Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Things feel harder now that he’s moved in

41 replies

myfriendsfamily · 19/06/2025 14:20

DP and I are expecting our first child together. I have a 17 year old DS from my previous marriage.

DP is struggling to sell his home because it needs work, so he moved in with me a few months ago. We were living separately up until I was around 5 months pregnant because I wanted to keep my DS settled as he was doing big exams and has ASD.

DP and I had hoped to buy a house together before our baby arrives but sadly this is now not possible. Staying at my house long term is also not possible as it’s too small, but it’s the best option for now.

Since DP moved in, I am finding things much harder. What triggered me to write this post was having to take the bin out shortly after he left for work and it pulling my back out. I am currently on early maternity leave and studying.

I feel like I have no time to myself anymore, even to study. I am constantly cleaning up after DP and my teenager. I am now doing washing for 3 people, cooking and preparing most of the meals. DP will just dump his stuff down and I am forever putting things away. We keep our finances separate but I find I pay for most groceries as well as all the bills in my home, while he does (to be fair) pay more petrol to get to/from work and still has to pay his own mortgage and bills.

I am struggling to know where the balance is here and what to expect from him. Financially and practically. All I know is that my days now feel harder.

Any advice is very welcome.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
readingismycardio · 19/06/2025 18:26

Your DS is 17 and DP is a grown ass man. They both need to clean after themselves.

Endofyear · 19/06/2025 18:20

Sorry OP but you are being a mug - you have two adult men in your home and you're running around cooking and cleaning and doing their laundry heavily pregnant? You need to sit down and start making it very clear that they are not pulling their weight, especially your partner! You are soon going to have a baby to look after, who's going to be looking after you? Sort this out now before the baby comes.

tumblingdowntherabbithole · 19/06/2025 18:08

Oh OP, you've been incredibly foolish.

Move him back out and accept that you'll likely be raising this baby alone.

CoffeeBeansGalore · 19/06/2025 18:05

Ruddy hell @myfriendsfamily , he's taking the absolute p!$$.
Best advice would be to move him back to his place to learn to adult again.
However if you want to give him another chance some rules need to be put in place with a probationary period.
He does not just dump his stuff for you to clear away. Anything just left will be put in a bin bag and put outside. Doesn't matter what it is or if it's raining.
He does his own washing.
He shops, pays for & cooks 3 nights a week.
He puts the bins out.
He pays a third of the utility bills & grocery shopping. Food does not magically appear in the fridge free of charge. He uses toilet roll & toothpaste so he can pay towards it.

Any "oh but I have to pay xyz at my house . . .
. " you reply with yes and you are increasing my bills by using everything whilst living here. If you don't want to pay your way you can move back to your house and we will re evaluate things.

Stop letting him take advantage & work out what child maintenance he would pay you by using the CMS calculator. If he gets petty this will be useful info.

Mrsbloggz · 19/06/2025 18:00

HoskinsChoice · 19/06/2025 17:55

You decided to have a baby together before you knew if you were compatible?

I despair!

Ah, c'mon now
Yes OP has been unwise, too trusting (who amoungst us hasn't?!) she isnt the one doing the exploiting though is she.
Please let's not berate her, cant we just try & help her?

HoskinsChoice · 19/06/2025 17:55

You decided to have a baby together before you knew if you were compatible?

I despair!

Mrsbloggz · 19/06/2025 17:53

A partner ship is only worth having if it is mutually beneficial, ergo, this is not a partnership, this is him exploiting you. Exploiting you whilst you are at your most vulnerable and in need of support & protection.
This does not bode well for the future OP😕

skyeisthelimit · 19/06/2025 17:47

As PP said, all of this should have been discussed before he moved in and took advantage. You need to ask him to sit down and talk about how to split the bills and the housework. If he doesn't agree, or doesn't stick to it, then he needs to move out. He needs to pay for his fair share, so you do have to talk about this.

If his house is empty, then he can move back there.

BakelikeBertha · 19/06/2025 17:39

Enrichetta · 19/06/2025 15:28

Have him move out NOW would be my strong advice...

This!

Ohnobackagain · 19/06/2025 17:33

Tirednessismydefult · 19/06/2025 14:40

He still has his house and you haven’t bought a property together yet. Now is the time he needs to prove to you what living together will be like. He can either step up and be an adult, or he can fuck off back home.

Being an adult is seeing the bin is full and taking the bag with you on the way out! Putting your stuff away, and cooking your fair share.

TBH your first clue that this man is a lazy shit is that his house is unsellable because he hasn’t done any of the work that needs doing one it.

Have a hard conversation now about expectations, whilst you can still easily shove him back to his if he won’t step up.

You’re pregnant and going to have a baby to look after, you don’t need two.

This @myfriendsfamily

TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams · 19/06/2025 17:25

Unless he has been working all the hours possible on the house around his day job to get it into a saleable state, you should tell him he is making your life harder and more expensive, and that he needs to move home and get on with the work living in situ.

Praying4Peace · 19/06/2025 17:05

Frank honest discussion before resentment grows

Burntlemon · 19/06/2025 17:04

Oh so he has conveniently moved in, cant sell his, nor will he buy with you.

Got his foot in the door though, made sure of that.

He has a pregnant skivvy paying for him too.

Your poor son of 17.
Why would you thinking starting again with a loser was a good idea?

Rethink this.
Rethink the pregnancy if you can.

Get this loser out of your home today.

Mind yourself and your son.
Your life is only going to get a lot harder if you don't wake up quickly to being used.

You both deserve much better.

MyCyanReader · 19/06/2025 16:59

It's called negotiation and a grown up discussion.

Presumably he cooked his own meals before he moved in, and managed to wash his own pants??

So sit down and discuss who is doing what in the partnership. Be direct with your questions. e.g. "which nights would you like to cook?". "would you like to be responsible for doing the food shop or doing bins and mowing the lawn?

CarpetKnees · 19/06/2025 16:40

If you and ds have been used to being one unit, and he's been used to being his own unit, then it is normal for there to be some adjustments all round when you try and combine them.

What you need to do - as per the first reply, and then others as well - is communicate. Talk to each other. Ask how he thinks it will work spitting the chores - are you all taking turns with things (including the near adult son), or does one of you enjoy cooking, or have a particularly high standard of bathroom cleaning or does one of you like maintaining the garden and not mind at all taking bins out. Personally, I'd rather wash up than cook, and know a lot more people would love to have someone clear up after they have cooked. I hear on here, lots of people hate laundry, but I am more than happy doing the laundry. There's no rules about who needs to do what, but you have 3 adults in the house now, so there should be a fairly even breakdown of who does what towards the running of the home / garden / cars / etc.

Money, you should have been talking about a long time ago. What have you agreed ? What will happen when you have the baby, etc?

outerspacepotato · 19/06/2025 16:16

He moved in with you even though he still has his place because it's easier for him to have a bangmaid. Of course it's more difficult for you. He doesn't carry his weight domestically or financially. It's going to be even worse after you have the baby. You've got yourself a cocklodger.

Move him back out. It's not working.

InterestedDad37 · 19/06/2025 16:16

Sort out the money by talking about it.
Decide if you are actually ready to live together.
You have one son and a baby on the way - don't also become mother to a lazy sod who should know better 👍

AppleOfMyThirdEye · 19/06/2025 16:10

What am I reading?!

why have you let him move in without discussing finances and housework?

he’s behaving like a cocklodger.

this requires communication.

he needs to contribute to bills and should be supporting you around the house, not giving you more to do!

Daleksatemyshed · 19/06/2025 16:00

This is the period when he should be showing you how happy you'll be living together, instead he's decided that as you're having his DC you're trapped and will put up with his bad behaviour. This will only get worse once the baby is here Op so you need to mark his cards and tell him he'll be leaving if he doesn't shape up. Stop cooking, washing and cleaning for him and he'll show you his true colours I expect

SixteenClovesOfGarlic · 19/06/2025 15:58

He's not a partner in any sense, the only reason to have a boyfriend is for your life to be enhanced, easier, fun, that's the whole point.
This one is a pointless misogynist, best get him out of your property, prioritise your property, financial independence and co-parenting with the man.

Snoken · 19/06/2025 15:54

Yea, you need to not live with him. He's basically an overgrown teenager who can't even look after himself, not to mention looking after you and his future child. His house is in such a state that it's proving difficult to sell, he doesn't tidy or clean, he doesn't cook, he doesn't even do the one job that for some reason is a given for even the most useless of men; taking the bins out.

You have to tell him that he needs to move back into his house. What you are showing your son by living with this man is going to be damaging his view of relationships too. You need to model good and healthy relationships to him, not this one-sided shit situation.

TomatoSandwiches · 19/06/2025 15:52

He needs to go back to his house by the end of the week, give you space and then you can have a discussion about why it went wrong.

honeylulu · 19/06/2025 15:45

Bloody hell, why are you doing the cooking cleaning and laundry for three people? It should be split between you and partner (with 17 year old helping out). Your burden should be lessened not increased.

And why are you buying all groceries? If partner wants to eat the food and use the toiletries then of course he should pay a share. I expect because he doesn't cook he doesn't give a thought to how the food magically appears in the fridge.

Set the record straight ASAP or you'll have a lifetime of this crap.

Enrichetta · 19/06/2025 15:28

Have him move out NOW would be my strong advice...

Steelworks · 19/06/2025 15:27

(And if he doesn’t change, he’s a cocklodger and needs kicking out. Don’t teach teen this is how life should be).