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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

A mess. Advice needed: next steps

101 replies

Changes26 · 08/01/2026 12:03

I split up with my partner before Christmas after an incident where he came home drunk and was verbally abusive to me, woke our daughter up and she witnessed some of it too. I posted about it (https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/relationships/5461730-handhold-needed-unhealthy-relationship-ended-a-week-before-christmas?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share)

After the incident he went down to London to stay at his mum’s. He booked a therapy session. He returned 4 days later having been diagnosed with ADHD and had started taking medication.

At first he was very apologetic and said he took responsibility and that the medication had changed him. He said he would work hard to change and didn’t want the relationship to end. I kept saying that wouldn’t be possible but he was on best behaviour. He continued to sleep downstairs and we had a ‘normal’ Christmas.

He has said he admits he has been verbally abusive and toxic in our relationship and these were because of his anger meltdowns because of his ADHD. He says he never meant to control me or hurt me, he had no control over it. I told him at the weekend there’s no chance we would get back together and we need to concentrate on making sure our daughter is ok and being the best co-parents we can be. He’s now started to slip back again and has now said he can’t accept my decision is the right one until I accept he didn’t do it on purpose and he wasn’t being controlling.

He has also sprung on me that he plans to move down to London with his mum until possibly May when the new renters agreement comes into place and that he’ll come up here (midlands city) Sunday - Wednesday to have our daughter at my house. He says the places to rent here are too expensive. He takes home £2100 a week and has about 40/50k in savings. He has said I can’t expect him to use his savings and it’s unfair. I own my house outright in my name but earn half what he does. I regrettably got so angry when he told me his plan (which wasn’t the agreed day/time we’d set aside to talk through the separation plan) and accused him of abandoning our daughter and it would upset her even more if not only does he move out but to another city. I said he just needs to budget and get by as that’s what I’ll be doing. He suggested that we do 50/50 so he doesn’t have to pay anything to me.

He keeps trying to tell me what his therapist says or why he’s been upstairs crying and I’ve told him no I don’t need to know anymore. I feel like he’s trying to get me to change my mind. Looking back on it, I can see he’s been highly manipulative at times but he won’t accept it. He says he’s worried I’m going to make co-parenting difficult.

He fainted last night and took himself to a&e, they’ve said they don’t think it was the ADHD medication but stress. He said that when he came to I had a look of contempt at him and I hate him and don’t care. To be honest, I thought he had just fallen and was being a bit over dramatic. It was in the bathroom whilst our daughter was in the bath so I was also trying to keep calm so she wouldn’t freak out. I was the one who suggested he call 111! Now he’s saying that this behaviour is abusive on my part.

My head is spinning and I’m stuck in this tiny house with him. I’ve told friends now and they’re being supportive but I don’t know if I’m just not seeing things properly.

Any advice - do I need to seek legal advice? Should we get a mediator for the parenting plan? Do I just agree to him going down to London for a while?

Handhold needed - unhealthy relationship ended a week before Christmas | Mumsnet

I’ve just split up with my partner and we’ve decided not to tell our 6 year old until after Christmas. I’m not going to tell anyone else until after C...

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/relationships/5461730-handhold-needed-unhealthy-relationship-ended-a-week-before-christmas

OP posts:
Changes26 · 08/01/2026 13:57

He just came to talk to me again.

He’s now said that if I don’t let him stay here to see her, I’m punishing him by making him stay in a shit little flat somewhere and that I’m holding the house against him as I always have.

He’s said he’ll only see her on weekends in London now.

Feels like he’s punishing us.

OP posts:
Starlight1984 · 08/01/2026 13:58

Anonanonanonagain · 08/01/2026 13:27

I only read as far as agression and adhd and one is not anything to do with the other. I have adhd and I am never ever agressive. If he has adhd is it nothing to do with him being a prick. Also in 4 days he left the house AND managed to get a diagnosis? That was quick. Very very quick. Anyway his adhd is nothing to do with his behaviour he is a prick and will always be a prick and you need to kick him out for good.

All of this.

Not only is it massively offensive to those who DO have ADHD but using "labels" and a diagnosis to try and defend selfish and unpleasant behaviour is just piss poor really.

As @Anonanonanonagain says, ADHD is not linked to anger issues. And it's virtually impossible that he got diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed medication within 4 therapist sessions🙄

Starlight1984 · 08/01/2026 13:59

Changes26 · 08/01/2026 13:57

He just came to talk to me again.

He’s now said that if I don’t let him stay here to see her, I’m punishing him by making him stay in a shit little flat somewhere and that I’m holding the house against him as I always have.

He’s said he’ll only see her on weekends in London now.

Feels like he’s punishing us.

So he earns £8000 + a month, has £50k in savings yet needs to live in a "shitty little flat"?

Hmmmm. Somethings not adding up here...

kαλοκαλοκαιρι · 08/01/2026 14:02

Changes26 · 08/01/2026 13:11

I’m just worried if I say he can’t stay at mine then he won’t see her and she won’t be able to stay overnight with hin, which I know will not be in her best interests. I said after we first split we could use the house as a nesting place but I was thinking it would be a month. He has now said I’m going back on what I said. I can stay at my parents but they don’t even know we’ve split yet and my dad is ill with terminal cancer so I know I could stay and help care for him and my mum (which I’m having to do more of now anyway) but then I lose my house 3 nights a week.

this would not be on you though my love, this would be his decision, and one that, if he made, would mean your daughter was probably better off without him in the long run anyway - who weaponises their kid like this with them as the collateral?

If his relationship with his daughter means anything to him, he’ll find another solution once you remove the easiest possible one he’s demanded. If it doesn’t, that’s not on you.

As an aside, if he’s got savings ans cash for private healthcare he’s got cash to sort this. If it wasnt private I’m desperate to know where he went to get a diagnosis within 4 days. I’m on a waiting list of over a year.

Take care of yourself.

JustMyTwoPence · 08/01/2026 14:02

I would be changing the locks ASAP and waving him off to his Mum’s!

I too am very skeptical about a diagnosis and medication within 4 days, but even if you give him the benefit of the doubt about it being true, having adhd isn’t a free ticket to being verbally abusive.

Yes he should still have been contact with his child, but this absolutely shouldn’t be with him staying in your home while you move out. Your home should be your daughters safe space, what message are you sending to her if you do this, allowing a partner to abuse you then giving in to their unreasonable demands is not the healthy model to show.

Sending hugs as I know it’s not easy!

Gall10 · 08/01/2026 14:04

Starlight1984 · 08/01/2026 13:52

This. What utter rubbish.

Yes… absolute tosh!

Spareincoming · 08/01/2026 14:05

Changes26 · 08/01/2026 13:57

He just came to talk to me again.

He’s now said that if I don’t let him stay here to see her, I’m punishing him by making him stay in a shit little flat somewhere and that I’m holding the house against him as I always have.

He’s said he’ll only see her on weekends in London now.

Feels like he’s punishing us.

He is punishing you.
For standing up to him, for being sceptical, for putting you and your dc first…
He’s manipulating you with comments about how it’s detrimental to your DC etc but his whole attitude and behaviour is detrimental.

Why are you having to be leaving the house for his therapy? So he can pretend it’s happened?

The ADHD thing - literally a large part of my field of work - an adult adhd diagnosis takes 12 weeks at best, usually 6 months but can be 3 months privately and medication immediately after diagnosis is unusual as we’d look at prior to diagnosis self management skills.
what medication is he taking? Has he obtained them legally? You’d be surprised how many people sell on medication.
The anger isn’t the ADHD presenting it’s self, that’s him.

Changes26 · 08/01/2026 14:05

Thanks everyone. I know I need to call someone but he’s wfh today so I can’t.

He has £2100 take home each month.

His therapist and diagnosis was private but still 4 days?!

OP posts:
BunfightBetty · 08/01/2026 14:06

Where he lives is his own business. He earns enough money to find a decent place and a flat isn't shitty just because it's smaller. If he wants to live in London he won't be able to do 50/50.

Psychotherapists don't diagnose conditions or prescribe medication. That's psychiatrists. Who don't usually do therapy, as far as I know.

He's full of shit.

Remind yourself it no longer matters what he says to or about you. His judgements of you don't matter and don't need to affect what you do.

dreamingbohemian · 08/01/2026 14:07

You need to get him out of your house for good. You are no longer a couple, he is abusive, every day he's with you is another opportunity for your DD to possibly witness abuse.

It's YOUR house and he's treating you like shit, aren't you angry??? You need to separate properly.

It's up to him to work out how to see DD. The most important thing is not that she sees him but that she has stability and love with you in her own home, that means he has to go.

Egglio · 08/01/2026 14:09

Yes, you're holding the house against him because it's your house. He really is one of those covertly abusive types isn't he.

Throw him out in Storm Goretti. He is a lying manipulative twat.

Starlight1984 · 08/01/2026 14:09

Changes26 · 08/01/2026 14:05

Thanks everyone. I know I need to call someone but he’s wfh today so I can’t.

He has £2100 take home each month.

His therapist and diagnosis was private but still 4 days?!

Sorry you said £2100 a week in your OP.

Regardless, if he has £40-£50k in savings he can definitely afford something more than a shitty little flat. He just doesn't want to.

ClawedButler · 08/01/2026 14:12

He is indeed punishing you, and using your daughter to do so.

He has made it very very clear what his priorities are:

  1. Look like the good guy
  2. Make you the bad guy
  3. Hold onto all money

And number 39532 is "Be a decent dad".

He's quite willing to not see his child rather than give up on his priorities. Keep that in mind whenever he tries to make you feel guilty. YOU are not doing this. HE is doing this. It's the classic "Look what you made me do" line of abusers everywhere.

BernardButlersBra · 08/01/2026 14:18

Why is he telling you that he’s coming to your house?! It’s not his house, it’s YOUR house. He can pay for a hotel or Airbnb out of his savings or salary. He’s staying at his mum’s so he most likely will be saving money there. Ignore his histrionics, the focus is now financial child support and care of your daughter

MannersAreAll · 08/01/2026 14:24

There is no way he found someone, got an appointment, got diagnosed and started medication in 4 days.

When you say you've seen the medication, what have you seen? Labelled medication with his name on the packet or him taking pills?

You have to leave the house when he's having sessions? Completely leave? So you've no idea if he's actually having any.

Givemeausernamepls · 08/01/2026 14:25

Reading this has made me so angry. He is both abusive and manipulative.

Time to harden your heart and grey rock him. What he does now is down to him, not you. You cannot let him manipulate you, you need to tell him, you are sure he will figure it out and him staying / visiting in your family home does not work for you.

He is spouting shit, moving to London, but wants 50:50 - how does that work?

RedFrogs · 08/01/2026 14:27

Do not give up your house for half the week for him. He can afford to rent or stay in a hotel and he’s choosing not to as he’d rather continue to inconvenience you and control the situation. I’m also very sceptical of his ADHD diagnosis - a psychotherapist does not diagnosis this. They might suggest it, but then he’d have to actually go for a proper assessment and I’ve never heard of someone instantly being given medication. Usually other methods are tried first.

SandrenaIsMyBloodType · 08/01/2026 14:28

he said he can’t accept my decision is the right one until accept I he didn’t do it on purpose and wasn’t being controlling For crying out loud, this is laughably controlling in itself! He won’t accept your decision is correct unless you agree with his point of view. This would be funny if it weren’t worryingly manipulative. Has it even occurred to this man that you don’t need him to agree with your decision? That’s the point of it - it’s YOURS, not his. And a fundamental reason people tend to split up is that they don’t agree with each other!

Please don’t let yourself get too bogged down in what he can and cannot afford. You’re splitting up. He has to stop making his problems into your problems and you need to detach enough to allow this.

i know you want to facilitate a decent ongoing relationship between him and your DD but i don’t think allowing him regular, solo overnight access to your home is going to end well. Picture the scene in 5 years when he is rummaging through your stuff while you’re out, quizzing your DD about your life and generally invading your privacy every chance he gets. And if you start out with a nesting arrangement and you feel you have to change it, he will make it all your fault. He’s an arsehole. And arseholes will be arseholes, even if they temporarily manage to hide it from time to time. It will be clearer and more secure for your DD long-term if Mum’s house is a place of safety where there’s no shouting or tense atmosphere or Mum trying to make Dad leave because it’s Sunday night and he’s supposed to but he won’t etc etc

One of the big benefits of this break-up for you should be that he has to own his own shit from now on. Draw clear boundaries and don’t let him get in your head

FlapperFlamingo · 08/01/2026 14:37

It seems to me he is constantly trying to get round you and control you. He's making it about him, his ADHD, his fainting, his A&D attendance etc. But if you step back it's not about that. This is that you've called time on the relationship. You don't have to give a reason or discuss his medical issues - they are his to manage. If he wants to go to his mum's then so be it.

I believe you should seek legal advice, you are getting sucked into giving up more than you should (do not think about nesting, do not let him back into your home, do not leave your home if he has an online therapy session). Where he meets your DD and where he goes and what he does re therapy is his issue to solve. You keep your home, you should stay in it. I strongly suspect he'll move away and then after a while give up coming to see DD, that is what usually happens. He may blame you, but it's actually his set of problems.

HarvestMouseandGoldenCups · 08/01/2026 14:52

He’s just trying to manipulate you Op. Even down to claiming you’re abusive. He’ll have told them that at A&E too btw. He’ll paint you as the bad guy to all and sundry.

None of my ADHD friends and family have ever been abusive to anyone. People with ADHD do have challenges but they are still adults in charge of their own reactions to things. They’re not in psychosis or some kind of trance… they can choose to be abusive or not. He’s making it up, probably bought a fake diagnosis online and then got the meds from
a dealer… they’re very available as study drugs.

Let him fuck off to London. Tell him he cannot stay in your house any longer. If he abandons DD that is his choice. If he refuses to get a hotel he can sleep in his car… but not in your house. You’re allowed to ‘go back on what you said’ as his behaviour means you’ve changed your mind. People are allowed to do that.

Seelybe · 08/01/2026 14:58

@Changes26 bottom line is that he's an abusive manipulative liar.
You need to secure your own wellbeing first. Make him leave your home for good, where he goes thereafter is up to him.
Then resolve contact issues for your daughter. Again, if he decides to live away he needs to come up with a plan for contact not in your house that you're comfortable with. If that means no overnights for the time being so be it.
Realistically he will suit himself and may well not maintain regular contact especially if he lives at a distance But keep the issues clean, put in your CMS claim ASAP and just ignore his lies and excuses.
.

HarvestMouseandGoldenCups · 08/01/2026 15:00

Just keep reiterating ‘If that’s your choice then that’s your choice’. It’s nothing to do with you what he chooses to do about his living situation. If all he can afford is a flat he should have tried to save more and get a better paying job.

SameShitDifferentDate · 08/01/2026 15:15

Why are you letting him into your house at all? Change the locks next time he goes out. Where he lives is no longer your problem.

Muffinmam · 08/01/2026 15:18

I would have had a look of contempt as well. You probably knew he was faking. You know that he’s manipulative. You know that he’s abusive.

He fell in the bathroom and didn’t hit his head? No injury whatsoever?

My friends used to faint quite regularly due to low blood sugar. My boyfriend’s sister passed out on the toilet. She hit her head and made a massive noise when her body fell against the toilet holder. No one suggested she faked it - because she wasn’t manipulative or attention seeking.

I think your ex faked it.

Also, why is he still in your house???

HarvestMouseandGoldenCups · 08/01/2026 15:20

Muffinmam · 08/01/2026 15:18

I would have had a look of contempt as well. You probably knew he was faking. You know that he’s manipulative. You know that he’s abusive.

He fell in the bathroom and didn’t hit his head? No injury whatsoever?

My friends used to faint quite regularly due to low blood sugar. My boyfriend’s sister passed out on the toilet. She hit her head and made a massive noise when her body fell against the toilet holder. No one suggested she faked it - because she wasn’t manipulative or attention seeking.

I think your ex faked it.

Also, why is he still in your house???

Of course he faked it. I faint a fair amount and for a good minute afterwards I can’t really think or remember anything and certainly can’t sit up to see anyone’s face or recognise facial expressions. It’s at least 30 seconds of complete confusion.

Although I suppose he may have fainted due to taking meds he isn’t prescribed