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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be furious with DH over party

336 replies

SilverBirchTree · 03/01/2018 10:43

Been with DH for over 4 years and currently in the middle of our first ever fight.

We have 3 month old DS and it’s been a rocky few months. Massive trouble breast feeding, and health scares with the baby including an ER visit. In the same period of time we moved house and we now live in an area that is completely new to me and 30-45 minutes drive from family.

I have been looking forward to having him baptised. I was so worried and unwell myself at the time of his birth, so missed the initial joyful ‘the baby is here’ time. I saw his baptism as the event for me to quietly celebrate my beautiful baby and how far he’s come.

My mother lives down the street from our family church. We’ve had family weddings, funerals, baptisms there for decades. Mum offered to organise the baptism then serve tea and cake at her house afterwards. Perfect.

DH said no. He wanted the baptism to take place in our new community. He made a little speech about how we’re adults and we need to throw our own events, how his parents shouldn’t have to drive so far to get to it etc. He said he’d do most of the work. I very very reluctantly agreed to have it in our new area and host our parents and siblings at our new home.

Once it was booked DH tells me that actually he needs to invite all his aunts, uncles and cousins. A week later he says that tea and cake isn’t enough- it has to be a cooked lunch. And his grandparents are too old to eat on their laps so it has to be a sit down lunch. Plastic cups are no good, we have to rent glasses etc etc etc. meanwhile he has done sweet FA to make it happen. I even had to repeatedly remind him to tell his grandparents the time.

Then at Christmas he took to bed with a migraine. The reason - he is so stressed about the party, he won’t be able to ‘help’ anymore. It’s up to me. Oh, but his mother (a whole other story) will ‘help’ instead.

I’ve spent the week beside myself with stress (made worse by Baby induced lack of sleep). I am furious that he insisted we turn down my mum’s offer to host and then left me high and dry with his family’s demands and the mental load of trying to please them all.

Today I finally cracked and accused him ruining something that was important to me. We had a full argument with raised voices and me crying. He continued to spout his views about hosting our own events like a broken record, seemingly not caring that I’m the one doing to heavy lifting to meet his directives.

He’s now off sulking and probably texting his mother about how mean I am.

AIBU? Any advice on what to do now? I’m new to arguing with a spouse and not sure what happens when neither party is willing to apologise.

OP posts:
RJnomore1 · 03/01/2018 11:23

Cancel the party.

Go ahead with the baptism. Email everyone and explain that dh is ill and as a result the party is off but if they want to hoping you at x restaurant for food after the baptism they're be very welcome.

Or even better tell him to send the email if he isn't going to get out his pit and do the things he signed up for.

DO NOT do one thing more than you originally planned to or you will be doing it all forever.

I'd also phone your mum explain and ask for help.

foodiefil · 03/01/2018 11:24

Let his mum do it.

Are you in Ireland by any chance?

What can you afford to outsource? Get his credit card and pay for everything to be done by someone else. I'd he is suggesting renting glasses then get caterers. A marquee.

SilverBirchTree · 03/01/2018 11:24

Some really good advice here, thanks so much.

I’ve googled sandwich platters and made an online order for paper plates and cups.

Ive a table for his grandparents to eat at but everyone else can eat on their laps.

Left a voicemail for my Mum, I’m sure she’ll have some good ideas as well.

I will eventually speak to my husband again but I probably need a good walk to calm down first.

OP posts:
nocampinghere · 03/01/2018 11:25

or if he really does want a sit down affair could you get a local restaurant to make a few big lasagnes (you just reheat) and serve with salad/garlic bread? Could be even easier than sandwiches...
ask your mum to do the salads?

plus christening cake for dessert (have you ordered one?)

user9217 · 03/01/2018 11:26

@TheVanguardSix
What a dick. Tell him you don't recall giving birth to twins and to grow up!

^ this

JaneEyre70 · 03/01/2018 11:26

So basically he wants to act like an adult and host a big party, but is actually behaving like a small child and throwing his toys out of the pram because he realises how much he's got to do.
You have 2 choices here : you either stand back and let him fail, sort yourself and the baby out and do not rescue him - or you take it over and give him the message that you are there to bail him out of anything that involves effort or commitment. I know what my choice would be.

SilverBirchTree · 03/01/2018 11:27

Yes we have a christening cake ordered, my brother is going to collect it for me.

I’m cancelling all the hot food I’ve booked. I’m sticking to things people can eat with their fingers, standing up.

OP posts:
FreshStartToday · 03/01/2018 11:27

Hmmm - I know that feeling. Dh has lots of good intentions, wants to make our own traditions, loads of good ideas but somehow it ends up with me doing the work.

Some people seem to manage to find dhs who make their lives easier. However, mine is lovely too, so I am learning slowly that those perfect images I have in my head of how things could be are rarely going to happen. Similarly, his great ideas don't happen either. We end up with something in the middle.

It's probably too late to move it all to your mums now so keep things as simple as possible for you. The most important thing is to get as many folks to church as possible, get some simple food in for afterwards (at your house, or a church hall perhaps) and to enjoy the day, and your lovely new baby.

And next time that dh has a great plan for organising something, remember what happened this time!!

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 03/01/2018 11:27

Good work, Silver Birch. It's about your baby, not the bloody food! Hope your DH realises that and stops sulking.

Let us know how it goes! Hope you have a lovely day.

MaggieFS · 03/01/2018 11:27

The problem is that to win the argument you won't get the special day you want, which is more important. Hopefully you can all have a lovely day with tasty sandwiches and have a laugh how you had to save the day when he got ill.

UnicornInTraining · 03/01/2018 11:28

He is so stressed about the party he won't be able to help anymore

Tough luck. He brought it on himself when you had perfectly valid stress-free solution on hand. He chose to turn it down. I would tell him to man up and sort out the mess he created. He is perfectly able to order whatever food and extra cutlery you need.

ILookedintheWater · 03/01/2018 11:28

Completely salvageable.
He does need to be involved though, so that he understands exactly what effort is involved in hosting.
Things to consider: tidy and clean house, tidy and clean hosts and baby, the service itself, food, drink, cake, crockery, cutlery, glassware, napkins, who will serve everything, where will everyone sit, who will clear up afterwards, speeches, thank you letters for gifts.

You are breast feeding a non-sleeping infant so anything you can manage is frankly above and beyond the call of duty...however you want a lovely Christening and he's fallen apart.
Delegate specific tasks to him, to DM/MIL, to caterer, to catering hire place, whatever. You do the head work and let them do the manual labour. Tell him as you go how much everything costs. Next time he won't be so free with your time and expertise as he'll have more idea what he's asking.

Viviennemary · 03/01/2018 11:29

Christenings are usually family and friend events rather than an opportunity to meet new neighbours. Best thing would be IMHO is to take up your Mum's kind offer to host the event. And tell your DH that in a few months when things have settled down you could have a house warming type of event (which he can organise as he has all the big ideas). And invite neighbours to that.

nocampinghere · 03/01/2018 11:29

can you get a cleaner in to your house the day before?
i personally find trying to get the house straight for such events the most stressful thing !

hollowtree · 03/01/2018 11:29

Hi OP! We also have a 4 month old baby, trouble breastfeeding and just moved house! It's so much to deal with! We are having our DD Christened in March.

Like you, I have a family church. We were married there, my parents and grandparents were married there and myself and my parents were Christened there. We currently live in the Cotswolds, but this church is in Wales!

My DH does not have a faith, but I do. It was beyond important to me that we used my family church, with the vicar I knew.

Party aside (which is a total shitstorm and YANBU!) I totally understand you want your own church and your husband should respect that at the very least.

Tell him you are taking to bed ill because the party is giving you a migraine. Let the party be what it is and just casually on the day (in front of everyone) question everything: "where's the dips babe? You didn't get any?" "Can I have a napkin please? No? Why not?" "Have you remembered xyz is veggie? Oh, right, well that's awkward".

Then just float around as a proud mum with your new baby looking smug and, once everyone has gone, say "well that was a total fucking shambles."

And strut.

foodiefil · 03/01/2018 11:29

Good work.

Waitrose will rent you glassware for free btw.

Toast whoever helped you as a previous poster said.

He sounds childish but I do agree with hosting your own dos however in your case it was clearly an important family church and he's not considered that

allthegoodusernameshavegone · 03/01/2018 11:30

It’s your first fight in 4 years! Boy you both must have some things to get off your chest, let it rip have a massive barney, get all your frustrations out have an amazing make up shag then sit down and discuss your DS baptism and compromise, it has to be what you both want with as little hassle as poss, why not get both MILs to get stuck in so you get both just supervise and enjoy the day.

SilverBirchTree · 03/01/2018 11:30

A big fear of mine when I got pregnant was that we were going to fall into a pattern of me doing all the traditional ‘wife’ work while on parental leave and that would set a dynamic for our lives. I think that’s one reason I am so upset, the fact that he made a big proclaimation about how things should be and then expects me to run around like an elf making his vision a reality.

The fact that he hadn’t organised anything pre-migraine makes me suspect he never intended to throw this party himself.

OP posts:
FucksakeCuntingFuckingTwats · 03/01/2018 11:32

Gregg's do nice big sandwich platters to order. We use to get them for work meetings. Bags of crisps in a bowl. Few of those pre packed salad bowls from Morrison's and trays of cakes from Gregg's.

Then tell dh he is on tea/coffee duty.

Oldraver · 03/01/2018 11:33

Your DH is being a twat. No one expects a full on meal (unless it's decamp to the pub restaurant) to be served for a baptism. Also no one is going to care about plastic cups. He needs to re-evaluate the whole thing and do what he is capable of.

Funny how he wants all this pomp and suddenly a migraine makes him incapable but you with a baby to look after can manage it.

heateallthebuns · 03/01/2018 11:33

Sounds like you're doing a great job handling it. Great idea to get the sandwich platters, paper plates and cancel the hot food. In future you will be able to do things how you want if he isn't going to help, and you now have evidence of him not helping.

CoraPirbright · 03/01/2018 11:34

How much has he actually achieved? What do you have to build on? If its this w/e then we need to know so can think of a plan of action for you.

SilverBirchTree · 03/01/2018 11:34

@hollowtree thank you and congrats to you!

OP posts:
user1495451339 · 03/01/2018 11:35

I can kind of understand not wanting your Mum to host as he probably wants family input regarding your baby to be equal. However, the rest is very unreasonable of him, especially the ducking out of responsibility for the whole thing!

I wonder if his mum has been putting pressure on him to include them more and knew that your mum hosting would annoy them. My friend's family literally hosts everything at their house including birthdays, Christenings, Christmas etc and her husband's family don't really get a look in - maybe he is worried about that kind of scenario.

Well done of rescuing the situation - not that you should have had to!

hollowtree · 03/01/2018 11:35

Actually, everything ratrolypoly said.

I am clearly very immature 🙃