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How do I cope with this

(272 Posts)
tcherry Wed 20-Aug-14 22:13:44

My husband has now retired, I am still at work and when I come home I just want some alone time but obviously he is there all the time!

Nearly everything he does now annoys me and it has made for an unhappy home

I don't know what to do, it is driving me crazy, has anyone experienced this?

tcherry Sun 07-Sept-14 19:17:21

I respect all opinions and thank you for them.

Ana Sun 07-Sept-14 19:23:28

Unbelievable! confused

suzied Sun 07-Sept-14 19:26:11

Life is short and if you can't take risks at our age when can you?
Though I agree it's a bit much to expect the husband just to move out and leave the OP in the marital home. Some sort of mediation/ counselling should be the initial move. Then if separation is inevitable, the house sold and each partner should downsize and be prepared to rebuild their lives in a different direction.

Aka Sun 07-Sept-14 19:30:32

Why have you been blocked Ana ? I've only just come onto this thread and I don't see what you said that could have been taken amiss confused

Penstemmon Sun 07-Sept-14 19:52:56

Re the marital home: if it is owned in both names then I believe it is split if there are no dependent children resident. As someone said that means one partner buys out the other or they sell and split any profit.

janeainsworth Sun 07-Sept-14 19:54:00

Aka see Soutra's thread, Does my bum look big in this? And you will get the picture.

Aka Sun 07-Sept-14 23:17:03

Thanks Jane that's the trouble will popping in and out of GN you miss the whole picture. Got it now.

anniezzz09 Fri 26-Sept-14 13:32:01

Coming in very late on this one, tcherry, but just wanting to say that I think I understand the difficulties you are expressing.
My husband isn't retired quite yet but he is working from home and doing much less, so he is 'around all the time' and is quite capable of impulsive trips to the shops buying 'all the wrong things', tidying the cupboards etc etc. There has always been a lot of conflict in our relationship about almost anything from how to lay paving slabs in the garden to the time children should go to bed to where to go on holiday. With each of us working outside the home (me part-time) there seemed to be some space, now it feels as though there is none and a lot of the time it feels as though nothing can be discussed because it is going to lead to disagreement.
You didn't say what kind of unwell he is but that sounds to me like a very emotional reaction and very possibly emotional blackmail too! It can't help when you already feel torn.
We have had our moments of pondering separation and I have thought quite a bit about leaving but it's hard if you have nowhere to go (eg. somewhere to stay even temporarily where you can find some space for yourself) and I sometimes think we have stayed together because of the impossible tangle of separating after 30 years. Then again, sometimes we have nice times together and still appreciate things in common.
We all make our own decisions and each of our situations is different with push/pull factors for staying or going. Whatever you decide to do, I hope you are able to rest with the decision, it takes a lot of courage to approach these big life issues and there is no doubt that retirement is a real cliff edge moment in life. I really hope you find some peaceful way forward, all the best.

cardigangran Sun 03-May-15 08:49:21

just adding a couple of comments - open plan really is a bad thing when both of you are spending most of every day at home ! if you are downsizing for goodness sake make sure you have another room to be comfy in when one of you is occupying the sofa watching sport or whatever doesn`t turn you on ! i hate thinking i have to go to bed to read my book/listen to radio 4 to get away from the sound of the tv !
Also if your marriage is not sound it will only get worse by the time you are both home all day together i think, do something about it now. Don`t be like my mother who at 86 is depressed that she did not leave my father years ago. Dad is 90 and registered blind so not only does she do all the traditional things housewives of that generation have to do , but she has to deal with all the paperwork , bills etc (which is not her forte)and he gets so grumpy ( he is frustrated that he can`t do what he used to do, and impatient with her) and it is a shame that she is spending her last years feeling unhappy. obviously i do what i can to help , when i can travel over to visit, and their unhappiness has been a lifelong sadness for me as well, and i spent many years thinking i could somehow fix it for them . If you are dithering about whether you need to split up think seriously about how things might be ten/fifteen/twenty years or more in the future . Also if you think "i can`t leave him poor thing because he can`t manage on his own " it might help to think that there are plenty of widows or single ladies out there yearning to have someone to fuss over/take care of someone /share life with !

Soutra Sun 03-May-15 12:34:56

Goodness, just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water!!

Sorry cardigran, I am sure what you say is sincere and we'll-meant, but I suspect this thread is ancient history smile

Elegran Sun 03-May-15 13:12:55

I think the problem was solved six months ago, and tcherry no longer posts.

Stansgran Sun 03-May-15 15:18:48

Perhaps under another name?

granjura Mon 21-Sept-15 11:54:38

Very sad event in our village last week. One of our friends, aged 65, retired last year from his artisan business. His younger wife has been working very hard in totally dedicated as Chaplain for several hospices to the terminally ill, long hours leaving her emotionally and physically exhausted, one son having lots of problems, the other son having taking over the business and made it clear that he was in charge and dad should keep out of it (although he built up the business and clientèle over past 40+ years) - and daughter working as big wig lawyer on the other side of the country. He hanged himself last week-end - as all were far too busy to read the signs of his increasing feelings of uselesness- so tragic, for all.

People often retire without any thougt or preparation for the future- and just cannot adjust and feel unloved and useless and just go downhill very quickly (in his case 6 months!). Not sure what the answer is - and must say I am so glad OH has many hobbies and knows how to keep himself busy and 'engaged'.

Alea Mon 21-Sept-15 11:58:06

This is ghastly, granjura but why link it on to an old thread about which many had serious reservations?
(sad at such a tragedy, don't get me wrong.)

granjura Mon 21-Sept-15 19:25:28

The title was flagged up at the top of GN- and I searched for it- because I felt it was worth warning people that retiring can have a disastrous effect on some people, usually men- and that spouses, families and friends do not read the signs until it is too late.

I read tcherry's OP and it sounded very much how his wife felt about him 'getting in her way' and annoying her with his demands and lack of drive.
Not sure if anything could have been done- but it is worth making people aware, perhaps.

The same thing happened to the DH of an ex colleague of mine in UK- who, again, found him (no detail- but in the staircase) with devastating effects on her and the family for a very very long time (forever probably).

Iam64 Mon 21-Sept-15 19:40:17

Yes, suicide has a devasting effect on loved one's.

I don't feel that putting responsibility for somehow missing the signs that their loved one was about to kill themselves is in any way acceptable.

loopylou Mon 21-Sept-15 19:45:34

Tragic for all involved granjura, very sad.

I've found this thread very thought-provoking, perhaps there should be compulsory Preparing for Retirement classes?

Luckily DH and I have joint and individual interests and are both still working but I'm well aware that in the future ill health or something else could intervene and upset the status quo at anytime.

wotanuisanceABC123 Tue 22-Sept-15 11:41:11

tcherry.. yes, it is a lousy relationship but I can,t chuck an old man out onto the streets!

wotanuisanceABC123 Tue 22-Sept-15 11:46:53

Sentiment, wishing things could become better, FINANCIAL reasons, dog. All things that trap me.

Persistentdonor Tue 22-Sept-15 12:06:11

I am recently retired and downsized. I have found there is quite a lot of adjustment needed, and perhaps more "give and take" than before.

The question is possibly do you still LIKE your husband tcherry? Are you still friends? If not then perhaps it is time to change your status.

But, if you would like to remain married, perhaps you could train him to have a lovely bath run for you when you get home from work. You could have a soak with candles, oils, music, glass of wine. Meditate and unwind. The evenings should pass by in a lovely scented haze.

I do hope you are enjoying life better very soon.

Alea Tue 22-Sept-15 12:11:04

wotanuisance and others, have you noted the date of this (formerly) dormant thread?
I think you will find tcherry is long since gone (at least under that name) and as many posters indicated, it was hard to view the rapid progression from " the OG is getting under my feet" to " I want a divorce and I want you out of the house NOW" confused with much credibility.

This is not to belittle the genuine situation of "twice the OG and half the money" which may accompany other halves' retirement, but most of us do not adopt the Black Widow Spider gambit with quite such alacrity.

Fire Tue 22-Sept-15 12:28:25

My husband retired a couple of years ago but still helps someone out two mornings a week.Those mornings I spend at home doing jobs around the house then when he is here we either go out together or he potters around at home and I go shopping or lunch with friends.Seems to work o.k except when one of us gets bored and then we start to argue!

Persistentdonor Tue 22-Sept-15 12:58:10

I do appologise to all.
This thread was highlighted today, and I did not realise that:
A) there was 8 pages of it, and more importantly:
B) it was first started last year, in 2014.

But I have learned quite a lot from reading all of it now, and I still think a long soak in a bath can give much needed "me time".

It also seems to me that if a retired couple is still living in the family home, after the children have left it should be possible to turn one bedroom into an extra sitting room for escape when needed.

Alea Tue 22-Sept-15 13:09:03

No need to apologise!
I totally agree about separate living space, I like it when DH disappears into his study and I can waste time on GN, watch daytime TV read an improving book on my own grin

WilmaKnickersfit Tue 22-Sept-15 13:47:43

It does sound like space is crucial, which makes it a shame that so much retirement property doesn't allow enough.

My DH's aunt and uncle have just moved from one rented sheltered flat to a new one because the old building has been declared not fit for purpose and is closing(two different housing associations involved). Their previous flat was tiny, but now the kitchen and living area is open plan, they've had to downsize again. Their new complex offers a range of care, so if they need more it is on hand.

My FIL is in older sheltered housing, so I been in three different types now and it seems to me that the newer the build, the less space there is and the space on offer for a couple is more like that which a single person needs. In fact, in my FIL's block, the policy (unspoken?) is to place single women in a flat for two so they have a little bit more space.

I can't imagine living with my husband in such a small space and the stress of not being able to have our own space sounds awful. I think you'd have to be creative with the use of space to make the most of it.