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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to not have had a night away from my children?

407 replies

Moreroardinosaur · 01/05/2026 19:28

The reason I’m asking is because a colleague is away for the weekend. She came back to work in January after having a baby, so her DD is around 16/17 months now. She also mentioned she had a weekend away in February.

My DS is now five and I have a two year old as well. I’ve yet to have a night away as DD still doesn’t sleep through and I’m not sure DH would wake up / be able to sort her (she can be a bit funny overnight.) Is it just me?

OP posts:
Sunnydays60 · 04/05/2026 15:06

YourShyLion · 01/05/2026 20:07

I have never left mine overnight and never would. People choose to be parents, it's not part time.

I mean you do chose to be a parent, true. Interested in this part time comment though - are you (meaning both parents) literally everywhere your child/ren is/are at all times?!
Also, to say you would never stay away from them is quite a statement. Do you just mean for the purposes of being on holiday? Or do you mean you can't conceive of ever being them away from them overnight for any reason?

Waffleindahouse · 04/05/2026 14:48

Usernamenotav · 04/05/2026 14:32

Some of us had children in a situation where there were 2 capable parents. Lucky us

Wow that was judgy. I agree with you, I’m lucky both of us are capable of parenting our kids by ourselves with no support network. Calling is part time parents because we have to work? Wow…

Waffleindahouse · 04/05/2026 14:45

Is it more you haven’t had a chance to go away or you don’t trust your DH?

I regularly go away with work and so does DH, mine are 4 and 5. We’re both capable parents who can solo parent

Usernamenotav · 04/05/2026 14:32

YourShyLion · 01/05/2026 20:07

I have never left mine overnight and never would. People choose to be parents, it's not part time.

Some of us had children in a situation where there were 2 capable parents. Lucky us

Usernamenotav · 04/05/2026 14:28

Jesus. Ours are 4 and 2 and they haven't slept out away from us, but I've definitely been away. Hen dos/ girls trips etc. Husband has done the same. It's sad that you don't trust your husband to look after them. Has he had any nights off?

ruethewhirl · 04/05/2026 14:25

Cherrytree86 · 02/05/2026 13:34

@tofumad

no. The time for going out lots has passed when you become a mum. It’s time to stay home

If you're the poster I think you are, I suspect your comments on this thread are intended satirically?

OneShyQuail · 04/05/2026 14:22

Its sad you cant trust your husband to meet the needs of your kids 😕

RealReginaPhalange · 04/05/2026 14:19

Maybe she set her bar higher and her husband is capable of taking care of own child at night

Clogblog · 04/05/2026 14:15

Brumeroo · 04/05/2026 14:07

Yet you are with a man who is quite happy to watch you suffer.

I do wonder on these threads when men are described as good dads, and I thoroughly disagree. What kind of person never mind husband/dad, watches their partner be exhausted night after night and does not insist on stepping in. These are not good or kind people in my view. And I will die on that hill.

100% agree. I can't imagine how this works. Night after night, being tired and your DH just carrying on sleeping through. I would just be raging!

I also breastfed both of my children until they were over 2. But night weaned at around 7 months because I didn't want to be the only one able to do night wakings. My kids were also able to go without breastfeeding for a couple of days from a year old.

Cherrytree86 · 04/05/2026 14:13

When was the last time you had a lie in, OP? @Moreroardinosaur

Brumeroo · 04/05/2026 14:07

Moreroardinosaur · 02/05/2026 17:40

I think people do suffer when they’ve had no sleep - I certainly do!

Yet you are with a man who is quite happy to watch you suffer.

I do wonder on these threads when men are described as good dads, and I thoroughly disagree. What kind of person never mind husband/dad, watches their partner be exhausted night after night and does not insist on stepping in. These are not good or kind people in my view. And I will die on that hill.

TheDenimPoet · 04/05/2026 14:01

Elizabeta · 01/05/2026 19:35

It’s fine if you don’t want time away. But it’s very, very odd that the children’s own father can’t be trusted to look after them (whether that’s because of anxiety from you or incompetence from him)

100% this.

Pherian · 04/05/2026 14:01

moonshineandsun · 04/05/2026 11:12

I married a highly intelligent man but since he never figured out how to breastfeed, I had to stick around at nights (and yes I breastfed in line with WHO recommendations so that meant youngest was about 3 when I could leave her because she wouldn’t take bottle).

OTT - a 2 or a 3 year old being breast fed is bonkers. If you want to do that, then fair play but not having a night out or away because you refuse other options is your own issue - not your husband’s.

FartyAnimal · 04/05/2026 13:53

You need to leave your DH to look after his own children. They will all manage without you. I think you need to feel indispensable but you actually aren't! A family member had this - their 20 month old woke up multiple times a night and would only settle for their mum. Surprise surprise - when she had to spend a few nights away, the child slept though, dad coped, and the child now sleeps much better. Mum was making a martyr of herself for no good reason, apart from mistakenly thinking no one could manage without her!

Abso · 04/05/2026 13:51

Depends if you have turned down things you wanted to do because you feel you can't have a night away from them?

HonestPinkExpert · 04/05/2026 13:47

Why even bring your colleague up? It sounds like this post was created because you’re being a judgy parent. It’s healthy for BOTH parents to have time away from their children. If the father can’t look after them, why are you even with him?

BaileyHorse · 04/05/2026 13:45

Each to their own. I’ve done weekends away when little ones were younger and older. Kept my sanity frankly! Everyone has different lives and different kids etc so let them do what they want to do 🤷‍♀️

Ally886 · 04/05/2026 13:45

Moreroardinosaur · 01/05/2026 20:56

It’s a difficult and sometimes frustrating one. Some of it isn’t DHs fault; overnight, DD wants me and only me (and first thing in the morning too, annoyingly enough) and gets very upset if DH tries to go into her. Yes, maybe we could force the issue but in practice that would look like … me prodding and poking DH awake, DH limping and groaning to DDs room and taking ages and DD getting more and more worked up; DD then hysterical because it’s not me and shouting for mummy, eventually DS wakes up, after hours everyone goes back to sleep and are grumpy the next day with hardly any rest (including me …) OR I go into her and settle her in a minute or two and go back to sleep; everyone else oblivious.

so that isn’t DHs fault. It did surprise me the extent though that babies and toddlers seem to need their mother overnight, even older children. As in the day DS has a daddy preference but at night if he wakes (which is barely ever) it’s me he comes to.

I came down quite hard on the "I want mummy" whining. If they kept shouting for me it was DH that would go in If a child had two parents they can bloody well treat them the same else one of us is unfairly disadvantaged.

We both tried to have 5 weekends away a year, some with some without DH.

PloddingAlong21 · 04/05/2026 13:44

Presumably you have left the kids with him for the day, even if retuning for bedtime? You must have enjoyed some time to yourself in the past 5 years?

To answer the original question, my child’s 9 now. At 10 months he stayed with my mum for a week as we went away. We both travel with work so he is often with one of us or the other, whilst we are away for work. He’s pretty chilled out as to whoever he stays with. When he was smaller he suddenly missed the other parent loads to stall bedtime.

However now he’s very easy going whoever stays/goes. He’s with my mum for a week next week as I have a work trip which takes a +1 so DH is coming. We were more concerned how he would cope with this at 9 than when he was a teeny baby. However he is looking forward to his ‘holiday’ with Granny and Grandad and said we both need to bring him back a souvenir!

Brumeroo · 04/05/2026 13:39

Moreroardinosaur · 01/05/2026 21:01

It doesn’t really solve the problem of her not wanting him though.

She will get used to it.

This kind of situation irritates the hell out of me.

We ensured that my husband could do nights from as soon as it was possible. I have never once doubted his ability to look after our two babies who were quite close together in age.

I think it’s actually cruel to make your daughter so dependent on just you. If something happened to you she would need to feel secure with her other parent at night.

You need to get a grip and sort this out. And so does your husband who is happy to let this continue.

Nogimachi · 04/05/2026 13:39

Nothing wrong with not wanting to leave them but DH should be able to cope, and they should be ok at being left with him.

dahliadream · 04/05/2026 13:33

I had my first night away (actually two nights) when my little one was eight months to go to a wedding. I missed her but it was fine! I go away probably once every six months for one or two nights to see friends now and don't have any cause to worry, my little one loves the extra quality time with her dad x

Busybeemumm · 04/05/2026 13:25

It's good for kids to be used to being cared for by their father and trusted grandparents/friends etc. It would be less stressful for them if you had to be admitted to hospital in an emergency or had to stay with an unwell parent ect. It takes a village...

FelixRyark · 04/05/2026 13:24

YANBU to not want to go, your life and you get to live it as you wish.

You say you were a bit jealous of your colleague being able to go away and you can’t envisage that for you. Do you really want that though? It doesn’t seem like it, and that is perfectly ok. Many people here, do see an issue that you don’t, and they are trying to suggest, (admittedly maybe not kindly), that if your DH behaviours could change, you could have that night away. However, the issue you wanted to vent about, you now don’t see as a problem or you are making excuses for. It’s your call, it’s your life, but if you ask AIBU and people say you are (as your experience is not their lived experience) you can’t be annoyed or surprised.
For me, your comment about your ‘D’H being unable to parent his children is a bit strange as this has not been my experience with any of my friends, neighbours or acquaintances. Why would he not be able? Does he have a physical or mental impairment? Why can he not wake up? Would he not hear a fire alarm? you say he goes away for work, how does he operate efficiently, how dies he wake up? These things would honestly be tackled if I lived with him. It feels like rather than not hearing a child cry, he knows you will deal with it, so he abdicates responsibility to you, even in sleep.

I have a BIL similar to your husband, when his spouse goes away he quite literally moves into his In Laws for the entire w/end so MIL can be the responsible adult. It makes me so cross that he foists his parental responsibilities to another, rather than doing his best and just being the parent in charge.

JudgeJ · 04/05/2026 13:24

PenelopePinkerton · 04/05/2026 11:14

How pathetic. A dad that can’t parent.

I wonder how much opportunity he's had to care for their child without her standing over him telling him he's doing it 'wrong', ie not as she thinks it should be done?