To not understand why some couples have to do everything together

The friend thing is super weird, granted, but I don't know anyone who would do that thankfully!

We will sometimes go to kids party if we don't know the parents because we will sit and chat. If it's a friends kids party il go alone as dh wud be sat on his lonesome while I'm with my friends. We do parents evenings together if we can get a babysitter otherwise one goes. We go out on day trips together but will do single if one of us is busy. But if I'm meeting a friend no way would I bring dh! I was a single parent for a couple of year never thought anything of taking kids out . Also use to be a childminder would often take 6 kids out!!!

Is this a post-Covid thing where bringing more people than strictly required to something is now seen as weird or causing some sort of problem for other people? Everything that can be done solo has to be done solo for some unquantifiable reason?

And my DD loves going to the supermarket so we go en familie and if we irritate people then it's unfortunate to be them I suppose

bringing boyfriend/hubby along to a pre-arranged girls nighgt out is strange - unless agreed in advance (enthusiastically)

the rest seems fine. Me and boyfriend went supermarket shopping together in the pandemic as we have to walk, no car, so needs 2 of us to carry stuff. if a small store, one waited outside, if a big sainsburies we both went in and went round with our own lists.

bringting lots of extra people to a party could be considered rude, depending on how the invite was worded and impact on other guests.

And that's not at all insulting!

Me and my DP do most things together. The main reason is that I can't drive, so it's usually more practical for him to drive me places. But also a lot of the time we'd just both like to go, and in the only example you've given that might affect others - the open evening - I imagine the logic is that they both wanted to hear the information rather than have it relayed to them by their partner's limited memory.

I would always prefer a day out with the kids with my DP over alone, as I do find it stressful, and with two adults you can actually carve out times to relax a little and actually enjoy yourself.

As for "family time" - some people might feel that's their only opportunity for quality time with the kids that week. It totally depends how busy your life is.

The only time we do school runs together are if we’re going out somewhere after or have been out together beforehand otherwise we both work.

pathetic. Both parents going to school pick up or a birthday party makes me cringe for them, and family outings to the supermarket simply give me the rage. They're not jobs that require two fully grown, able bodied adults carry them out for goodness sake.

See this really baffles me. Okay the birthday party thing but both parents picking up their child from school? in the supermarket? Of course those things don't need two people, a lot of stuff doesn't, but why does one person have to sit at home doing something else if they actually want to come alone? I find it so odd.

Well we have small kids so I’d never take DH supermarket shopping unless I absolutely had to because that means they come. Supermarkets are hell at the best of times without extra people milling about like it’s a day at the beach or something.

We’ve been together 18 years, I quite like him 😁 but I also like doing things on my own and I think it’s healthy to not live in each other pockets

Well yes, of course. You'd hope so.I love spending time with my DH, he's my favourite person.

But it's situations where you're invited out with girlfriends and 1 brings their DH. When half of a couple can't possibly do anything without the other. That's when it's very annoying.

I agree with you OP, aside from the school info evening part - we do both go to those because we know there would be a lot to remember. I'm happily married and really love spending time as a family, but I do find adults who can't do things without their significant other a bit pathetic. Both parents going to school pick up or a birthday party makes me cringe for them, and family outings to the supermarket simply give me the rage. They're not jobs that require two fully grown, able bodied adults carry them out for goodness sake.

Newsflash: some couples enjoy being together! I've been with DP 27 years, still love being with him. Yes of course I can do anything by myself and so can he but we choose not to.

Yes, this really. We do plenty apart but we enjoy doing nursery pick-up together and round here it's common for both parents to go to birthday parties 🤷‍♀️ I took DD to a soft play party on my own recently and was very much in the minority for not having my husband with me! Chores and stuff like supermarket shopping I'd much rather do together because it's just nicer and more enjoyable that way.

But we have our own interests, we go on trips away without the other, etc.

It impacts her if partners turn up to a social event she'd planned with one other person.

I know you’re comming from very different place,but….

As a lifelong single I just kept smiling through your list, because it sounded so nice.
It would have been amazing if someone would have wanted to do all that with me.

Better that than having to do everything (although I don’t have anywhere near as much to do) all alone….

My partner works away during the week. Sometimes he's away for months at a time.

Damn right we spend weekends together as much as we can.

What's it got to do with anyone else?

Why is this an issue?
Sometimes I do things alone, and sometimes I do things with DH.
We food shop together a lot of the time, we plan family things to do at the weekend as we both work in the week and think it's important to spend time as a unit often.
We see friends separately, and DC stay with the other parent.
We attend family events together.

I find it more sad to think of marrying someone they can't stand and don't want to spend time with

Some couples do everything together. They put their family above everything. That’s their choice and they’ve probably got a fantastic close relationship if they can keep it going all
the time. Of course it also means that another person can’t get to see one of them alone so you can’t have confidential chats with them and you can almost feel you’re intruding when you want to see one of them. I can see why you’d think a happy medium would be best.

The whole family going to a child's party thing irritates me.

The party is for the birthday child. Unless it's at a public venue it just clogs up the birthday child's party when whole families turn up when, for example, a 6yo child has been invited.

If there are 2 parents in a family and 2 small children then 1 parent should take the invited child. Don't turn up for a family day out unless you're all invited.

Hiw can you get to being an adult and not realise that different people live their lives in different ways.

I love my husband and he doesn't want to miss out on any moments with the kids and I. We prefer to spend time together. We are a couple not a single.

I do almost everything with DH but he works full time so we don't spend the daytime together and make up for it out of work hours.

For families where both parents work often evening and weekends are the only times they get a chance to hang out as a family. So if their kid is going to a birthday party or something it's nice for them to get to go together.

Absolutely this. The only weird one is them randomly turning up.

I do things alone with my children but also very much like having DP there.

We like doing nursery drop offs and pick ups when we can.