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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

Picking a fight with me in front of children - marriage done?

57 replies

Farrah2025 · 03/01/2026 14:17

This is long. DH roared at the children yesterday when one of them hurt the other. Was really angry and agressive, pointing his finger at them and shouting at one of them to do a time out. I managed it and spoke to them both after about why it wasn’t appropriate to shout and about their feelings and why we had to do a time out and what to do instead of hurting each other. Today i was hanging laundry upstairs and they were fighting again, the same one hurt the other one, I came downstairs and said time out right now, you can’t keep hurting your brother and she didn’t listen so I shouted at her very loudly and said X, time OUT. Then went to go say it was ok to her younger sibling. DH came upstairs shouting at me for screaming at a little girl in her face. I didn’t do that, I did not scream in her face. I shouted from down the hall just as he did the day before but he turned it into you always take her side, look at you going to comfort him straight away going ohhhhh it’s ok don’t worry petal ( I didn’t say that by the way I just said it’s ok) and I didn’t get any further because he came tearing up the stairs. Then he said I caused this and was causing future problems by my behaviour. I don’t think this is true I was trying to separate them and then talk to both of them when they were calm to explain again what was needed and why hurting was wrong. But he keep on having a go at me saying enough of your bullshit, it’s such nonsense, you caused this, it’s your fault you’re impossible, why are you like this. I tried to defend myself saying he came up before I did anything to try to resolve this and that it wasn’t fair to put that all on me and also my behaviiiur want half as bad as his the day before. I was shaking but defended myself and managed to state why I disagreed with what he was saying and why i didn’t think it was fair or justified. He made a number of other comments about me as a person not about what had happened. He also said I can’t control my emotions.

this happens every 3-4 months, after he doesn’t apologise and doesn’t make any attempt to repair apart from one occasion where I said if he doesn’t do anything about this and listen to mw and try to fix this, it will be finished. On every other occasion either I reach out after a week or two of silent treatment from him and say we need to talk about this and try to or offer a hug or hold his hand and he just takes it and we go again as if nothing has happened. He is textbook dismissive avoidant, my feelings and my needs don’t matter and repair doesn’t happen unless I take the first step.

my children are three and five. In my head I am done and instead of crying and breaking down I am repairing for them and with them. Does anyone have any advice or thoughts from an impartial point of view? I am so lost

OP posts:
junglejunglebear · 04/01/2026 11:58

Farrah2025 · 04/01/2026 11:52

Maybe it is me and I need to go to counselling to not be affected by this so much and to see it as normal

You need counselling. I would 100% agree with this. You need to dig into the childhood survival patterns that have not only led to you this man in the first place, but are keeping you in this marriage because you can't tell when a line has been crossed and don't trust your own judgement.

Feeling like you are going a bit mad and don't know right from wrong any more is a sign of coercive control, which makes me wonder what else is going on that you've accepted as normal when it isn't.

IAmKerplunk · 04/01/2026 12:43

Farrah2025 · 04/01/2026 11:51

Thank you - I remember doing similar with my mum and saying why can’t you ring dad’s boss and tell him he’s nasty and mean and to go away. I took on the role of diffusing and minding my younger siblings and shielding them from the worst of it then and something about yesterday’s incident in particular brought me right back to that

I’m sorry you understand how I felt as a kid - it’s shit Isn’t it?

wonder what it was about this particular incident that has unsettled you? Something has shifted in you.

Your H needs to think about whether he wants a happy healthy family and he puts in the work (with you) to achieve that or if he wants to separate.

Farrah2025 · 04/01/2026 20:24

IAmKerplunk · 04/01/2026 12:43

I’m sorry you understand how I felt as a kid - it’s shit Isn’t it?

wonder what it was about this particular incident that has unsettled you? Something has shifted in you.

Your H needs to think about whether he wants a happy healthy family and he puts in the work (with you) to achieve that or if he wants to separate.

All evidence points towards being unwilling to put in the work. I’ve just been dealing with the silent treatment since this latest happened apart from a few muttered remarks where he had to ask me a direct question related to basic co-parenting and tonight again he has walked into his study after putting the eldest to bed and said under his breath that he’s going to practice (he has a hobby that he does every single evening without fail which is always prioritised). So yet again I’m left with no repair and in tears as soon as the door closes behind him.

OP posts:
sausagedog2000 · 04/01/2026 22:47

The first response of everyone on MN is always divorce and I really don’t know why given that this is usually shit for the kids. Would you both be willing to attend counselling?

Farrah2025 · 05/01/2026 03:13

sausagedog2000 · 04/01/2026 22:47

The first response of everyone on MN is always divorce and I really don’t know why given that this is usually shit for the kids. Would you both be willing to attend counselling?

Thank you ❤️Yes I would in a heartbeat, but he has said before that he will not.

OP posts:
Farrah2025 · 05/01/2026 11:29

He has agreed to go to counselling but only in response to my saying I am speaking to a solicitor this week and will choose separation unless something drastically changes. We’ll see

OP posts:
AttilaTheMeerkat · 05/01/2026 11:47

So he’s finally realised you are potentially serious hence this move. I would not put it past him to not actually attend any sessions going forward .

Quite apart from anything else you are not emotionally safe enough to undergo joint counselling with him. Your kids and you are being abused by him and joint counselling is never recommended in these situations. Sorry if it is not what you want to read but your best bet here is to leave. Your kids and you need to live in a home without his shouting in it. Divorce is often warranted in relationships that have broken down and you cannot fix this on your own, not that this is at all feasible anyway.

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