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AIBU?

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Will DH ever change? How can I get through to him?

260 replies

NewMomma21 · 23/07/2023 20:14

Looking for advice.

Married to DH for 4 years. We have an 18 month old and I’m almost 30 weeks pregnant. DH has a stressful job; he earns a very good salary and works long hours and travels abroad frequently. He is a good provider and great fun socially.

I would have considered myself happily married but recently I am becoming increasingly resentful of DH. Although he provides financially he does nothing to keep the house running. He doesn’t ever put a wash on. He lets the bins run to overflowing. He does absolutely no cleaning or cooking and frequently will leave a mess behind him whenever he is in the house. Often leaves clothes/towels on the floor. I have to ask multiple, multiple times over the course of days to do things I am physically unable to do (for example lifting heavy loads of washing, emptying bins, quick tidy of the garden). I am left to do everything around the house. Although I work FT I am off for the summer, it doesn’t matter if I’m in work or not he still contributes nothing. On the weekends he often plays golf for one day. On the days he is home and off when LO naps he more or often than not gets into bed for two hours for a nap or scroll on his phone. This is time during the day I use to do a tidy, load of washing, hoover etc.

Recently he was away for over a week (longest trip since covid) and it was just me and LO. Life was much easier. There was no mess to clean up. The house was clean and tidy. No picking up his clothes and litter. I found the extent to which it was easier shocking.

I have tried so many times to ask him for help. Begged. Nagged. Gotten angry, gotten upset. Nothing ever gets through to him. He just doesn’t seem to care. I feel increasingly like I am mother to a toddler and messy, selfish teenager.

Has anyone any advice? I don’t know how else to get through to him

YABU- he contributes financially and he is unlikely to ever change
YANBU- he needs to start pulling his weight

OP posts:
Ohhelpicantthinkofaname · 23/07/2023 20:26

He should pull his weight, of course he should, but do you actually think he will change?

I would suggest though if he won’t help out when the baby arrives he should be paying for a cleaner.

SlowlyLosing · 23/07/2023 20:25

You ask him for help but have you asked him for a discussion on this?

Asking for help suggests it is your job to do.

You need to both set out how you think this should go. It sounds like you think both of you should muck in, do you think you should both have equal leisure time? (this is what i believe is desirable, but not everyone wants that). It sounds like he thinks he's the provider and when he is not working he is at leisure.

So discuss. And see where you can go from there. If he agrees to do more he needs to be fully responsible for his tasks, not just do them when you remind him. Or would you be happy to pay for outside help ti allow him to keep his leisure time but guve you more?

DaaamnYoullDo · 23/07/2023 20:24

Tell him outright how much easier your life was without him.

My ex went away for about a week and realising how much easier my life was without him was the beginning of the end.

teachername · 23/07/2023 20:23

You've become his mum too. Would be interesting as to the role he sees you in.

What was he like before you had children?

ForestGoblin · 23/07/2023 20:23

I'm a woman. I hate house stuff. I don't do it unless absolutely forced. My husband is the same, happily, and we are very content in mess. (Had a few embarrassing incidents with visitors going into our extra chaos hiding room but we laugh about it otherwise).

I couldn't bear living with you, op, because tidying is just awful. I feel the person who wants it clean has to do it if the other person doesn't mind mess.

But I didn't marry someone who loves tidiness so I can fortunately please myself.

I think you'll have to learn to live with it or find someone else.

Lammveg · 23/07/2023 20:22

Of course you're not unreasonable but he's not going to change.

Can he pay for a cleaner? I know that won't help with the mess necessarily but could go some way to improve things.

strawberry2017 · 23/07/2023 20:21

He needs to pull his weight but realistically I don't think he will change.

NoSquirrels · 23/07/2023 20:21

What happened in the early years of your marriage/living together - before kids? Has he always been lazy and selfish?

Do you never leave the toddler with him
and go out? If he’s out one weekend day, do you get equal time off? If not, why not?

NoSquirrels · 23/07/2023 20:19

No one here will tell you you’re unreasonable.

Why doesn’t he care? What does he say?

Moveoverdarlin · 23/07/2023 20:18

Stop doing it, let him go to his sock drawer and find no clean ones. Let the bin overflow. Down tools for a bit. When he questions it say ‘you do it you lazy bastard’

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