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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 doing the wrong thing here by going back again?!

107 replies

TooManyPlates645 · 12/11/2025 11:36

I’ll try and keep this as short as possible - I’ve been dating a guy on and off since December. We were pretty much together from March until September - in September he had a family death, he broke up with me 3 times after becoming convinced I was cheating on him - totally untrue! I was just snowed under with work - and the final time I said enough, I wasn’t going back, he blocked me on all platforms and went abroad for 3 weeks, as soon as his plane landed back home he turned up at my doorstep to check I was ok, which then led to us meeting up for a walk and he then ended up staying over, he apologised and blamed his previous behaviour on grief, says he knows I wasn’t cheating. We spent the rest of that weekend together and then on the Tuesday he flew out to Bali for a month on a retreat, to get over the grief of his Mum passing and to become a better person (blah, blah, blah) he said we’d have no contact while he was away but he has contacted me every day.

Some red flags are popping up and I’m not sure if I’m reading too much into it or not.
Firstly he was talking about how he never wants to be away from me and when he’s back he wants us to be together all the time - I have very much made it clear that I will not be ready to live with anyone until my children are older, maybe 4-6 years time as I like living alone with my children and they wouldn’t like it.
Second, I’ve always told him right from the start that turning up at my house unannounced is not ok for me, I had an ex who did it to check up on me. He’s done it twice now when we’ve been fighting and when we FaceTimed the other day, he told me he’s going to show up unannounced all the time to bring flowers and cook me dinner.
He has been messaging me about how he can’t wait to live with me and have children (I’m almost 40 and have made it very clear I will not be having any more children!)
He has also been bombarding me with massive paragraphs about how much he loves me and about our love being a true love - I did have to ask him to stop these as I was finding them emotionally draining, which he has done to a certain extent.
I was annoyed with him for leaving for a whole month after we’d already gone 6 weeks without seeing each other and I’ve been unwell also, when I got upset and emotional he told me that it wasn’t fair to do that to him while he was so far and dealing with his own stuff. I texted to apologise for getting upset and said I won’t share my feelings again while he’s away, to which he agreed. He also told me that he wouldn’t have been in Bali if I’d have supported him better after losing his Mum.
He doesn’t sound like he’s changing does he? I think I know the answer but I just need someone to tell me that I’m right here and not making another mistake by putting a final stop to all of this nonsense!

OP posts:
Davros · 12/11/2025 11:40

Yes you are

ViciousCurrentBun · 12/11/2025 11:40

You don’t need this man in your life at all. He is awful and dodgy AF.

SugarPlumpFairyCakes · 12/11/2025 11:41

Run.

HelloCharming · 12/11/2025 11:44

I'm not even sure why you are asking the question. Unless you really like unpredicatable, unrelliable hard work men who don't listen to your basic requirements. In which case, crack on.

Parsleyforme · 12/11/2025 11:53

He sounds like a mess. Doesn't listen to you at all or respect your boundaries. Breaks up with you like it's nothing and then comes crawling back. I assume he is freelance or creative to be able to go on random holidays and retreats?? Grief is hard but this is him, not the grief – do you want to go through this every time something bad happens? He doesn't care what you want or need and is not relationship material

NotOurCat · 12/11/2025 11:54

Oooh, no. That stuff about just turning up with flowers, dinner etc? Performative bullshit and borderline stalkery. It's not romantic, or spontaneous or anything good if the other person does. Not. Want. It. You've told him. He's not listening. He's grim. You're quite right in being concerned. Yeet him into the sea.

MooDengOfThailand · 12/11/2025 11:54

You're not that desperate, are you?

rainbowunicorn22 · 12/11/2025 11:56

flipping heck, could not be bothered with all that crap. he is not worth bothering with get rid of him

WinWhenTheyreSinging · 12/11/2025 11:58

Did you not think 'fuck, no' while you were typing that? I did.

FloMoJo · 12/11/2025 11:58

Run. Quickly.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 12/11/2025 12:00

Do not go back to him under any circumstances. He is red flag central!!!.

JadedVeryJaded · 12/11/2025 12:03

Think of the energy you could use on more interesting things if this idiot wasn’t in your life any more. You’ve already wasted precious time writing your OP. He’s a total waste of your life, please get rid of him!!

BauhausOfEliott · 12/11/2025 12:05

Oh come on, you must know this man is a complete cunt

Abracadabrador · 12/11/2025 12:06

I'm the same age and exhausted just reading about his boring behaviour.
Tell him you will not be housing a man, or having another kid, and to not contact you again because he's boring you senseless, and he is absolutely not to show up at your property ever again.

Pleasegetmeacoffeesotired · 12/11/2025 12:06

I don't know how anyone can be in this situation and not know what to do.

Obviously, you dump him!

Hotfeetcoldfeet · 12/11/2025 12:08

He’s not stable in relationships is he? That will not change. Get rid. You know what to do. Don’t let him suck you in when he is being needy AF

TooManyPlates645 · 12/11/2025 12:09

Parsleyforme · 12/11/2025 11:53

He sounds like a mess. Doesn't listen to you at all or respect your boundaries. Breaks up with you like it's nothing and then comes crawling back. I assume he is freelance or creative to be able to go on random holidays and retreats?? Grief is hard but this is him, not the grief – do you want to go through this every time something bad happens? He doesn't care what you want or need and is not relationship material

He is a mess and everything around him seems chaotic and exhausting all the time, he flits from thing to thing - big decisions. He put his house on the market at one point and was going to buy a caravan to live 200miles away from me, so he could concentrate on running in the peaks all week long when I said I didn’t see us living together for a few years. There’s nothing that feels simple or easy around him. He’s trying to push everything to move a lot faster than I’m ready for.
He isn’t freelance or creative, he just doesn’t work. He obviously has some money but hasn’t been forthcoming about where from but does say he needs to go back to work in the New Year and is unsure of what he wants to do.

OP posts:
jeaux90 · 12/11/2025 12:09

As a lone parent I can tell you life will be way more difficult with Mr Red flag bunting in it. He sounds unstable and you don’t need that in yours or your DCs life.

TooManyPlates645 · 12/11/2025 12:10

WinWhenTheyreSinging · 12/11/2025 11:58

Did you not think 'fuck, no' while you were typing that? I did.

I did!!

OP posts:
Elboob · 12/11/2025 12:11

IN
THE
BIN

vincettenoir · 12/11/2025 12:12

He sounds more high maintenance than an extra child. Surely you don’t have the bandwidth for this?

TheAvidWriter · 12/11/2025 12:13

Its like handing him a new stick to beat you with by going back. What it will do is bring in more of what he has given you already, chaos with his accusations on cheating, and then turning up at your house to get you to hug him after he shat all over you, only for him to pop out of your life after leaving chaos. You are basically teaching him how to treat you by allowing him back in.

Dacatspjs · 12/11/2025 12:20

Some red flags are popping up and I’m not sure if I’m reading too much into it or not.

Errr I don't think you're reading enough into it. How many more red flags do you need. He sounds awful for you, and your kids. Your children don't need to be sharing your headspace with this man.

UpDownAllAround1 · 12/11/2025 12:21

Yep you are

BringBackCatsEyes · 12/11/2025 12:23

I just need someone to tell me that I’m right here and not making another mistake by putting a final stop to all of this nonsense!

You are not making a mistake by putting a final stop to this nonsense.
I imagine this will be one of the rare threads with a 100% YANBU