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AIBU?

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Husband not pulling the weight? Or I am having unrealistic expectations?

30 replies

Wonderlands123 · 22/09/2026 10:14

So I'm in charge of the finance and general house admin, school communications, shopping etc. DH often does 1 school run / day, check some of children homework, a bit of tidy up & grocs shopping and bedtime story. (we have a cleaner a couple of times a week so just need to clean up after the meals). Apart from that, he doesn't take notice when things need to be done and only does things when being told to. Children come to me for most things . I feel like carrying the mental load for the whole family.

When we both worked full time, it didn't feel massively unfair as he earned twice or 3 times as much as me and his job was probably more demanding than mine.

Now as he has just been made redundant. He's been glued to his desk and computer as he's trying to learn new skills and find a job.
I am expecting as he's now not having a job, he should be doing a lot more housework / being on top of the children's schedules but he claims that he's still working very hard to find job and support the family. He says he also does a lot of housework during the day when I'm at work and can't see it.

I start to feel resentful, for example: going home after work and I mainly do the cooking. He would approach and ask do I need any help, but surely if he's around all day he could have planned dinner himself not wait until I get home? Then he knows he needs to clean up afterwards with the children, but then he claims that he feels exhausted after the meals so he needs to lie down for half an hour before doing any work. I therefore feel the ick and often just do it myself. I know if I ask him to cook he would or if I leave the mess he will do it eventually but I get fed up being an organizer for everything.

I've talked about how I feel and he acknowledged said he will try his best to improve, but it's a slow process. In the mean time, I'm getting a bit impatient and frustrated and this is not a good atmosphere for the family.

He is otherwise a faithful, loving husband. In general I think he doesn't expect or want me to do more housework than him. He'd rather the house is messy, or we eat takeaways. He thinks I simply have higher standards and higher expectations than him.

YABU = I am having unrealistic expectations
YANBU = Husband not pulling the weight

OP posts:
arethereanyleftatall · 22/09/2026 12:36

Wonderlands123 · 22/09/2026 11:27

He'll actually be totally okay with it. It doesn't bother him as much if he has to feed the children a couple of fast food meals or leaves the mess a day or 2 to the cleaner to arrive, or children go a couple of days without showering for example.

Are you attracted to a father who is too lazy to be a decent parent?!?

GordanoServices · 22/09/2026 14:25

Wonderlands123 · 22/09/2026 11:27

He'll actually be totally okay with it. It doesn't bother him as much if he has to feed the children a couple of fast food meals or leaves the mess a day or 2 to the cleaner to arrive, or children go a couple of days without showering for example.

Personally I would find that attitude in a partner deeply unattractive.

OtherKidsEh · 22/09/2026 14:43

Have you thought about "working late" a few nights a week and letting him get on with dinner and the kids and leaving him to sort the mess in the morning on those days?

If he was single and had no kids, he would he expected to have a job and do all of the life admin, cooking and cleaning, so why does "earning more" ever equate to doing less at home? The problem is thst he always has and has done exactly what you said: opted out.

GordanoServices · 22/09/2026 17:44

Honestly @Wonderlands123 he is taking the piss. We’re in a very similar situation. My DH been made redundant from high paying job at least 4x my salary. He spends time every day on looking for a job and speaking to his network but is also totally on it with the laundry, kids homework and cooking. Plus kids doctor appointments, extra admin. It’s not perfect. There’s stuff he still just doesn’t know needs doing. But he’s 100% making the effort. Thing is, he cares. He likes a neat tidy house, and enjoys cooking. That’s why I’m still with him.

Gobbledegoo · 22/09/2026 18:06

DH did shift work most of the time: Lates (2pm-10pm), earlies (6am-2pm), nights (10pm-6am), days (7am-4pm). I worked FT normal office hours and didn't get home until 6 or 6.30pm. We had 2 DC at Secondary School. He cooked a lot, prepared the veggies (and cooked his own meal) lates, cooked the meal mostly on the other shifts. Did a lot of the gardening/decorating/looking after pets etc. I did shopping, laundry, admin etc.

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