Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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

Husband not happy with me

225 replies

Pyjamabanana16 · 03/04/2026 04:52

Hi everyone,

I’m new on here but I really would like to get some blunt and honest opinions. I’m kind of giving up on my relationship, I can’t see any way to fix things anymore. I don’t have many friends as I’m always busy with work, home and exhausted like all other mums. Any comments or home truths will be v appreciated. Thank you …

My husband has a very angry personality. He always has. He over reacts and makes a big deal out of what I think are small things. His whole demeanour and outlook (in my opinion) is very negative and lacks any kind of awareness that he also needs to put effort into his way of thinking if he wants to be happy or find happiness / things to be grateful for. I mean we can all decide to throw our hands in the air and bang on about how bad everything is. Or we can try to remind ourselves to be grateful for health, kids, house etc. that’s what I think anyway

Sorry for rambling. So I think he doesn’t want to be with me anymore. But he won’t go as I think he’s not 100 percent sure. He thinks I’m a horrible person and although he doesn’t say this when we have a small disagreement (I’m not sweet and perfect and always softly spoken but I calm down very quickly and explain why I reacted like I did/ and how I felt that made me react) he can go days acting like I’m the devil. For example the other day we argued about food, I said five words (angry and snappy yes) and it’s been five days now of listening to what’s wrong with me and “what my problem is”. Within five mins I came down, apologised for swearing, explaining I felt unappreciated. Hoping for some human ness from him to revive me and understand me. But his anger is self igniting, he spent all day being really really nasty even though I hardly spoke. Just coming to tell me what I am, how bad I am. He can just keep coming and verbally attacking me as though he just really hates me. I think he blames me for everything.

The other morning I was asking how work was and my “tone of voice” was wrong… I think not sweet enough as I had my walls up for how he’s spent last two days verbally running me into the ground, and he straight away said “you’re like a man. It’s like there’s a man inside you”. Which to me is like clear evidence he can’t stand me or anything I do and just hates me inside.

We both share kids with other people, and if I talk with my ex he’s on speaker, I’m just wandering around house being open with nothing to hide. I have no feelings for ex even though we speak on phone. When he used to speak to his kids mum, he goes outside and closes the door and speaks in garden with his daughter. Last night he brought up, “oh if I spoke with her as much as you speak with him… you couldn’t handle it” and my argument is all about openness. He says “oh if a partner told you not to ever touch his phone you couldn’t handle it”- well no I couldn’t and I couldn’t be with someone like that because I really value trust, openness, honesty, saying everything however good or bad. I always think telling the truth about everything is the biggest respect . And being secretive is the biggest disrespect.

He lied and he cheated at the beginning (with said ex) so already laid a foundation for mistrust. I was very pregnant so didn’t leave (and she lives abroad so they were playing happy families when he went there”. But he’s never been open when he’s done something wrong, never come to me to tell the truth, I’ve always had to be suspicious, feel like I’m nuts, gather evidence, and I’ve always had to pull it from him bit by bit. Which trust me I never enjoyed doing it’s just I think my gut feeling wouldn’t rest.

Even lying about smoking. It’s not the smoking that’s the issue, it’s the lying and hiding an mental deflection that breaks me down and then makes me mistrust him… because he’s shown he can’t be trusted so of course I can’t act towards him how he does towards me (who’s open always- maybe too much so sometimes).

He threw in my face the other day that he can’t meet friends or go out of the house as I’m super controlling. But never once has he said he wants to, and even won’t go to the shops with me as he works long hours and just wants to be home/ rest. But suddenly I’m being devil- ised for a scenario which has never even happen . He said “oh my work friend (male) asked me to go an eat and I had to say no because you’d go mad because you’re so controlling”. But i wouldn’t go mad. I wouldn’t care if I hadn’t made dinner for him. But id find it disrespectful if I’d made food for him. To me that’s normal. I just find the whole reaction to me weird . Like no matter what I do or don’t do, he just seems to put the blame on me for “how I am”.

I really want him to just find someone else who is sweet and kind and looks forward to him coming in from work and runs to greet him like an excited puppy. And doesn’t use the “tone” like me or be so unbearable as I apparently am.

I’m not perfect and I never really learnt how to do a perfect relationship. But I’m just me and I’m honest and open and I recognise why I react and explain it (if I snap or am rude for example). But none of that matters as he just seem to hate me and lay into me disproportionately.

He seem to have so much built up resentment for being “trapped”, and “controlled” but I didn’t trap him. I’ve always said just be honest and open and I’m not scared of the truth, like ever. It’s like he stays trapped just to justify releasing all his anger on me.

But always what will make me scared is feeling the other person is hiding something- it does make me insecure. And he’s shown he’s a hider , not open. And after him I don’t trust myself to be in another relationship. I have my amazing kids and I just can’t be with anyone else ever. I don’t have the trust to blindly give to another man. Both of my kids dads were married when I met them, both hid it, I found out about both when I was already heavily pregnant. Wow that sounds so disfunctional but yes the fact is I have a deep mistrust for men after this. Im not nuts, just any sign of none openness would set massive warnings off for me. Even once a therapist said to me “oh I don’t think you’ll ever trust a man after this” 😂 I think even she was shocked!!

Please help me, i love him which is how i think i see that he just needs to be with someone else. I’m not the one for him because i bring out the anger and hate. Maybe with someone else he’ll be a much lighter person, maybe even happy and relaxed and tbh I’d love to see him like that. I don’t think he’s bad inside, just broken. I’ve come to the realisation that he needs someone and something else in life, not me.

Even though my heart is honestly broken and I just keep crying for myself and the way my life has been pooped on by dishonest men. But hey ho, my kids are my favourite little people.

Thank you for your time and I’m sorry it’s been long. I just wrote this as sometimes it’s too much to keep in my head and it’s hard to see anything clearly. Lots of love Xx

OP posts:
Pyjamabanana16 · 05/04/2026 13:06

Pyjamabanana16 · 05/04/2026 12:38

Spoke to him this morning, everything calm. He just said if Im sure. And then we spoke about practicalities. everything was fine. Then he sees my daughter started to practice cycling and after two very aggressive attempts to show her complete a full circle with her feet. He Just lost patience and went ballistic about how no one had to teach him to cycle and she’s like this because of me. I said give her time then teach her properly don’t just scare her into doing it right. She was crying, I hugged her. And then he said this is all I know how to do.. hug and make her useless. And then he was just going on and on about how this is my genes. How is it possible to be attracted to this? He’s mid 40s, how can you be with a 5 year old like this?

Aggressive in tone, not physically aggressive. Not a nice calm parenting tone. An already irritated before he started kind of tone

OP posts:
Beachtastic · 05/04/2026 13:24

Well done for getting The Conversation out of the way. I'm glad it went peacefully.

Be preprared for him to be planning a more unpleasant response in due course.

Your poor daughter! And you. Hurraaaaaaah for putting an end to this misery.

This is probably what "happiness" looks like to him. Some people just thrive on conflict and stress. They are not the best people to share a life with.

Pyjamabanana16 · 05/04/2026 13:47

Beachtastic · 05/04/2026 13:24

Well done for getting The Conversation out of the way. I'm glad it went peacefully.

Be preprared for him to be planning a more unpleasant response in due course.

Your poor daughter! And you. Hurraaaaaaah for putting an end to this misery.

This is probably what "happiness" looks like to him. Some people just thrive on conflict and stress. They are not the best people to share a life with.

Thank you for your post. Because once we talked so calmly it was easy to see the more normal side to him. We talked about where to find a place and what works days wise with my daughter. And all was amicable. I like I said we went through this a few weeks ago when he left a deposit so it’s not a completely new conversation.

But I was then so confused 🤨 when he started on about her cycling. Because it’s so weird and irrelevant to me. But like you said maybe it’s just that some people like this and just wan to bring everything down around them. Even him banging on about “when I was a kid” it seems so self centred and unappreciative of what he has infront of him. Which is a sweet little girl excited if daddy was able to give her the time nicely and teach her. He sees everything as an opportunity to start harping on about how everyone and everything is “below him”. We’re not living 40 years ago so who cares if he learnt to cycle on his own, or swim on his own. It’s just talking for the sake of hearing his own voice and subjecting everyone else to it too 🤦‍♀️

OP posts:
Beachtastic · 05/04/2026 14:11

He sees everything as an opportunity to start harping on about how everyone and everything is “below him”. It’s just talking for the sake of hearing his own voice and subjecting everyone else to it too

What seems to give him satisfaction is the feeling of being The Boss, and throwing his weight around. Presumably driven by some deep insecurity/feelings of inadequacy, but honestly, who cares why some people are like this? The fact is that they are, they never change, and they shit on life for everyone around them.

ThisIsTheAge · 05/04/2026 14:20

Off the relationship subject but on the subject of teaching her to ride a bike. The best advice I was given was to take the pedals off and ride it as a balance bike for a few weeks. Then once she's sorted on the balance bit, put the pedals on and away she'll go! Did this with both my DC aged 4 and 6. Never looked back once they'd got the hang of balancing.

AutumnFroglets · 05/04/2026 15:44

We talked about where to find a place and what works days wise with my daughter. And all was amicable.

So when is the deadline for changing the locks? Because all I'm reading is just words and zero action from both of you and your poor daughter being horrendously emotionally abused in the meantime. Stop hugging her and start dialling up a locksmith.

WallaceinAnderland · 05/04/2026 15:57

You told him it was over. He said fine.

He then took out his anger on your daughter and left.

Now is the time to change the locks.

Pyjamabanana16 · 05/04/2026 16:19

AutumnFroglets · 05/04/2026 15:44

We talked about where to find a place and what works days wise with my daughter. And all was amicable.

So when is the deadline for changing the locks? Because all I'm reading is just words and zero action from both of you and your poor daughter being horrendously emotionally abused in the meantime. Stop hugging her and start dialling up a locksmith.

I told him this morning, it will happen. And trust me it will happen without hating each other and without my daughter being stuck in the middle. And it’ll be amicable. My daughter on the bike is not due to the anger from that. That was just me giving an example of how he is. I’m not changing locks in 24 hours and starting a war when i don’t need to. He will go, it’s agreed.

OP posts:
Pyjamabanana16 · 05/04/2026 16:21

ThisIsTheAge · 05/04/2026 14:20

Off the relationship subject but on the subject of teaching her to ride a bike. The best advice I was given was to take the pedals off and ride it as a balance bike for a few weeks. Then once she's sorted on the balance bit, put the pedals on and away she'll go! Did this with both my DC aged 4 and 6. Never looked back once they'd got the hang of balancing.

Thank you I’m going to spend time teaching her this week. I’ll take the pedals off and try like that. So does she just push and balance? And then you stick the pedals back on?

OP posts:
Pyjamabanana16 · 05/04/2026 16:22

WallaceinAnderland · 05/04/2026 15:57

You told him it was over. He said fine.

He then took out his anger on your daughter and left.

Now is the time to change the locks.

He only went out to car wash didn’t walk out in anger or something.

OP posts:
Pyjamabanana16 · 05/04/2026 16:23

Beachtastic · 05/04/2026 14:11

He sees everything as an opportunity to start harping on about how everyone and everything is “below him”. It’s just talking for the sake of hearing his own voice and subjecting everyone else to it too

What seems to give him satisfaction is the feeling of being The Boss, and throwing his weight around. Presumably driven by some deep insecurity/feelings of inadequacy, but honestly, who cares why some people are like this? The fact is that they are, they never change, and they shit on life for everyone around them.

Thank you, very true 🙏 xx

OP posts:
IHate · 05/04/2026 16:45

Pyjamabanana16 · 05/04/2026 16:22

He only went out to car wash didn’t walk out in anger or something.

How is that relevant?

ThisIsTheAge · 05/04/2026 18:26

Pyjamabanana16 · 05/04/2026 16:21

Thank you I’m going to spend time teaching her this week. I’ll take the pedals off and try like that. So does she just push and balance? And then you stick the pedals back on?

Yes exactly that! Just go out for lots of walks/balance biking this week (at least once a day). If you live somewhere safe enough for her to go up and down the pavement/road/patio safely just let her do it as much as possible till she gets the hang of balancing on it without thinking about pedalling. Then pop the pedals back on, hold the bike up with her on it, get her to put her feet on the pedals, hold the bike up while she does the first few pedals then let go! Jog alongside her for reassurance and it's magic!

ThisIsTheAge · 05/04/2026 18:28

Go for walks where you're technically not teaching her to bike ride so it doesn't feel like a lesson. Just get her to move continuously on the bike with her feet down to push and stop (I recommend old trainers or they'll get scuffed!)

Pyjamabanana16 · 06/04/2026 03:24

IHate · 05/04/2026 16:45

How is that relevant?

Because someone said he’s left in anger and I should call a locksmith

OP posts:
Pyjamabanana16 · 06/04/2026 03:25

ThisIsTheAge · 05/04/2026 18:26

Yes exactly that! Just go out for lots of walks/balance biking this week (at least once a day). If you live somewhere safe enough for her to go up and down the pavement/road/patio safely just let her do it as much as possible till she gets the hang of balancing on it without thinking about pedalling. Then pop the pedals back on, hold the bike up with her on it, get her to put her feet on the pedals, hold the bike up while she does the first few pedals then let go! Jog alongside her for reassurance and it's magic!

Amazing thanks I will do this with her xx

OP posts:
Liveshives · 06/04/2026 12:18

Please do not underestimate the damage to your child at being exposed to such an angry unpredictable father.
It is absolutely toxic to her.
The sooner he is gone the better for her.

Pyjamabanana16 · 06/04/2026 13:10

Liveshives · 06/04/2026 12:18

Please do not underestimate the damage to your child at being exposed to such an angry unpredictable father.
It is absolutely toxic to her.
The sooner he is gone the better for her.

I know, it will not be long. it’s not fair on her

OP posts:
WallaceinAnderland · 06/04/2026 13:26

Pyjamabanana16 · 06/04/2026 03:24

Because someone said he’s left in anger and I should call a locksmith

I didn't say he left in anger, I said that he took his anger out on the child.

Then he left.

You are not protecting your child, you are allowing him to constantly abuse her.

Pyjamabanana16 · 06/04/2026 20:46

WallaceinAnderland · 06/04/2026 13:26

I didn't say he left in anger, I said that he took his anger out on the child.

Then he left.

You are not protecting your child, you are allowing him to constantly abuse her.

He will go, soon. Since coming on here I’ve started to sort everything in three days.

OP posts:
LAMPS1 · 06/04/2026 22:53

You have done really well OP, to read and take in so many perspectives on here and to sort out, in your own mind, what’s best for you and your child. And then to talk to him about leaving.
None of this is easy. And you are quite vulnerable for now, as is your child.
Don't lose heart !
You are doing the right thing not to antagonise him or make any unnecessary drama.

Pyjamabanana16 · 07/04/2026 03:23

LAMPS1 · 06/04/2026 22:53

You have done really well OP, to read and take in so many perspectives on here and to sort out, in your own mind, what’s best for you and your child. And then to talk to him about leaving.
None of this is easy. And you are quite vulnerable for now, as is your child.
Don't lose heart !
You are doing the right thing not to antagonise him or make any unnecessary drama.

Thank you 🙏 on Sunday he will go

OP posts:
SliceofTosst · 07/04/2026 21:44

I hope he does!

WallaceinAnderland · 11/04/2026 17:34

Is he still on plan to leave tomorrow OP?

Pyjamabanana16 · 14/04/2026 06:31

Yes he left. He’s got some stuff here and so far everything is amicable. Hopefully it continues.thanks everyone for all your support and kind words xx

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page