DH going to the gym on Christmas Day!

Who said anything about being cooped up in the house?

Why not go for a walk with the kids?

You’re agreeing that it’s claustrophobic for a parent to be ‘cooped up in the house all day’ so they should go out without the kids - yet it’s apparently ok for the kids to stay in the house all day whilst you go out??

Just go out all together.
I’m sure the kids will enjoy it too.

I always buy my DC something to play with outside and it’s sort of the tradition to go out and kick the football in the park, take the bike out, fly the drone on the moors etc.

Or it's just someone doing something that makes them happy for a bit?

My dad always went for a run on Christmas Day - because he ran everyday so the fact that it was Christmas made no difference to him. It was just his routine.

If you can’t stand being with your kids or even your partner for 15 hours then there’s something wrong with you.

Unfortunately it sounds as though you were raised with your parents feeling claustrophobic around you if they spent a day with you and so it’s not entirely your fault but it’s still sad that you grew up thinking that’s normal.

It’s not claustrophobic to spend 1 day with your kids.
Most single parents do this every weekend.

Our PureGym is closed at 4pm Christmas Eve until 8am Boxing Day. It must depend on the individual gyms. Are they a franchise?

It's the Christmas Day bit....

I always think it's a bit try hard, hey look at me, I'm such a dedicated athlete I even train on Christmas day.. that vibe.

Just my opinion that's all

In Scotland the pure gyms and I believe the gym groups are staffed on Christmas day and new years day

I certainly worked Christmas day when I worked for pure gym

What's performative about going to the gym with your friends for a bit?

@Eyeshadow

just in the house cooped up for the full day, yeah, I would imagine a lot of people do, and it doesn’t make them bad parents or their children “poor”…

Agreed. In fact, I would go a step further and think that those who feel the need to talk about being with their kids 24/7 and berate anyone who is not 'enjoying every minute' is performance parenting and saying what they think they ought to feel.
No one - no one - wants to be with their children all-day, every-day, regardless of the current 'family time' rhetoric.
'Poor children' is one of those passive aggressive MN things - judgement, sanctimony and holier-than-thou wrapped up in concern for children the poster does not know and who really don't need her sympathy

Always seems quite performative to me.

I assume you are not married to Daley Thompson

Yes, possibly!

Christmas Day was just a normal day in our house, both my parents worked for the NHS so often one (or both) went into work at some point. My dad would go for a run, my mum would take herself off for a bath, and I often went off to play the latest video game or to read a new book.

The idea of spending every waking minute socialising or doing "family stuff" makes me feel slightly panicky, haha.

I think those posters likely see very little of their children throughout the year, so they need one day to somehow make up for the previous year of not spending a lot of time with them.

Take an hour and half for yourself at some point in the day too. Christmas can be quite overwhelming and stressful for some people, both of you having a little break will probably make the day more enjoyable.

Exactly. I find MN has a weird obsession with "family time", especially at this time of year. I'm just eternally glad I wasn't raised like that!

And that's the bingo card completed...

No, that's not what I said.

I said it's claustrophobic to expect entire families to spend 15+ hours together just because it's Christmas Day. It's entirely normal (and healthy) to want to take some time out for yourself - for a run, to go to the gym, to have a bath, to read a book, to take a nap - whatever it may be.

I was raised in a family where taking time for yourself was very much valued, no matter what day of the year it is. Not everyone feels the need to spend all their waking hours in the company of other people!

Affair partner?

I’m on the fence. If you don’t want him to go because he wants you to help with lunch and your DD then yeah not unreasonable to ask him not to go.
But if you just don’t want him to go because you think he should be at home that’s unreasonable especially if your parents are perfectly happy entertaining DD while you do the cooking.
Obviously he should do the tidying up after lunch so you can chill.
Some people hate being cooped up all day at Christmas- my DH went on a 1.5h walk with the dog last year after lunch, he hates all the sitting around after lunch thing.

You think it’s claustrophobic to spend 1 entire day with your own kids???

Geez poor kids!

@Makemeanonymous

also for a lot of people spending the entire day at home
feels very oppressive and claustrophobic, it’s not really
natural. We need fresh air and exercise and changes of environment. Not being cooped up all day.

@Makemeanonymous

you can still have a lovely family focused day and take 90 minutes out to go to the gym! Children dont need to be stared at adoringly by their parents every second of every hour to have a great Christmas Day. Also you do know that human beings are supposed to exercise every day right? No wonder people in our society are so unhealthy !

Well if you are single there is nothing in the world to prevent you going to the gym whenever you like , even on Christmas day. Good on you for enjoying your single life.

You may have noticed OP 's H took the decision to marry. He took the decision to have a life partner. And he took the decision to have a child. Which means adopting a different outlook to a single person such as yourself. Because he no longer should beputting what he needs and wants at the forefront of his decisions. He has other people to consider, not just himself.

Completely unreasonable. You don’t have to spend every minute together and it’s only a couple of hours. Your parents are there as well?

How long has he got off? Unless it’s his only day off, but still you live together I take it? I would be really annoyed if my dh said I wasn’t allowed to go.

Completely unreasonable. You don’t have to spend every minute together and it’s only a couple of hours. Your parents are there as well?

How long has he got off? Unless it’s his only day off, but still you live together I take it? I would be really annoyed if my dh said I wasn’t allowed to go.