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Original poster

How ill would you have to be before DH ran from a very important meeting?

64 replies

Inoneminute · 26/05/2020 07:49

Maybe the whole key to this is that the parents involved are prone to over reacting.

MW seems to have had a stomach bug, called DC at work at which point he dropped everything and ran from Downing Street.

In the context of peope who reacted like that to mum feeling unwell, perhaps everything else is reasonable?

DH would come as soon as he could but I can't imagine him running on TV Grin

OP posts:
Waxonwaxoff0 · 26/05/2020 08:00

I don't have a DH but if I did I can't imagine calling him at work unless I physically couldn't care for DS safely on my own.

I'm a single parent and I'm used to just cracking on with it if I'm unwell.

Ohnopoo · 26/05/2020 08:00

Grin I phoned my husband at work once when I was on the verge of passing out from the pain of mastitis and alone with a 6 month old and a 3 year old. He was very surprised to get the call but was home within the hour so there may have been some running involved!

But throwing up, with a 4 year old? Been there, done that several times and it would barely warrant more than a text message to say ‘pick up lucozade and dettol on your way home!’

Blankiefan · 26/05/2020 08:01

Whilst not wanting to defend twatty DC in any way, I don't think that was an unreasonable partner the story. His wife was ill and probably distressed, they both knew it would be CV and they've got a 4 year old. My DH would run out of a very important meeting and I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that of him. I would for him

None of this is to suggest that DC was generally reasonable. He should go

Interested in this thread?

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General health
SimonJT · 26/05/2020 08:02

I’m a lone parent, I had a burst appendix, the only time I didn’t look after my son on my own was when I was literally in surgery and during recovery. I even looked after him at home when I had an open wound (infection).

If you knew me in real life you would be amazed my son survived normal days, if I can look after a child while ill literally any idiot can.

BarbeDeMaman · 26/05/2020 08:03

He might do this if I was having the last rites. But I would not gamble my last penny on that.

Fleurchamp · 26/05/2020 08:04

I don't think DC did the wrong thing by running home.... but turning round and going back to the office when they both suspected it could be Covid19?
His story has so many flaws.

Yester · 26/05/2020 08:04

DH only came back when his boss sent him when I was in labour (tbf it was after several false starts!)

bumblingbovine49 · 26/05/2020 08:06

Prof course running home when awone is ill is fine,. particularly in a pandemic. Going back to.work when you know.or even think it is covid , not so much

Besom · 26/05/2020 08:06

Dunno but I made him come home from the pub once because I had breathing problems and had to go to out of hours GP (different nasty virus).

janet1267 · 26/05/2020 08:06

When she threw up the 4 year old said 'that's disgusting' and handed her a towel. Apparently.

bumblingbovine49 · 26/05/2020 08:07

Of not prof. DC is definitely not a prof

Tulipstulips · 26/05/2020 08:09

I don’t have any problem with him leaving work to go home and help her. It’s everything he did subsequent to that.

JacobReesMogadishu · 26/05/2020 08:11

they both knew it would be CV

Interesting that you (and everyone else) says that. It’s certainly a reasonable assumption.

D.C. says otherwise. Remember after he ran home, he stayed a few hours and then went back to Downing Street which you are not allowed to do if someone from your household has coronavirus symptoms! He says they did not think it was coronavirus......even though we were at the height of a pandemic, he had been in close contact with at least 2 confirmed cases and it was widely reported that stomach issues/vomiting are an early symptom for some people.

He thinks we’re all stupid.

AvocaLove · 26/05/2020 08:14

My DH has come running three times in 18 years of marriage and 15 years of parenting.

The first time was during my first pregnancy when I fainted while out in the city centre. I fell, hit my head and blacked out. When I came round and eventually was coherent a member of staff in the shop got my phone and called him. He ran to the car, drove to pick me up and took me straight to hospital to be checked out. If I hadn’t been pregnant, I would have just waited until I felt steady on my feet and then insisted on getting a taxi home. I think I freaked out the shop staff though and they were the ones who were pretty insistent with DH.

The second time I was also pregnant - 3rd pregnancy and pregnant with twins. I was at home with 2 other children (age 4 & 2) and fainted in the shower, hit my head, blacked out and threw up when I came round. I managed to crawl across the floor to my bed, get my phone and call him home. He called the midwife en route and she came too to check me over. Again, if I hadn’t been in a high risk pregnancy and if I wasn’t in sole charge of 2 small children I wouldn’t even have called him.

The third time was about a week after we moved into our new house overseas. I was in the house alone (DC all at school and DH at work) and I came into the living room to find a snake in the middle of the floor. I admit I freaked out. I stood stock still, called DH and didn’t move until he appeared. Luckily he worked walking distance from our house so he literally sprinted home and brought a local colleague with him. The colleague was much less freaked out than either DH or I and calmly informed us it was just a harmless garter snake, picked it up and tossed it in the garden. DH never lived in down in the office, but I was rather glad he came!Blush

If I phoned DH and told him I felt unable to care for the the DC when they were young he would have come because he would know I would only call him in a genuine emergency. I have dealt with plenty worse than a stomach bug myself inc repeated fainting spells due to low BP and just got on with it. I’m an adult ffs! Like the vast majority of parents I’ve also dealt with injuries to the DC - split heads, split chins, broken bones, allergic reactions etc and just got on with it alone, with several other children in tow. That’s life!

I agree that they seem rather prone to over exaggeration and drama.

CountryCasual · 26/05/2020 08:14

I’d have to be in hospital and it would have to be the one he was working at, he would pop along to see how I was doing but wouldn’t change out of his scrubs and would only stay until my DM arrived to sit with me 😂

The only time he’s actually missed work for me was when I was hospitalised/ very unwell with pregnancy complications. Which I think is fair.

CMMum88 · 26/05/2020 08:16

Yes my DP would have. In fact he has left work to get me from work when I was having mental health problems and needed to be collected from work and our children were in daycare. Just because I was extremely unwell.

However I still think dominic Cummings broke the law driving to where he did. But not by going home to his wife who was very ill.

JunoJigglewick · 26/05/2020 08:19

I have been very unwell with tonsillitis and flu and in charge of 2 kids before and DH has not come running home (or subsequently returned to work).

I think if I had broken a bone and was in agony then I would call.

Otherwise I've been able to muddle through with Cbeebies and uncontrolled access to the food cupboards for the children.

I'm not saying this is necessarily good. And I'm not martrying myself. I just prefer to push through until evening and so far it's worked.

JunoJigglewick · 26/05/2020 08:23

Oh DH has missed work when I was pregnant - second time, baby was presenting awkwardly. He came to all the scans. I told him to go back to work after most of them.

ScarfLadysBag · 26/05/2020 08:24

DH would come home (probably not at a run!) if I was puking, mostly because it's incredibly incredibly rare for me to be sick and if I'm puking I'm genuinely very unwell. I've been sick twice in 20-odd years, and once was while pregnant!

But his work is totally flexible and he can WFH (even before COVID) so it wouldn't be any kind of issue. He wouldn't have to run it past anyone, he would just come home if I needed him.

Original poster
Inoneminute · 26/05/2020 08:28

Even if they did think it was covid (and yes, if so, going back to work was outrageous) his message to the people has been that in the vast majority of cases it's a mild illness. Why would you assume they were both likely to be completely incapacitated? Again, seems like a huge over reaction.

OP posts:
ScarfLadysBag · 26/05/2020 08:28

I'm generally pretty resilient but I wouldn't struggle on if my husband was able to come and assist. MN is a bit peculiar for a kind of competitive suffering, where people wouldn't call their husbands even if their leg was hanging off. I would call my husband if I fainted, I would call him if I needed to take DD to hospital for any reason. He would find it very odd if I didn't!

Institutkarite · 26/05/2020 08:29

I think that if you want yet another thread about the actions of Dominic Cummings ffs at least put in the title. I can ignore it then like all the others.

Idroppedthescrewinthetuna · 26/05/2020 08:30

I get that. In his head his wife had Covid. I prob would have ran home. But if my DP had called me to say he was unable to look after the children then he would be bad enough for an ambulance.

The bit that baffles me is he got into a car to see if he could drive safely...with his child in the back. This farm he stayed on seems to be quite big (based on what he said and how many cottages there are on it). Why didn't he just drive around the farm?

OntheWaves40 · 26/05/2020 08:30

Did DC give covid to BoJo or was this after it?

CloudsCanLookLikeSheep · 26/05/2020 08:31

Why is everyone believing the lying toe rag? My understanding is he's retro fitted the evidence to fit his story
Maybe he was running for some completely unrelated reason?