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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To find it hard to be sympathetic when DH is ill

55 replies

Purplemoon16 · 17/09/2025 19:13

Am I the only person that struggles to muster up any sympathy for their DH when they’re ill? If there’s a bug going about DH ALWAYS seems to catch it worse than anyone else. When I had bad morning sickness in all three of my pregnancies times it coincided with him having a prolonged cough. He doesn’t seem to have much resilience or willingness to just crack on.

It’s come to a head now as Im 30 weeks pregnant and have been catching cold after cold after cold lately, probably at least six colds in the last two months. But I’ve not really had a choice but to get up with our DCs, go to work full time, etc. By contrast DH caught a cold last week, I started off trying my best as he did look poorly but it’s been more than 7 days now of me giving him lie ins every day and he’s still got the dressing gown of doom on and my patience is really wearing thin! He refuses to see a doctor or take a day off work of course.

It always leads to arguments that I’m not being sympathetic enough or that he’s not allowed to be ill but really I find it so difficult to find any empathy when I also have a cold, woke up with the DCs at 5am and he shuffles downstairs at 8.

AIBU?

OP posts:
GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 17/09/2025 19:49

Yes it’s very lucky for him that he can decide to push through at work and then abandon parenting responsibilities.

Purplemoon16 · 17/09/2025 19:28

I did make a comment on Sunday that I also had been poorly but didn’t get to lay on the sofa all day, but it didn’t go down well at all.

OP posts:
SteakBakesAndHotTakes · 17/09/2025 19:20

I'd say it's glaringly obvious to see why you're struggling to sympathise
Why the double standard?

DidILeaveTheGasOn · 17/09/2025 19:16

Nice that he can choose whether he's well enough to parent versus if he's well enough to work. What a guy.

FionnulaTheCooler · 17/09/2025 19:14

YANBU. If he's well enough to go to work he's hardly at deaths door and should be helping you more with the kids.