question of how you can help him see you are in trouble. If he did see it I think it is very likely that he would go into problem solving mode and come up with solutions like taking you out more often. That isn't really what you need but it is a typical male approach. But that doesn't mean you have to accept things as they are. You want him to empathise with you, to understand how you feel. That may not be easy but it is achievable.

Look at what happened when you went for a walk with him. You felt better and so you behaved differently. He responded and you ended up feeling even better. That is way more positive than anything you would have achieved by convincing him that there is a problem. You took control of the situation and good things happened as a result. Can you build on that?

Have you tried making a list of the things he does that show he loves you? If you think about it positively, you may find that list is longer than you expect.

I feel increasingly certain that you can sort this out. Good luck.

P.S. Have you ever read "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus"? I don't agree with everything the author says but it gives a pretty good insight into how men and women think differently. It might help you to understand him. And, if you can get him to read it, it might help him to understand you!

wessexwomen · 26/03/2010 20:56

hi prh47bridge

Just a quick line. Thanks for ALL your help. It was very, very constructive - and, so supportive when I desperately needed support and some kind of ally. This relationship is too precious - for all kinds of reasons - to dismiss its good parts, based on the bad parts alone. I suppose we often only seek relationship help when the bad parts are to the fore which undoubtedly may give a prejudiced view of the RS or other partner, to 'outsiders'.

Again, thanks for all your help: it was all useful and so good to feel I had such an unjudgemental 'ally' who was able to give me what I asked for; a man's perspective. Please don't underestimate how supportive you were for me at a time when I felt so down and
useless. It was a hand held out to someone who thought she was lost in a deep hole.

OP posts:
prh47bridge · 28/03/2010 23:41

Hi wessexwoman

Thank you for that. I feel like printing it out and framing it! I'm glad I was able to be of help.

My best wishes to you for the future.

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