Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to not want to cook dinner if I'm a SAHP?

287 replies

CraicWhore · 22/05/2014 19:17

Since having DS 23 months and DD 6 months I absolutely hate cooking and I'm not that great at it anyway. I'm a SAHM through circumstance not choice. I want to go back to work but can't until DD gets a nursery place and DH refuses to take time off work to help with childcare.
If the children are fed and I'm happy to have a bowl of cereal for tea is it unreasonable if I tell DH he has to sort his own suppers out?

OP posts:
Mintyy · 22/05/2014 22:28

What a load of old nonsense you do post all the time HappyMummy.

cerealqueen · 22/05/2014 22:31

Don't 'cook' then, just do oven food and buy him a copy of Jamie's 15 minute dinners.

slithytove · 22/05/2014 22:32

I'm not arguing who has the hardest role incidentally as it's different in every house.

I just think that 'work' ends at a certain time and then home life should be shared.

slithytove · 22/05/2014 22:35

Admin takes a fuck load longer than an hour a month.

Why assume that what is the case in your home is the same in mine? Its so arrogant.

littlegreengloworm · 22/05/2014 22:43

Ok, I initially thought you should make a meal for dh. Mainly because you need some protein and veg too.

Also agree with batch cooking. I do this. Curry, bolognese, stews etc

However, there is something very wrong here op and you need to talk it all through.

morethanpotatoprints · 22/05/2014 22:43

OK, its very rare anybody will see this but..........

I agree with HappyMummy
Well, in my experience anyway.
I manage to do this and H.ed dd too. If dh is in all day although he will be working, he would cook dinner if we were home late.
Other than this its my job to cook as he is the one working.
I'm not a brilliant cook either but needs must, the family need feeding.

littlegreengloworm · 22/05/2014 22:47

Dh needs to change his attitude !!!! No respect here. I would resent it too. Normally I do all cooking, grocery shopping, wasjphing, ironing.

This week (I've finished ML now) I've delgated grocery shopping and ironing to him. Also he cooked his own dinner this evening.

Early next week I am going to get him to deep clean the bathrooms and shower. He wouldn't think of it himself but does clean after himself and wouldn't refuse jobs,

It's a pain how women are still seen as the homemaker.

Pooka · 22/05/2014 22:50

I am a SAHM (though freelance when asked). Dh out from 7.45 until 6pm. Not working hard manually. I'd say during the course of my day I do more heavy lifting and physical "work" than dh.

Have 2 school age dc and one at home.

I don't cook specifically for dh. If I'm making something I think he would like, I'll dish up as he gets home. If I'm making something I don't think he'd fancy, I'll dish up earlier.

Quite often though, as have 2 fussy dcs, or things going on club-wise I will make something specifically for the kids and will have something light later myself.

Dh doesn't complain. My "job" isn't actually to do 100% of the household stuff. I'm not a 50s housewife and he is perfectly capable of cooking if he wants something in particular although he quite often chooses to make himself something simple instead, just as I do.

It's not disrespectful of demonstrative of a shortcoming in our relationship. Just a recognition of the fact that family life is fluid and the simple fact that I am the one at home/with dcs during the day does not turn me into a domestic help. I do all the household stuff that I can during the day and in the evening we are a team dealing with whatever needs doing, whether that's bath times, story times, folding washing or loading the dishwasher. We don't have man jobs/woman jobs (like the idea that men do the bins and cut the grass or decorate and women cook and clean).

I am the one at home because we wanted one of us to be around when kids still young and it made sense that way because of my freelance capacity and dh's superior salary. Not because I am intrinsically more skilled at domestic stuff. And it was never the plan that in staying at home I would turn into dh's mother and tend to his every need. He's a grown up, more than capable of looking after himself.

I don't actually think the op is unreasonable. The expectation that in being the one to stay at home means she should morph into domestic goddess is outdated. Fair enough, if she is cooking something reheat able for the children, she could plate up for the dh as well. And as the children get older and perhaps eat more in the evenings, then that is more likely to happen. But the op is obviously also keen to get back to work, and I suspect that when she does, the dh in this case will still expect food on the table and domestic stuff sorted for his grand return in the evening, regardless of whether she has done a day at work herself as well as dealing with the organisation of children/school/child care. Sounds very unfair to me.

SoonToBeSix · 22/05/2014 22:50

I think yabu and quite selfish

morethanpotatoprints · 22/05/2014 22:52

I think the point about the evening meal is fair though.
To me its not even a who/sahp debate, its whose at home when it needs to be prepared and cooked.
I do agree that the woh parent shouldn't just flop at the end of the day unless they work ridiculous hours.
However, I think its mean if you don't want to have a meal ready for the one you love when they come home. Hang the hovering, tidying or something else if time is short.
If you are at home all day to me there is no reason why you shouldn't.

RufusTheReindeer · 22/05/2014 22:53

YANBU

We tended to share the cooking and now if DH is back a bit later and I've already eaten or I'm trying to have a fast day he sorts himself something

I would say though that there does need to be a bit of give and take in any relationship and you don't appear from your OP to have that.

YoureBeingASillyBilly · 22/05/2014 23:03

What a load of old nonsense you do post all the time HappyMummy.

Grin agreed

whatever5 · 22/05/2014 23:15

I don't think that happy"mummy" has got a clue about the realities of being a SAHP.

Xmasbaby11 · 22/05/2014 23:18

YANBU. In your situation I would not feel like cooking either. Clearly the situation is not working for you so I hope you can talk it through and come to an agreement on how to improve things.

In my situation, on maternity leave with a 4mo and 2 yo, when the toddler is in nursery I can use the baby's nap time to catch up on housework and prepare dinner for later. I usually batch cook then use this food on non-nursery days when I can't get much done at all. However, I do this because I am not getting enough sleep at night not to need daytime rest, and also because DH pulls his weight around the house. If I have had a difficult day and not felt like cooking, DH would be happy with beans on toast. We do discuss our set up regularly and I think this helps to avoid resentment. I can't think of any other advice than to come to some kind of compromise about who does what. Best of luck, OP.

HappyMummyOfOne · 22/05/2014 23:28

"I don't think that happy"mummy" has got a clue about the realities of being a SAHP."

Because it's so hard Hmm amazing considering lots work, parent and still manage to cook, clean and do admin.

slithytove · 22/05/2014 23:34

The point is happy mummy, you can only judge based on your own situation. You don't know mine, or ops, etc.

I'm guessing by your user name you don't know what it's like to parent 2 kids?

There are so many factors. Age, ease, number of kids. Pets. Wohp's job and attitude. Finances, house size, other commitments etc.

It's wrong to judge everyone by your own yardstick.

slithytove · 22/05/2014 23:36

And yes, lots of parents do all of them.

But when I was working before we had kids, the house was nowhere near as clean and we didn't eat half the home cooked food we do now. We were both miserable as evenings and weekends were spent catching up on boring minutiae that I now achieve in the week.

We managed before. But we are happier now, and that includes DH coming home from work and cooking 2/3 times a week.

YoureBeingASillyBilly · 22/05/2014 23:38

I wouldnt assume anything by happymummy username. I've never seen her happy.

Amethyst24 · 22/05/2014 23:46

Actually I think the DCs are irrelevant here. One doesn't eat grown-up food; the other eats at nursery so doesn't need a proper dinner at home. OP doesn't want/need a proper dinner either.

So the only person in the household expecting a full meat and two veg supper is the DH, and if that's what he wants, he can make/batch cook/ready meal it for himself.

morethanpotatoprints · 23/05/2014 00:05

HappyMummy is right though, for many families it is like she says.
Anybody who knows of me will know we never share the same view and love to give each other stick.

The problem is the OP isn't happy with her lot and her dh isn't willing to step up.
My dh has had a meal ready for him since I have known him and likewise he has for me when I needed one. (25 years now)
Until there is equality in this relationship the OP won't be happy and I don't blame her.

MomOfTwoGirls2 · 23/05/2014 00:29

I agree with posters who recommend batch cooking and freezing. That is what I do. I always make enough Bologenese, Lasagne, Chili, Curry, etc to do 3-4 days. Today, tomorrow, and 1-2 for freezer. I only cook 2-3 times per week.

If your DH has a manual job, he really does need proper meals. And if he doesn't get home until after 8pm, he will be wrecked as well as hungry.

I'm on medical leave at the moment, with daily hospital appointments. But MOST days I still manage to have food available for my DH when he returns home from work. At least half the time, the dinner is coming from the freezer. I have 2 primary school DDs, they get fed different food, at an earlier time. Their dinner comes from freezer at least 2-3 days per week also.

Internet is great for easy recepies. Remember to include the word 'Easy' in your search.

Finally, and this is not meant to be a dig. OP, I think you need to eat healthier yourself. You can't live on snacks alone.
If you ate better yourself, you may be happier? I find if I skip or skimp on meals, I tend to be a bit miserable and snappy. I need at least one 'proper' meal a day to keep me on an even keel. (And then just cook up triple the amount for that meal - 1/3 for you, 2/3s for DH to be microwaved when he returns from work...)

And by all means - have DH cook a few times a week!

(My DH has never cooked a meal in his life - but he does all the ironing. I'll cook rather than iron any day of the week... )

aprilanne · 23/05/2014 00:38

well to be honest if he is working all day all day surely he deserves his dinner .my hubby would not have been impressed .as for staying at home .I loved being at home .it was tight but we managed .as for hubby staying at home .hell would have froze over .he has always been a good father .but he would never have wanted to stay at home .if kids were having fish fingers chips and peas .he would have been happy .with whatever .

fairyfuckwings · 23/05/2014 01:01

In your circumstances I wouldn't bother either to be honest!

I work full time (but flexible) hours and work much less than my husband. I cook a meal for me and the kids and will save hima portion on my "short days". On my late days it's every man for himself!

Difference is though, that with us, my husband is very much hands on with the kids when he's home. He'll do bedtime routine, laundry, garden, diy, tidying. Admittedly cleaning seems to either fall to me or not be done - but given the fact I work a lot less hours I suppose it's fair.

fairyfuckwings · 23/05/2014 01:06

And I suppose I'm quite "lucky" in that both my husbands weren't nearly as sexist as some as the women posting on this thread!

"Lucky" or "chose well". One of the two..

Toadinthehole · 23/05/2014 01:44

Another fan of batch cooking here. It means I can get a good, inexpensive dinner on the table for four people in 20 minutes if I need to.

Definitely not a fan of separate meals. What a waste of effort.

LOL at those playing the sexism card.