Posted in dating, Healing from Domestic Abuse, love, Singlemum, Strength

Are strong and independent women unattractive to men?

Facts are facts apparently, and in no time in history has a man desired a woman who is strong and independent.

This is what I was told by the man I have been sleeping with. Despite being told that this wasn’t about me, it’s quite difficult to separate the emotion that that statement brings. I was very direct and asked many times what does he see in me then and rather than getting reassurance and compliments I was just told… that basically ‘majority of women are modern and therefore he is a realist and has to accept it for what it is.’

I explained many times that there are millions of women that are more traditional than me (opposite of modern) but he dismissed that. The conversation went on and I had just about got over what he was saying and maybe even started to understand a little more. Probably tried to deny my own strength and independence and blamed it on the fact I have had to be those things and I’ve had no other choice and that maybe if I had met a different man I wouldn’t be where I am today. However, the next day I woke up to 6 videos from YouTube sent by him about how women like this are unattractive. I mean Jesus!

I picked one video, it was disgusting quite frankly. Ambitious, assertive, competitive women are not attractive was the message. Very antagonist to say the least, I am those things! I shared it with a professional who does this stuff day in day out and he did a Facebook live on it. Whilst he understood the message, he also stated it wasn’t articulated well and of course women like those described in the video would be triggered. The man who shared it with me got passive aggressive with me , told me to shoot the message not the messenger , facts are facts, blah blah. He also told me that ‘I am an adult and should have the emotional intelligence to digest it and not react.’ What crap. It hurt me. A man I’ve grown close too was telling me this stuff and the underlying message is that I’m not attractive. How else should I react ?

This is the same man who told me women are naturally more emotional and wants feminine energy was now trying to suppress my emotions. I even told him straight, that he wasn’t making me feel good. I need reassurance and I would like to know what he does see in me. The positives. I was then accused of playing the victim. I was trapped and was left completely confused as to what he was trying to say to me.

It is only more recently that I have thought about having a man to take care of me, to pay for dates , how nice it would have been if I didn’t need to worry about the mortgage when I was pregnant or how my children were going to eat at times. My rent has gone up considerably and it’s starting to get really tiresome doing it all on my own. I do understand how hard it must be for a masculine man in todays society who want to be the provider and the breadwinner. I really do, but I also do not think for a second that all successful women do not want a provider and all have the same mindset that they want to pay for things and lead.

I watched another video , now this made more sense to me. Women can be all those great things at work but just avoid doing it at home in relationship. Don’t try and lead, don’t be competitive, don’t try and compete. The crucial point being if you want a real masculine man. The professional, I spoke to also explained that actually there are many relationships that work very well with a balance. Some men don’t mind not making all the decisions, and that actually it’s only important for women to get into their feminine energy if they want a more masculine man. Maybe that’s a very dumbed down version but you get the jist.

I know for one I can absolutely step into my feminine energy and enjoy and accept. I’ve had male strangers from the internet buy me things, I’ve asked strangers to fill my car tyres up (hate blue car jobs), my eldest daughters dad has built every single piece of furniture I own, if there is a maintenance job that needs doing I simply just won’t do it. I find a man to do it for me. Just because I have degrees, I have ambition, I compete with myself and my colleagues daily to be the best and have confidence does not mean I need to compete with a man or even want to. A man’s status and earnings were never forefront of what I saw in a man. As I’ve got older this has become more appealing to me and perhaps it’s because of my past I was so avoidant of it but that is for another day.

Thing is I really do wonder what he does see in me. I’ve known him for nearly 2 years, he’s followed my Snapchat. He knows I’m opinionated and have a voice, he knows I’m a huge football fan and drink pints and when I really think about it, I am a natural leader, naturally competitive (sales driven working environment it’s a necessary trait). He knows I rely on no one but myself. I have never been the domesticated type. I hate cleaning, the idea of staying at home looking after the children until they go to school literally gives me genuine fear. So naturally I have to question

… what the hell are we doing here ??

Posted in Abuse, relationships, DomesticAbuse, Girltalk, Healing from Domestic Abuse, Heartbreak, Singlemum

You couldn’t write this stuff!

If you’ve been following my story you will know I was successful in getting a Non Molestation Order on my ex back in October 2017. He was served the order beginning of November and it was serving his purpose as he moved away and left me alone… fully.

On 20th November we had our return date which he turned up for, was all sorry and puppy dog eyes. Made me feel sorry for him and guilty again for ‘letting it get this far.’ He managed to get inside my head for a while before I met with my solicitor. My solicitor (who by the way I had never met before) was a timid character and I felt wasn’t a strong enough person to be representing someone like me! As soon as I met with her she handed me a letter claiming it was from his partner, my heart dropped like .. wtf he had just spent 20 minutes telling me he was gutted and wanted me back. How was this happening! She questioned ‘have you read it?’ .. course I bloody hadn’t! Why was this only just given to me now? With little compassion or regard for my feelings. Don’t these people realise the words on paper is still abuse. Not only from him but some woman who thinks she knows him. How dare some one write those things about me and get away with it. Telling a woman she wasn’t abused is wrong! No one else can say another woman was not abused, especially someone who claims she was abused herself. Disgraceful! I think it’s obvious to a human being how I would react let alone a family law solicitor! Yes this prompted me to approach him but let’s not forget he came up to me first, my solicitor couldn’t handle him, security blamed me pretty much (because he used me engaging with him to his advantage) and despite him doing everything he could to talk to me, no one did ANYTHING not really. My solicitor just said ‘stop looking at my client’ and when he made out he hadn’t seen said woman who wrote the letter for 6 weeks she flustered around looking at the name of who wrote it and clearly knew she was out of her depth when we were shouting across the court waiting area at one another. Finally when we got into the court room, I couldn’t stop crying. I felt sorry for him again, he appealed because he hadn’t received my original position statement (another failure from my solicitor) and the magistrates agreed he had a right to get some legal advice. So there we were, another date booked. I was gutted.

The no contact continued, bar one phone call I made to him that evening (after all he handed me his number on a scrap bit of paper) and I tried to put it to the back of my mind AGAIN. I was told when I rang my solicitors on the 8th December (return hearing was 15th) that he had not got his return statement in as requested by the 8th but the hearing had been put back to 15th January! I felt relieved but again the communication was terrible, the letter explaining court had been postponed was not received until AFTER the date so without me calling them I would not of known. They then continued to write to me asking for proof of why certain amounts had gone into my account. I’m not talking big figures here, it’s amount of £10 from my mate and £200 from my employer (which were expenses). They also want my mortgage statement, despite me repeatedly telling them I don’t have access to these due to being massively in arrears (I’ll explain another time) no one wants to help. I decided I didn’t care anyway, I would represent myself and the threats of being liable for legal costs did not scare me.

15th January came, I spent time debating whether to show at all but decided I could and I would. I was strong enough to represent myself and I could handle it. However, I was not expecting what once again I would be faced with. This time TWO statements from my ex. These were worse than I could ever have imagined, the worst lies someone could say about someone else and yet I had to just read them and have my heart broken even more. It was evil, vile and cruel. Yet again I found myself having to defend reality and fight with someone who rewrites history so negatively. As time went on I couldn’t shake it, it hung over me for weeks and no matter how many times I said ‘it’s laughable’, it really really isn’t. Someone who I had had a baby with and loved so very much saying these things is not funny… it’s abuse. The court once again adjourned the hearing and I left the court knowing it wasn’t over!

Now brings me to the present day. Today I had the court order from the 15th January forwarded to me (now is the 16th February), the email stated they wasn’t sure if I had received it already. This is my solicitor by the way, how is that acceptable? Clearly I didn’t have it. Not only did I not have the order but did not know I had to return my position statement back to the court by the 12th! I’m too late! So I have no chance to defend myself, no chance to prove everything he said about me was lies, I’m not a prostitute. I am not addicted to cocaine and I am not addicted to sadomasochism! The court asked for professional statements too, again I didn’t know this was an option to defend myself. The court order is also riddled with spelling mistakes ‘earing’ instead of hearing for example. Awful!

On the other hand, the court won’t care he lied. There are no repercussions or consequences for someone telling such viscous lies. How is that ok? It’s swept under a carpet and men (and women) can continue all over the country just make up lies in a desperate attempt that they stick, and they do! Women are losing their children to lies from these narcissistic men and it’s disgusting!

I’ve come to realise, dealing with someone like my ex you have to JUST be strong yourself. As long as mentally I am strong I have to do this on my own.

As previously blogged we’ve had recent contact. He got into my home whilst I was sleeping to beg and say sorry. Call the police? What’s the point?! Tell the courts?! Again no point! Yes a NMO May stand but he will fight for his daughter, I know this and with a NMO in place how can that be done amicably. It will be full of negativity, contact books and contact centres. Judges are awarding these men more contact than they deserve and if I fight I know what him and his family are capable of. I am TIRED. I have no faith, that the system will help me. He will use his daughter anyway he can especially if it’s to hurt me and I just can not bare to lose her. I read stories all the time, mother being hostile to contact and accused of causing emotional abuse on the child and residency is awarded to father. Even if that didn’t happen, him and his family would poison her sweet little innocent mind I just know it. We’ve seen what they are all capable of. Fathers for justice? Give me strength.

Currently he’s accepting everything, admits and ‘feels ashamed’ about how he’s treated me. He holds his hands up to all the abuse and states he would do anything to take it away. Questions his life and asks himself daily ‘what the hell was I doing?’ Of course it could all be words but the point is … it’s amicable. He isn’t abusing me, I carry on through court he will abuse me. He will!

So… so far so good. I am strong. I do not want him back. He dreams of a future all together but I know I’m not that person anymore. Potentially the non molestation order served it purpose but that’s all it could do. No contact for over 3 months was enough for me to get a clear head and realise my worth. Like really realise it.

I’m still scarred, at times we talk and I will turn bitter and bring up scenarios that happened and question how he’s even human. I tell him he deserves to be in jail for the way he treated me and in some ways I’m finding talking to him therapeutic. Hearing him apologise and accept it… accept it all. I then wonder … is he a narcissist? Narcissists never accept or take blame not really. Maybe he will change… but it’s too late for me. Far too late.

Xxx

Posted in Healing from Domestic Abuse, Singlemum

Feeling so confused

I guess all these emotions are so normal. I also think it’s pretty normal to be getting all the flashbacks again after everything that happened Monday. There were a lot of triggers mentioned in the statement and it brings them all up again.

I have bad period pains, and pretty much wasted another night not being productive. I did have a drink with a couple of my sisters and dad and stuff which was nice but I must start being productive.

So today I invested in the products to begin a bullet journal. I cannot wait for it to all arrive I will do a blog on it when it does. Exciting.

I was meant to be having company this evening but he got held up at work, he wasn’t meant to be working but covered his mate and although it’s probably a really valid and TRUE reason I just can’t help but think it’s not. I wonder if I’ve done something wrong, I don’t think I have. I play back the conversations, maybe I just seem like too much effort!? I don’t know. I do have a lot going on at the minute it can’t be very appealing. I don’t think he’s playing games, he hasn’t text back since, maybe he’s gone to see someone else instead. My head needs to shut up. One minute I’m imagining him hitting me and the next he’s cheating on me .. and I haven’t even slept with him yet! I know I sound crazy, so crazy. I want to trust again and I will.

At least he let me know, not like the guy I spent almost a year getting to know and then just stood me up. Not even an explanation and I prompted one from him too. It didn’t make sense. This doesn’t.

I’m probably reading way too much into it. It’s normal to feel disappointed though right. I was looking forward to seeing him, I thought he was too. It can’t be too soon I’ve been emotionally done with my ex since June. He let me down every day and didn’t even give a valid legit reason.

Maybe I’m expecting too much? Maybe my reaction was the issue. God sake, brain shut up, I need a hot water bottle my tummy hurts bad 😢