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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To want to lamp my DH for this?!?

78 replies

missmakesstuff · 07/01/2012 12:07

AAARGH! ok, not actually going to be violent, before anyone tells me off, I am so annoyed though, his brother has invited us to Paris to see him and his girlfriend. To celebrate their birthdays (twins) They live abroad, we barely see them, only met her once, seems lovely. They have only met DD once. Their xmas present to us is to pay for the hotel and eurostar, was very excited, they told us three weeks ago...

So I am looking into the trains today, DH just happens to ask 'Do i need a passport for this?' Cause mine runs out..erm...today!

We were meant to be taking cash over to his brother so he could buy an engagement ring for her there, can't bring that much cash out of where they live.

I am sat here fuming, have looked into it online but it isn't possible to renew it before then, he is Irish.

I happen to say how ridiculous it is that he has left it to run out - he is all defensive, well I didn't know we were going anywhere, this is so typical - basically he would have just assumed I would remind him or something, he has business trips all the time abroad, has one in May, he just doesn't take bloody responsibility for anything like this, if left to him everything paperwork related would just be a mess.

I am so annoyed! I was really looking forward to it!

OP posts:
yellowraincoat · 07/01/2012 16:26

NO missmakesstuff. What are you talking about? "It's easier if I just do stuff"? Come on, you are making a rod for your own back. If he is regularly costing you money then you need to sort out separate bank accounts until he can learn to take responsibility. Stop acting like his mother, woman!

missmakesstuff · 07/01/2012 16:27

Stangirl ireland to britain is ok with ID, it's everywhere else that needs it I think, although we have driven to france and never had ours checked, ferry I think, although the last time they did check them.

ohdeeryme we know a cop, so sorted for that, also he is going out tomorrow for pics.

I am washing my hands of it - as someone said, he will either e on the train or not, I have more important things to worry about, have a stack of work to do, speaking of which, better get on and do it, or I won't be going!!

Thanks everyone for your fantastic advice, especially re the Lamping! Have calmed down now....

OP posts:
miserablemum · 07/01/2012 16:32

I think you're being slightly harsh actually. Does everyone on here know when their passport expires??? It's a sort of last minute trip - not like you've booked you're summer hols and he's had 6 months to check. Perhaps a week or so he should have checked the passport in reality......but I'd not be flaming my DH for it.

It's have thought 2 weeks was enough time to get a passport at this time of year ....not exactly the summer holidays. I've got a UK one in a week or so in June before....

miserablemum · 07/01/2012 16:35

"If you use An Post's Passport Express service, which guarantees that you will get your passport within 10 working days, there will be an additional charge of ?8.50 per application" from here www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/travel_abroad/passports/applying_for_or_renewing_an_irish_passport.html

Any help??

Tenebrist · 07/01/2012 16:36

A few years back we needed to get the DCs' passports renewed in a hurry because we had to travel to a funeral unexpectedly. The Irish embassy in Berlin were amazingly understanding about it and said they could have issued an emergency temporary passport immediately (but v. expensive), in the end we got the proper passports renewed within a week - and that included them going back to Dublin and being returned to us in Germany. So I'd have thought 3 weeks is plenty enough time.

On the other hand, I remember there was a passport backlog in Dublin last year and they were taking up to several months to process. You (ie your DH) would want to check that things are back to normal.

I think we need an 'help I'm married to an Irishman' support club. While I love DH dearly, letting his passport run out just before a holiday is exactly the kind of stupid thing he'd do.

warthog · 07/01/2012 16:57

miserablemum, yes, we do know when our passports expire. my dh keeps track of his and sorts it out all by himself.

missmakesstuff, you are a MARTYR!!!

yellowraincoat · 07/01/2012 16:59

Yes, I know when my passport expires. And if I lived abroad, as the OPs husband does, I'd be doubly concious.

HoudiniHissy · 07/01/2012 17:09

My X got his irish passport from the london embassy in about 10 days, last january too.

They told us to write a letter telling them that you have tickets booked and need to get there, they WILL be able to turn it around.

miserablemum · 07/01/2012 17:10

Blimey - we only check ours when we book a holiday....

miserablemum · 07/01/2012 17:15

Actually - it's not about the passport really - it's about the fact that he's useless at organising anything.

I'd not want to 'lamp' my dh if he did this, cos he's very good with other house/personal paperwork so I'd take it as a cock-up and get on with it. n( he is by no means perfect in other aspects of life, but then neither am i!) He is better at some things in the home, and me at others.......

Jasper · 07/01/2012 17:24

No

Floggingmolly · 07/01/2012 17:37

The Irsh embassy will renew it for him in a couple of days. Stop panicking and give them a call.

diddl · 07/01/2012 17:42

OP-hope it all works out-not because he deserves it but because of how disappointed others will be if it doesn´t.

"He is just a bloody nightmare when it comes to anything paperwork related,"

Has he never lived alone & had to cope?

What did he do before you were together?

missmakesstuff · 07/01/2012 21:12

Right, am going to not panic about the passport, he will have to sort it one way or another, one the embassy is open it does look like we have options, thankyou to everyone with practical suggestions and experiences etc, really helpful. Either he gets it or he doesn't, it's not the end of the world, I will go with DD if not - it's in two weeks BTW, the 20th, so only just 10 working days, otherwise we would just send it Monday morning - you also cannot get the bloody forms anywhere but Ireland or London.

diddl Lived with his parents! and when he didn't, at uni, he muddled along, stumbling from one disaster to another, generally drunk though so he didn't care..

As for the bigger issue - I totally know I making a rod for my own back, etc etc, I know I sound bloody useless, a martyr, all that stuff people get told off about on here - but basically, he a a fantastic man, who in life generally is sorted and works bloody hard, however he does have terrible insomnia and so forgets things easily. He infuriates me as I do have to remember most things, have to organise the house, deal with pretty much everything to do with our DD and generally order him about if I want anything done..but on the other hand, he has single handedly done up our house from hideous 80's wreck to lovely period features etc, and is very capable in lots of ways. Does almost all the cooking at weekends, and has taken lots of comments on board about how stressed I an during the week with working full time and looking after DD, as he doesn't get home until very late, so has begun to do more when he is able to like cook at the weekends and freeze it. Sometimes he will totally surprise me by booking a surprise trip away or something - and then as we are about to leave it will transpire that he has packed his dirty washing and no socks (actually happened - he did however remember the engagement ring, thank fuck)

So yes, I am a bit of a martyr, because I know, after 10 years, that if I didn't do these things they wouldn't get done, but I have started to leave him to sort things, like for example the dentist - I have reminded him I don't know how many times to book an appointment, but enough is enough - he will get taken off their books if he doesn't do it, and will have to go private, or will end up needing an emergency dentist eventually cause he has't been for check ups - but what can I do - I remind him, or book it for him, and it's done - I don't and it ends up costing us, as a family, more money - I really don't know what the answer is!

I have told him I am unhappy with him because he relies on me too much and because getting an emergency passport, or at least getting the train to london to get it done quickly, is all going to cost money - and I have told him it is beer money he loses, not money for me and DD - but he will just continue to plod along, not taking it on board, because it's just the way he is, and the next thing he forgets will be too important for me to let go - I will have to do it!

tenebrist Bring on the support club for women with Irish husbands though, I love that. Anyone can join if they prove that their husband had everything done for him from a young age and was never allowed to lift a finger around the house, and has simultaneously developed the amazing talent of being able to ignore any nagging directed at him. whilst having gorgeous eyes and an accent to melt you in an instant, of course!

Anyone who has got to the end of that, I applaud you! I just felt I had to defend myself about being shit, I know I am!

OP posts:
yellowraincoat · 07/01/2012 21:16

I know how hard it is to just stand back and watch them flail around like children. Like I said my partner is the same sometimes. This is why we have separate bank accounts.

warthog · 07/01/2012 22:18

fair enough. we're not all perfect and if the compromise works for you, then who are we to criticise?

justhavintheone · 07/01/2012 22:29

hi, irish hubby here too. this happened to us few years ago and irish passport office was on strike. edinburgh embassy let us get an emergency one on same day, we had to wait the whole day, take all our travel docs and it cost us a fortune but at least we got hols.

HexagonalQueenOfTheSummer · 07/01/2012 23:31

I too would go without him

minimisschief · 08/01/2012 01:26

I am still failing to see how hes a twat. These are shortly made plans and i guarentee 90% of people here couldn't tell you when their passport runs out without checking.

Moominsarescary · 08/01/2012 02:08

I know when mine and the dc's run out, no idea about dps though

yellowraincoat · 08/01/2012 03:07

The OP says he goes abroad all the time. I go abroad a lot too and when you go abroad a lot you tend to have a good idea of when it's going to run out.

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 08/01/2012 04:10

OP, if you posted at 13.14, how come is it evening over there? Confused
In Paris it would be just 14.14, an hour later. Or do they live somewhere else and are too coming to Paris just for a break?

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 08/01/2012 04:10

was it evening

flyingspaghettimonster · 08/01/2012 04:29

try going anyway - hubby lost his passport before a uni field trip to Spain a few years back - found it at 1am when he was leaving at 4am - was 5 months out of date. He chanced it and nobody checked the date properly so he got there and back, no questions asked. Worth a try?

diddl · 08/01/2012 08:18

"I am still failing to see how hes a twat."

Because he knew about the holiday three weeks ago & could have checked then?