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AIBU?

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My husband frequently irritates the hell out of me and it's affecting our relationship!

55 replies

Pippapoppa · 25/04/2025 10:00

Since having a baby (now 18m) I find myself getting irritated by DH very frequently and it's affecting our relationship!

Today i'm feeling very irritated, angry and upset even... I asked him to hang the bibs up that I had put in the washing machine in the morning. He comes to tell me about our savings and investment projections (but he hasn't hung the bibs up). It's frustrating that I have even had to put the bibs in the wash this morning because I was in London for work yesterday and I always leave DD a clean bib and high chair, especially if I know DH is going to be looking after her the following day (usually I feed DD in the evening).

I also got very frustrated that he was talking about hypothetically being able to save / invest even more when we barely have enough to buy DD some second-hand holiday clothes on Vinted. He very frequently talks about how much we'd have at 60, 70, even 90 (?!) if we saved X amount each month. I was quite frustrated about this recurring 'conversation' and just said why don't we plan to retire early or save for a holiday, like a safari for DD or something specific, otherwise it just feels like saving for the sake of it and I am fed up of him talking about saving for the sake of it. I know we are very fortunate to be able to save anything.

It also feels like he talks AT me because he is the one in control of our savings / investments. I resent this because it's a role he's assumed himself, while it feels like I pick up the slack with housework, planning activities for our family in the short-term and it all feels very backwards to me (I have strong feminist values as you've likely gathered). He hasn't planned anything for us to do this year... I asked him to plan something for Easter weekend and he planned nothing much at all (we just went to his parents for lunch), while I try to plan days out that are in our very strict budget because we both WFH full-time and I like to get out the house.

Anyway, it just seems to be a recurring theme where something small boils up into bigger issues like family roles and I am getting pretty sick of it. I suggested online therapy but he said he'd rather do it in person (even though that would be more expensive) and yet he hasn't done any research to find an in-person therapist... it just feels like the onus for everything is always on me and he only has energy for working on his business and finances. Also, I can't bring any of this up because it always goes back to "I am building this business for all of us". AIBU to feel this way?

OP posts:
threenaancurrywhore · 25/04/2025 10:28

Ablondiebutagoody · 25/04/2025 10:26

Same, same

What on earth is the problem with her asking him to hang up some bibs?

threenaancurrywhore · 25/04/2025 10:27

The trick is to have assigned jobs: you put the wash on so you’re responsible for hanging it up. Or he puts the wash on and hangs up and puts away. Sit down with him, make a list of all the household tasks together – laundry is one but so is retirement planning! – agree on the standards for each (washing always gets hung up not left in the machine to rot; X% of salaries goes to investments and these are looked at every quarter, or whatever), and agree who does what. Voila! You each take care of your tasks and update each other once a week with any major problems or changes. It’s called Fair Play and there’s a book.

Ablondiebutagoody · 25/04/2025 10:26

Pippapoppa · 25/04/2025 10:23

I asked him

Same, same

Pippapoppa · 25/04/2025 10:23

I asked him

OP posts:
Ablondiebutagoody · 25/04/2025 10:20

If I was him, I wouldn't do what you told me to either.

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