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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To have not let him leave?

56 replies

Feron2 · 26/08/2025 10:07

I’m six months pregnant and for the first time in a while, my DH and I had an epic argument.
It escalated beyond reasonableness on both our sides. Nothing cruel or abusive, just rough.

I have a huge all-day work meeting today that I’m organising and chairing. I won’t be back till midnight tonight and have the same again tomorrow.

At midnight I asked him if we could please calm down as I desperately needed some sleep. I was worried about running the meeting on no sleep. I’m exhausted enough being pregnant.

He said he needed space and was going “home” (his parents house).

We live near his parents but my family live the other side of the country, so I couldn’t leave even if I wanted to. Our spare room is being turned into a nursery so we don’t have another room to sleep.

Firstly I feel really strongly in general that you don’t leave your spouse overnight during an argument. My dad sometimes left and didn’t come back for days and it’s a huge boundary for me.

Furthermore I knew if he left I’d never sleep, and I was very nervous about today’s meeting, especially if I didn’t sleep.

I asked him to stay so I could please at least sleep. I knew I’d be wide awake otherwise.

He did, and I did sleep. He did too.

WIBU to insist he stay? It’s the first time this has come up for us but it’s a massive issue for me.

At the same time however, I’m carrying a lot of guilt today over making him stay. On the one hand I do feel that leaving in the middle of the night due to a row is shit in a marriage, and I was selfishly wanting some sleep too. On the other hand, he is entitled to his space.

I have no issues with taking space during an argument and revisiting in a few hours but overnight is horrid. I’d rather go to bed with a hug, even if it’s half hearted.

OP posts:
MsPossibly · 26/08/2025 11:03

I agree with you - running away from your marriage to your parents has always smacked me as immature and avoidant. You need to be grown ups and resolve the conflict, horrible as that is. Maybe not in the middle of the night, but the next day, as calmly as is possible.

Ivenoname · 26/08/2025 10:50

He obviously cares enough about you and your welfare to stay, despite the argument. II would take that as a positive.

And personally I think you were right to ask him to stay for all the reasons you gave. Not least that I agree walking out the house to go back to your parents and leaving your pregnant wife home and distressed would have been damaging for your marriage long term.

mammat72 · 26/08/2025 10:47

everyone deals with confrontation and arguments differently. dependant on what they saw as a child your dont want him to leave because of what your father did. but what did his parents do when they argued . its just patterns that we repeat. i think the fact he wanted to leave but stayed shows he loves you. you must remember we dont intentially hurt our partners but sometimes we say and do thing that do exactly that. the answer is to talk not shout respect you can differ in opinions and never lose sight from each other

rainbowstardrops · 26/08/2025 10:43

You asked him to stay and he did 🤷🏻‍♀️
I think it’s quite shitty that he was prepared to wake his parents up at midnight just because you’d argued though.

Feron2 · 26/08/2025 10:16

ZippyPeer · 26/08/2025 10:15

Seems like you expressed your need and he listened and agreed.

What does your partner think, does he think you were being unreasonable?

I don’t know. We left for work and he’s barely spoken to me since.

OP posts:
ZippyPeer · 26/08/2025 10:15

Seems like you expressed your need and he listened and agreed.

What does your partner think, does he think you were being unreasonable?

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