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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think he should get out of bed to deal with his own delivery when I'm getting the kids ready for school.

43 replies

FamiliarSting · 08/06/2016 00:03

OH just asked me what time I get up in the mornings, because he's getting a delivery for work early tomorrow.

It's no big deal but it's really annoyed me.
Mornings are always stressful and difficult. I have a 3 and 7 year old to get ready for nursery/school and the 3 year old is always difficult. There's never a spare second; we leave when we're ready.
Basically mornings are rushed and I do them by myself.

Whether OH is working or not he NEVER gets up to help me in the mornings, whether it's a weekday or a weekend. He's never given me a lie in, even when I requested that as a birthday gift. The only time he's helped in the morning is when I've had a migraine (completely bed ridden debilitated horror) and for a week or so after I started an AIBU thread here about him never helping by taking DD1 to nursery when DD2 was newborn. I'd like to add both kids were terrible sleepers and I've had two full night's sleep since DD2 was born.

So I am really irritated that he just expects me to rush downstairs to answer the door when I'm trying to wake myself up, battle the kids to get up, convince the 3 year old to get out of bed, get dressed, feed them, try to break up the squabbles and have them out the house with their things as close to our goal time as possible. If I have a spare 30 seconds I'd like take it to maybe grab a drink or chill out a bit. Not stand at the door waiting for the guy who's pressed the door bell then sodded off to the van or waste time with the chatty delivery guy when I need him to leave already so we can get ready and go.

I know I am being petty and I am resentful. But surely given how selfish he is with sleep he should put the door bell in his room (separate rooms as he moved out when the baby woke him in the night) and get up and deal with his delivery himself?!

OP posts:
CurbsideProphet · 08/06/2016 07:57

I'm not sure why you are still with him. Of course YANBU. This is not a partnership. You do everything for the children while he does nothing. I'm baffled tbh.

ChaChaChaCh4nges · 08/06/2016 08:00

STBXH would have tried exactly that too.

Right up until I told him I was leaving if he didn't start to pull his weight, he did literally nothing in the mornings. Unfortunately even when he did start to help on weekdays it didn't make my day any shorter - I just got to work earlier (we both work FT). He still took both lie-ins at the weekend.

It wasn't enough - his entitled, "fuck you if your needs oppose my wants" attitude persisted in every aspect of our lives and we separated last Autumn.

Sallygoroundthemoon · 08/06/2016 08:02

YABU about the parcel but YANBU about the situation. His attitude towards caring for his children is deeply worrying and needs to be addressed. He should be doing his bit.

gabsdot · 08/06/2016 08:04

I'm not excusing your dh for not helping in the morning but if you're always so rushed why not get up a bit earlier?

Believeitornot · 08/06/2016 08:07

The parcel is a bit of a symptom of the bigger issue here.

Your dh is a lazy fucker.

I work four days a week and dh full time. One of his days at home. Ok, the balance of responsibility is more on my side but he damn well gets up and helps in the mornings.

Angelik · 08/06/2016 08:11

gabsdot - by even suggesting that you are totally excusing his behaviour. even if op got up earlier the mornings would still be busy as small children will fill up spare time with not getting ready, playing etc.

op - your partner is a prick. you're better off without. though you would still be fully responsible for everything it would be on your own terms and the release from the resentment you feel would be bliss.

ohtheholidays · 08/06/2016 08:35

Of course YANBU but he is like another poster asked what are his good points?

He moved out of the room because of the baby rather than helping with his child!No points there then.
Never helps with his DC!0 points there for being a good parent.
Never lets you have a lay in even thugh you do it all on your own!Lazy Arse.
Wouldn't do the school runs when you'd just had a baby!What the Hell!

Please tell me you haven't made any plans to get him anything nice for Fathers Day!Being as he never wants to act like a parent!

When I was heavily pregnant with our 5th DC and feeling awful and after I'd had our 5th DC my DH would come in from doing a 12 hour night shift(hard job as well specialist armed Police Officer)he'd tell me to go back to bed,he'd get the 4 older DC up,he'd make them breakfast,he'd stick the laundry on,he'd make packed lunches,get the oldest 2 to get washed and dressed,he'd get the younger 2 ready(one of the younger 2 is autistic)he'd do our DD's hair and then he'd take them to school,they were 11,8,5(our 5 year old DS is autistic)and 4.
He'd come back,get the washing out,stick another load on,dry the first load,he'd make us both a cuppa and some breakfast and he'd bring mine up,wake me up and we'd have breakfast together.

That's what you do when you have DC,it's not just a relationship it's a partner ship as well and my DH is not the biological parent to our 4 older DC and he's 7 years younger than me,my DH was 27 then,if he could do all that and I never once asked him to there's no reason your OH can't get up and help out and take it in turn with you to have lay ins.

My first Husband was the same as your OH,our oldest 2DC can remember the difference and they hated it,they chose to stop seeing they're biological Father last year.

If your OH wants to be respected and loved by his DC when they're older he wants to start changing his ways now,because they will remember when they're older and it could affect they're relationship in a bad way,and besides would you want your DC growing up thinking this is how a partnership should work,one parent doing everything and the other doing nothing.Which ever one they turn out to be in a serious relationship once they've had DC it won't be good for them or they're future familys.

MLGs · 08/06/2016 08:47

Ignore the door bell. Shout at him to get up maybe but don't open the door. If you think he will get abusive or difficult about that then that's another reason not to be with him.

My stbxh was similar re lie ins btw - including the not even being prepared to give it as a b day present.

FamiliarSting · 08/06/2016 09:29

Why have I put up with it? He never wanted children in the first place, our oldest wasn't planned, our youngest was but it took a lot of convincing.
And so I accepted that he wasn't going to be a very involved father. With DD1 it was a lot easier, I was breastfeeding so there wasn't much he could do in the night and back then he was working a different job so was working long hours often into the early hours. So it just became the norm that he would sleep in and it was never much of an issue other than me longing for some decent sleep.

He rarely works late now, occasionally he does and I'd never expect anything of him when he's working late. Though I've accepted he's not gonna step up, now I just don't feel like I should be expected to help him out in the mornings either.

He works, I don't. I feel grateful that I'm able to be a stay at home mum and think I have it pretty easy, though I'm able to see the other side and realise how utterfly crappy it is and that plenty/most men help their partners out with the children and housework.
Again, I've just accepted it. I don't even resent him anymore for his lack of help around the house.
Our relationship is pretty crappy.
I stay with him because I have hope that things would improve, I'm not even talking about the sleep thing here.
He's not abusive but there is very little love or affection.
But basically it's just easier, life would be so much more difficult if we seperated.

icklekid

But what did you say to dh when he asked about the parcel? Surely that's the perfect opportunity to discuss how him getting up with you in morning would make it so much easier with 2 dc? Eg. Oh thats great whilst your waiting for delivery could you get dc1 dressed whilst I sort lunches? If you just say no problem then he will presume its no problem...(rightly or wrongly!)

I answered with a brief version of my OP- that I thought he was cheeky for asking, that I didn't have a spare 30 seconds in the morning, that I was annoyed he'd assume I would drop everything to deal with his delivery when he was so selfish with sleep.
It really annoyed me and I went to bed shortly after.

He actually did get up before it arrived. Which was good because it came while I was trying to do one DDs hair while battling the other to put on her socks. We didn't really speak much, I'm still annoyed and this has just made me think more about how utterly depressing the relationship is.

gabsdot

I'm not excusing your dh for not helping in the morning but if you're always so rushed why not get up a bit earlier?

I was expecting someone to say this but edited out a long rambly chunk that explained that! :

DD2's nursery is attached to my 7 year old's school but opens 20 mins earlier. They're relaxed about start time so it's fine if we're late but I like to aim for the start time so she gets her full 3 hours to play etc.

We're rarely there at opening time unless my 3 year old is having a cooperative morning. There's plenty of time if she is, we already get up earlier than we used to and getting up even earlier seems to make us end up later as if we have time to sit around they start messing around more and when it's time to leave they're into something else.
We could get up earier, get out the house earlier, then hang about at the nursery gates for 5 mins, but I'd really rather not as it's no big deal if we're late, I'd just rather not be.

Angelik

op - your partner is a prick. you're better off without. though you would still be fully responsible for everything it would be on your own terms and the release from the resentment you feel would be bliss.

I generally do feel like this.

OP posts:
ijustwannadance · 08/06/2016 09:49

It"s so sad to read that you chose to continue in a relationship with a man who told you pre children that he never wanted kids and you knew would be an absent father.

He won't change. A comfy, easy life is no use if it is also miserable with no love, affection, mutual respect and help.
Your DD's will grow up thinking this is how men behave and how relationships should be.
Flowers

coco1810 · 08/06/2016 09:51

Wow seriously! Even if he works nights he has no fecking excuse. I work until 4am and get back up at 7am to get my kids ready for school. If my DP has the day off in the week he gets the kids up and gets their breakfast so that I can get a lie in. He's a parent too, you're not his mother! Tell him to man the heck up!

FamiliarSting · 08/06/2016 09:53

ijustwannadance
Yes, you've just summed it up perfectly.

I think I've been living in denial for a long time and I'm embarassed that I've let us live like this.

OP posts:
ohtheholidays · 08/06/2016 10:18

OP I chose to become a single parent to 3DC(the choice was that or stay with him and slip deeper into depression and end up feeling suicidal and probably ending my own life)less than a week later I found out I was a few months pregnant(I was still breastfeeding youngest DS)raising 4DC including a breastfeeding newborn and youngest DS who is autistic was still far easier than looking after the DC and him,it was also alot happier,no more blazing rows(always started and continued by him)no walking on egg shells,no cooking,cleaning and picking up after a manchild,no him ranting and raving at and about the DC and no him ignoring that the DC even existed the rest of the time.

Leaving him and raising the DC on my own was the best decision I ever made,if I hadn't I wouldn't have gone onto meet my DH and we wouldn't have our 5th DC.

footballmum · 08/06/2016 10:54

Jesus. Some women have bloody low standards Sad

kitkat1968 · 08/06/2016 17:23

I am going to go against the grain.If youir DH works fulltime and you are a SAHM with kids of 3 and 7 out at school and nursery a lot, then yes I think YAB a bit U
On a weekend they can surely go downstairs for a bit and watch TV a bit whilst you and your DH have a lie in.

puglife15 · 08/06/2016 18:00

kit kat every single day? Every single weekend? Even her birthday?

megletthesecond · 08/06/2016 19:37

fam sorry you've got that crap to deal with Flowers. You know it's not great, sometimes it takes a while to figure out how to change things for the better. My xp refused to get up in the night and rarely let me lie in, I've been on my own for 7yrs but tbh it's better than having a self centred adult in the house too.

Highlandfling80 · 08/06/2016 20:12

The3 year old only gets 15 hours and with op being left to do the childcare 7 days per week and all the housework too. I suspect her working hours are far longer.

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