I'm not sure if this belongs here or TDS but since it's dealing with my relationship I figured I'd post here and let it be moved if needed.
I am so frustrated with my partner of seven years right now. We have a five year old little girl together and about two months ago I found out I was pregnant (total shock and surprise). He hasn't worked in FIVE years and I've been struggling to keep our family afloat and in a house ever since. Last year I was so frustrated with him that we split. I lived in one state and he lived in a neigboring state. I did just fine taking care of myself and my daughter without welfare of any kind but toward the end of the year I just couldn't handle the guilt of seperating my daughter and her papa (I grew up without a dad and with an alcoholic mom) so we talked and he promised if I moved to his state that he would have a job and cover half the bills and help with the basics of life. Fast forward six months later and NOTHING has changed. I'm still trying to take care of all the bills and whatnot but even with food stamps we still fall short every month with food and the last two months we've been late on rent and bills. He doesn't even do yard work around the house, or laundry, or cook meals. He'll occasionally straigten up the living room or bedroom but won't actually clean anything unless I fight with him and he feels bad so he'll do it to try and "show me he helps". But it is NOT helping when it's only done once in a while and everything else is left up to me to do. Dishes will just pile up in the kitchen unless I"m in there every morning doing them. Laundry will just pile up in the LR or will get half assed done.
Whenever I try to bring up to him that all this is causing me to slip into a great depression he turns it around on me and tells me that I am the only person that can make me happy that he can't make me happy. It's not his job to make me happy. But I am not asking him to alter my moods for me I'm asking him to step up and help his family out. My hours at work have been severly cut (long story there) and I'm out looking for a second job that I'll end up having to leave in 5 months to give birth. Not only that but because my hours at work have been cut so badly any paid maternity leave that I was entitled to has been ruined (i'm a server)
I can't be happy that i'm pregnant because I feel like I can't even take care of the family I have now. My mom hasn't talked with me since I told her I was pregnant (mothers day). Any close friends I use to have I can't really talk to because they are tired of hearing the same thing. And all they have to say is why dosesn't he get a job? So I keep my depression to myself. At times I seceretly hope I miscarry (how fucked up is that?!) and it just sends me into such a deep spiral of depression and guilt. Termination comes to mind at least once a week if not more, along with just checking out but I know it's not an option. I just feel so down and out. I feel so alone. I feel as if I made the worst decision by giving up everything that I worked for last year only to move here on his word that was obviously bullshit.
I don't know what is wrong with him. I don't know if he's just got so many mental issues that it stops him from working or if all the psyches he did has causes such depersonalization or derealization that he can't connect with the "real world" or see that I really need his help. His reply was that we just move to a commune once the baby was old enough to (six months to a year old) but I'm tired of moving and I don't think a commune is going to solve all out problems.
I'm at my wits ends. There are some days that I don't even get out of bed and just cry for hours, which makes me even more depressed and guilty because my little girl doesn't understand why mama isn't getting up yet.
I love the guy, he's got a good heart and he loves his daughter with all his heart. He's not mean or malicious or out-right hurtful but lazy and detached from the real world. When I tell him that we're drowning with finances he tells me that money isn't everything and that love is more important. But LOVE doesn't PAY the BILLS or put FOOD on the table. Ugh. I get his ideals..kind of. I don't like the way the world is either but as some point I have to sacrifice something for the child(ren) we have. Does he really think want to be waiting tables in some shitty chain restaurant isntead of pursuing my dream (Ph.d in Philosophy)?
Am I in the wrong here? I just don't know what to do anymore. I get fed up at least once a month with all this and try to kick him out. I'll come home from work and they'll be a note on my door saying that he's sorry and that he's lined up multiple lines of possible work and I'll believe him and let him back in hoping that this time things will be different. If he was an asshole to boot it would be easy to kick him to the curb. But he's not an asshole.
Thanks for listening to me. I really had to get this out. I don't expect too many answers but just getting it out in the world, out of my head is a start for me. I feel trapped
I am so frustrated with my partner of seven years right now. We have a five year old little girl together and about two months ago I found out I was pregnant (total shock and surprise). He hasn't worked in FIVE years and I've been struggling to keep our family afloat and in a house ever since. Last year I was so frustrated with him that we split. I lived in one state and he lived in a neigboring state. I did just fine taking care of myself and my daughter without welfare of any kind but toward the end of the year I just couldn't handle the guilt of seperating my daughter and her papa (I grew up without a dad and with an alcoholic mom) so we talked and he promised if I moved to his state that he would have a job and cover half the bills and help with the basics of life. Fast forward six months later and NOTHING has changed. I'm still trying to take care of all the bills and whatnot but even with food stamps we still fall short every month with food and the last two months we've been late on rent and bills. He doesn't even do yard work around the house, or laundry, or cook meals. He'll occasionally straigten up the living room or bedroom but won't actually clean anything unless I fight with him and he feels bad so he'll do it to try and "show me he helps". But it is NOT helping when it's only done once in a while and everything else is left up to me to do. Dishes will just pile up in the kitchen unless I"m in there every morning doing them. Laundry will just pile up in the LR or will get half assed done.
Whenever I try to bring up to him that all this is causing me to slip into a great depression he turns it around on me and tells me that I am the only person that can make me happy that he can't make me happy. It's not his job to make me happy. But I am not asking him to alter my moods for me I'm asking him to step up and help his family out. My hours at work have been severly cut (long story there) and I'm out looking for a second job that I'll end up having to leave in 5 months to give birth. Not only that but because my hours at work have been cut so badly any paid maternity leave that I was entitled to has been ruined (i'm a server)
I can't be happy that i'm pregnant because I feel like I can't even take care of the family I have now. My mom hasn't talked with me since I told her I was pregnant (mothers day). Any close friends I use to have I can't really talk to because they are tired of hearing the same thing. And all they have to say is why dosesn't he get a job? So I keep my depression to myself. At times I seceretly hope I miscarry (how fucked up is that?!) and it just sends me into such a deep spiral of depression and guilt. Termination comes to mind at least once a week if not more, along with just checking out but I know it's not an option. I just feel so down and out. I feel so alone. I feel as if I made the worst decision by giving up everything that I worked for last year only to move here on his word that was obviously bullshit.
I don't know what is wrong with him. I don't know if he's just got so many mental issues that it stops him from working or if all the psyches he did has causes such depersonalization or derealization that he can't connect with the "real world" or see that I really need his help. His reply was that we just move to a commune once the baby was old enough to (six months to a year old) but I'm tired of moving and I don't think a commune is going to solve all out problems.
I'm at my wits ends. There are some days that I don't even get out of bed and just cry for hours, which makes me even more depressed and guilty because my little girl doesn't understand why mama isn't getting up yet.
I love the guy, he's got a good heart and he loves his daughter with all his heart. He's not mean or malicious or out-right hurtful but lazy and detached from the real world. When I tell him that we're drowning with finances he tells me that money isn't everything and that love is more important. But LOVE doesn't PAY the BILLS or put FOOD on the table. Ugh. I get his ideals..kind of. I don't like the way the world is either but as some point I have to sacrifice something for the child(ren) we have. Does he really think want to be waiting tables in some shitty chain restaurant isntead of pursuing my dream (Ph.d in Philosophy)?
Am I in the wrong here? I just don't know what to do anymore. I get fed up at least once a month with all this and try to kick him out. I'll come home from work and they'll be a note on my door saying that he's sorry and that he's lined up multiple lines of possible work and I'll believe him and let him back in hoping that this time things will be different. If he was an asshole to boot it would be easy to kick him to the curb. But he's not an asshole.
Thanks for listening to me. I really had to get this out. I don't expect too many answers but just getting it out in the world, out of my head is a start for me. I feel trapped
