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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to think my DP is an idiot (and a big kid!)?

10 replies

unlucky83 · 26/07/2013 13:13

A week or so ago DP bought one of those deep 'easy set up' 8 ft paddling pools 'for the DCs' (6&12). We have a small slightly sloped garden...
We tried to set it up but it really needs to be absolutely flat - the water just poured out of one side...(not the end of the world - we are moving soon into a house where we will be able to put it up)
Gave up and got the old 4 ft pool out, repaired a few punctures (left it blown up in garage for ages last summer thinking weather must get better) and the kids (bar the 40+yo one) were happy ...

(I was miffed because I had had to empty the big one, put it to dry ...and deal with disappointed kids )
Thought no way am I struggling to get it back in the box - told him he could do that while I was out with DCs...
Came back to find he had managed to balance it on the paved area - right outside the back door - I have to step over it to put the rubbish out...
The area it isn't really big or flat enough - so he has moved some flags from another area and also has things like the beach towels (scruffy) supporting under the sides -
It is kind of an oval shape -a bit distended - looks very unstable...
Worried it is just going to collapse and spill water everywhere - it must contain gallons and gallons ... if it does it will be a disaster...
Into the house as so close to the door? - or (maybe even worse) flood our down slope neighbour (have to be careful emptying the small 4 ft one on the grass because of this )

To make it worse -even though weather here is a bit miserable he insisted the children played in it yesterday evening with him (lasted 20 mins as too cold)- and with the hosepipe too - which they left turned on in the pool -
Last night I heard a 'waterfall' noise when making a cup of tea - water was spilling over the side... took 6-7 buckets ( 4 gallon ones) of water just to stop it flooding over -and had to carry half of them though the house into front garden as grass is so sodden from recent torrential rain it was turning into a mud bath...
(he went to bed as works early and left me to it ...)
Made me realise it is also going to be a nightmare to empty ...and the only access to an outside drain we have - you guessed it - is under the bloody thing

First thing this morning I checked it was still holding...

So AIBU to think DP is an idiot....and more of a DC than his DCs ...

OP posts:
BlackeyedSusan · 26/07/2013 13:21

the only thing you can do is ensure that he feels the consequence of his behaviour. afte carrying all that water your back/arms ache too much to do.... (insert something impotant to him.. eg cooking his dnner/his washing)

NoisyDay · 26/07/2013 13:33

Ffs,calm down!its only water,just ignore it and make him deal with it if anything happens.life is waaaayy to short to worry about shit like this.

GladbagsGold · 26/07/2013 13:35

It'd be a terrible shame if it developed a puncture right over where the outside drain is...

unlucky83 · 26/07/2013 13:39

Well I will struggle to get past it to hang any washing out anyway ...
(it is so close the cat is struggling to use its cat flap ...)
Worse -its raining now....(and so distended the cover won't fit on)
...just waiting for the tsunami ...
Hopefully our neighbour will see the 'funny' side Confused ...
Need Biscuits

OP posts:
phantomnamechanger · 26/07/2013 13:39

crikey ND, really? you'd be fine with this?
its only water yes, but a hell of a lot of it, in an unstable paddling pool right next to the back door and on a slope- chances are if anything did go wrong her DP would not even be there to help clear up.

neighbours of ours did this a few years ago - after the first week or so of use, they had this huge pool of water sat there all summer, they did not have a clue how to empty it and when they finally did, by god did it stink!

unlucky83 · 26/07/2013 13:43

Noisy neighbour is very nice -but also loves her garden - it is immaculate - the idea of washing her pansies away with a tidal wave just doesn't bear thinking about ...
glad -the outside drain is under a flagstone - I'd have to lift it up to lift up the flag ....else a puncture would be a very tempting idea...

OP posts:
NoComet · 26/07/2013 13:47

Be glad you have a DP who like doing things for their DCs.

It's far better than the alternative, even if they can be very annoying.

I do feel your pain, easy set pools are anything but if your lawn isn't perfectly flat.

We have a big one and a great deal of digging was done and a lot of other household jobs not done.

I now have a large piece of trashed lawn all winter. Fortunately neither our windows or next doors look onto that bit.

NoComet · 26/07/2013 13:51

Also we live on sandstone, which is cheating, our soil is just one great soak-away. It has to be our rural drains are pretty awful.

unlucky83 · 26/07/2013 14:00

The point is the kids were happy with what they had - it was the big kid that wasn't...

If I knew he would be so determined I would have dug the garden out ...

(He doesn't do digging -
When we had a blocked outside drain I tried to dig it out but it was hard work - so I got a quote (a hundred or so) to sort it up - he said that was too much and he would do it - after about 3 mins he gave up and told me to call the plumber!
Then we replaced our old rotten shed that had soil piled half way up one side I was building the new storage box thing to put the stuff in in case it rained -he asked if he could help - I told him the next job was to dig the old shed out ...he took the kids to the park instead - forgetting that somebody (me) would have to dig it out...)

OP posts:
comedycentral · 26/07/2013 14:05

I am trying to imagine this in my mind. It sounds like a bit of a big job now. I think you should both try and sort it out together. It sounds dangerous having all that water around your DC's.

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