to think that maybe after all I am just a lazy arsed cow?

[FunnysInLaJardin]

Dh and I both work FT. He teaches and so see's the DC far more than me ie he collects them from the CM and looks after them during the holidays.

I work FT and get home at 6pm. I have 5 weeks holiday.

He had a fit at me tonight after an incident with DS2 at about 9pm ref a dirty nappy. Basically he shouted that he does most of the childcare and that yes I should change DS2 after I had said 'Shall I do it or will you?'

I am rather bewildered tbh. I do all the cooking and tidying up and while we both work hard it seems quite an even balance to me. The only issue I suppose is that the DC have always wanted 'Daddy' to do stuff when they are tired and so to avoid a tantrum 'Daddy' does whatever, like cleaning DS2's teeth and putting his PJ's on. The other thing is that I get up at 7.30am as I have to be out at 8.30 with the DC whereas DH gets up at 6.30 as he has to be out at 7.30. Some of that time will be with the DC if they are up.

This 'thing' has been going on for years with DH. I always have the sense that I am not quite doing enough, that my job is way easier than his, that he really draws the short straw.

I am very confused and would love to know if IABU about being upset that, despite me working FT and missing loads with my DC who are 3 and 7, I am still not somehow pulling my weight.

Writing this all down now looks silly as we are both obv tired but this inbalance between how hard we work has been going on for years and I am fed up.

[lemonmuffin]

You are not lazy. If you're holding down a demanding full time job and bringing up young children at the same time, there is no way you could possibly be lazy. Don't even think that.

It just sounds like you are both knackered and struggling with the workload a bit. Understandably. Give yourselves a break, keep talking to each other and tell yourself it will get easier soon.

[FunnysInLaJardin]

thanks lemon I think you are right and we need to ride it out. We are quite good at talking about stuff once we have both cooled down a bit. Thinking about it both children have had a fluey thing this week which has meant broken nights, tantrums from them both and us having to split the staying at home to look after them. That of course means we are behind at work and the circle just gets more vicious!

Blimey it's hard work this parenting lark!

[redskyatnight]

I'd agree about swapping jobs round. DH and I both work full time and (as it happens) he does more with the DC and I do more of the cooking/cleaning type things. It's not so much that I don't think DH is pulling his weight (because I do), but that I get sick of having to cook EVERY night.

We had a "discussion" once because DH didn't think it was fair he always had to put the bins out (a job he hates) and I hardly ever did. I retorted that I didn't think it was fair that I always had to clean the bathroom and downstairs loo (a job I hate) and he hardly ever did. To my surprise he instantly agreed to swap. As doing the bins takes 5 minutes and the bathrooms takes significantly longer I was totally gobsmacked - but it wasn't the job or even the time taken to do it that was the issue, just the fact that it was ALWAYS the same person doing it.

[PessaryPam]

I think you are getting undeserved stick from your DH. I hate people who make you feel guilty, it's very unpleasant. He wants the money you bring in and then resents your hours. Not acceptable.

[curryeater]

As tortoiseonthehalfshell says, it's important whether you get the same sort of amount of leisure time in the evenings. BUT: I also notice there is an extra hour in the mornings for you. You say you don't "need" (you mean for your WOH job) to get up till 7.30; but sometimes the kids are up from 6.30. So, then, someone needs to be up earlier, don't they, so why is that always him?

This matters for two reasons:

1. That hour in the morning is an hour he doesn't get to read or watch films or do press-ups or whatever he might like to do in the evening (because he will have to go to bed an hour earlier). So account for it when you look at what time you each get "off";
   
2. It shows a bit of a lack of solidarity that you are in bed when he is up and so are the kids. Maybe he could get up later and / or have an easier morning if you got up at 7 and put half an hour of your time into getting them ready. Maybe not - not sure how these things work - but deciding that your getting up time is influenced only by your leaving-for-work time is a bit I'm-alright-Jack, no?

[BrianButterfield]

Pessary - you could say the same thing about the OP though? She resents her DH's hours and the time he spends with the DC.

Getting up at 6.30 every day to teach (which I do) when my partner stayed in bed until 7.30 would drive me absolutely insane, I'm afraid. I feel like I am desperately clinging to every second of sleep I get so to be getting up and ready for work and doing stuff for the DC while someone else snored away would be so maddening. Getting back at 4 and spending two hours in sole charge of DC is not exactly kicking back with a coffee and a magazine, either.

[PessaryPam]

Brian, she is not making him feel guilty though, he is doing that to her.

[FunnysInLaJardin]

generally speaking the children don't get up until 7.30 when I get up and so DH has that time to himself. We then sort out the children between us and I take them to school and to CM.

And yes, he is trying to guilt me not vice versa. I don't resent DH at all. I am very happy that the children get to come home for 4pm and spend time with their father. What does upset me is that I get told 'I do most of the childcare' when it is not possible for me to do anymore. So I feel I get the worst of both worlds. Being resented for being out of the house so much and yet having to work until 6pm are rarely seeing my children during the week

[CheeseandPickledOnion]

Have you actually sat down and told him that is how you feel? Had an actual conversation about it perhaps?

[FunnysInLaJardin]

I tried to last night but he would not speak to me. No doubt tonight we will talk about it. I feel as though he is asking me to do the impossible ie find more time to help with the children. We are good at communicating as a rule but he does tends to have little blow outs every now and then, mostly when I am least expecting it.

[MeSoFunny]

We can all be a bit crap in relationships. He's being a bit crap about this, maybe you'll be a bit crap next week. I hope the talk goes well tonight but try not to build it up into something giant. It sounds like the ebb and flow of life with all its pressures and stresses.

[FunnysInLaJardin]

Thanks everyone, really thank you. This has helped me see DH's perspective without making me feel an utter cow. We didn't have the 'talk' and as MeSo says I don't think either of us wanted to build it up into a big thing.

What actually happened was we met at parents evening (DS1 for once is at national average for everything, yay) and then went home. DH had done 'my' jobs i.e. tidied up and made the lunches, done the homework etc I then insisted on doing all the DC bedtime stuff and DH made dinner. It all worked beautifully and I think we both understood that each of us work hard. It was so nice not to discuss it ad finitum and just know what to do to help the other one out. We didn't talk about it at all, not even that I had called him a TWAT and broken the kitchen door again

[Softlysoftly]

Sounds lovely Funnys, and to be to be fair in such a stressful life the odd blow out is inevitable.

In fact id go so far as to say if parents with busy lives didn't have the irregular explosion ofdoor slamming tantrums more suited to their children they would be considerably abnormal :)

[FunnysInLaJardin]

Softly I am sure you are right. I feel rather childish and petulant and hate to think what my children make of it, but there it is!