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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to say no to school run?

456 replies

Nanaletti · 16/11/2018 11:03

I'm 4 weeks PP. Usually do the school run once a week to pick up DSS, but my DD is currently quite demanding, I'm knackered, had zero sleep, she's attached to my boob 24/7 and the school run is 20 miles there and 20 miles back.

I'm really stressing about it but know that if I don't do it, DH will be stuck because he's at work.

I'm completely exhausted. WIBU to say no to doing it for the foreseeable future until DD is in a routine?

OP posts:
LagunaBubbles · 18/11/2018 05:23

What did your DH say?

Seabreeze18 · 18/11/2018 05:27

We have everything all wrong in this country about how we think women should just get on with everything after birth. At 4 weeks postpartum u should be still being cared for at home and having help so that you get rest. Other cultures around the world do this. There is no way u should be driving long distance and a child at school will understand why u can’t pick him up if explained nicely. Be kind to yourself OP giving birth and becoming pregnant is the biggest shock u will ever have.

Mummyoflittledragon · 18/11/2018 05:58

Mikklehaha
Don’t you realise that some of us never get to have more than one child precisely because we are too ill from having our first? Not all women are super human and can have 3 children and manage a build project directly postpartum. My health never recovered after having dd. I’m now disabled.

Sarahrelly
Are you seriously advocating a person should drive when they are a danger on the road? It has been well publicised that sleep depravation has the same effect on the body as alcohol. A sleep deprived person will have similar reaction to a person well over the legal drink drive limit. Both also risk falling asleep at the wheel.

I hope op is recovering well at her mums house.

Gooseysgirl · 18/11/2018 06:47

Of course YANBU OP... First and foremost here this is a safety issue. You should not drive if it's putting lives at risk. Ignore PP who clearly haven't RTFT 🙄

Oneweekleft · 18/11/2018 06:48

Not read all the comments so sorry if this has been mentioned but could DSS get a taxi ?

Micke · 18/11/2018 08:20

OP says she is too exhausted to do this. I believe her. She shouldn't do this. Another solution can and should be found, there are other adults in this family.

I'm fed up of people deciding that women's assessments of their level of pain/exhaustion can be brushed aside, as if we don't know ourselves.

DoinItForTheKids · 18/11/2018 08:37

It sounds to me like the contact order needs varying (assuming that there is one) - the DH and XW, when she moved, should have immediately gone back to court with a request to vary the contact order - the entire concept of weekday contact is unfortunately an unworkable one with these distances - especially if their own father can't be arsed to be in the driving seat (literally) of making it work. It's also really unfair on the little boy having to go back and forth in the middle of the week like that because neither his actual mum or or is actual dad have a shred of responsibility to vary the order. They don't even have to go back to court (in reality) - all they needed to do was have a conversation, say it's not going to work let's move to weekends, job done. The court wouldn't care where all parties are happy but if they want to formalise it, it's back to court.

And don't bash the XW for moving - you have no information on her reasons - they could be entirely thoughtless to the ramifications for everyone else including her son, but there may be really good reasons too that none of us on here have a clue about. When I divorced I moved 80 miles away in a north-westerly direction in order to be able to afford the required 3 bed house that I couldn't afford in the same town we'd been living in, secondly whilst living in the original town their D'F' despite being only 10 minutes away did not see them EOW and one night in the week picking up from and dropping back to school as was put forward as the interim arrangement by solicitors, no, he saw them from 11am on a Sat to 4pm on a Sunday and in fact once he'd taken me to court for contact (!!) that's when they started seeing him more!! I wasn't taking my children away from an established and enthusiastically engaged with contact regime - we didn't have one because their dad is a [insert word of choice selfish bell-end].

However, in acknowledgement of how far I had moved (a 45 minute trip each way on a good day) and how much I wanted my children to have regular contact with their dad, I, as the children's mother and the one who had moved, ensured that we met half way at the 45 minute journey point at all times - so it was fair. And can I say that their SM was not involved, never did a drop off or pick up and we did that regime for 8 YEARS. And she didn't do it and it never even crossed my mind, because it's NOTHING TO DO WITH HER! It's not the stepmum's responsibility.

OP - you sound like you are doing SO so well with your DSS. I only wish that once my XHs wife had had her baby she hadn't completely gone loopy and started being really quite horrible to my children such that my DD only sees her dad about 3 times a year because he's not 'allowed' to come up here and see her. The way that you have deliberately set out to treat your DSS the same as your other children - I take my hat off to you and truly believe this is the only way to approach it and definitely the only way with children of this age where you have opportunity to create an additional ell-functioning family unit. Good for you, it makes my heart sing that you have this attitude. That little boy couldn't be luckier to have you Flowers.

But.

Whilst you can indeed help with transportation for contact it's not actually your responsibility. Your DH has been, actually, completely irresponsible. In fact, he's treating you and his own DS appallingly when you look at it. He'd be happy, potentially, for his DS to be left at the school gate rather than communicate with you OP, in order to make other arrangements. He should never have expected you to do the journey - shame on him for that; and he should be ashamed, that assumption was appalling.

You stick up for yourself OP - it's not being a bad stepmum in fact it's quite the opposite, especially where you're so incredibly tired and it could be dangerous. It's not deferring to the new baby over DSS, it's acknowledging that a newborn needs an incredible amount of care and that includes the ability to frequently directly observe them which you can't do when they're strapped in a car seat for two hours.

Also, I hear what you're saying about city centre traffic in the city you referred to - my 10 mile journey home from the city centre can take 50 minutes when the schools are out, but anything up to 1.5 hours the rest of the time for what should be a 40 minute run! And 'pulling over for a rest' or 'pulling over to check on the baby' wouldn't be an option on the main routes - you'd either be on a fast moving dual carriageway or a main A road and would literally hold up everyone behind you and cause a major traffic jam. And any journey where in order to complete it you're required to pull over several times to check your occupants are still alright, is a journey you shouldn't be making in the first place.

Antigon · 18/11/2018 08:42

@Oneweekleft would be quite pricy for 2 x 1hr trips every week. Depending on where is. Where I live that would be at least £100.

gerispringer · 18/11/2018 08:44

Be assertive. Just say the school run is just too much at the moment, I’m really struggling to cope, can we work out an alternative arrangement at least till the baby is a bit older as I just can’t do it now, it’s affecting my health and its not good for the baby. Your DH should do it or pay for a taxi / escort for the older child.

OhDearGodLookAtThisMess · 18/11/2018 08:44

Shesabelter, Oh well done! Brilliant suggestion. You'd "just get the train," would you? Hmm
Because all train lines run exactly from one's home to where one wants to get to.

stuffedpeppers · 18/11/2018 08:56

I think you are finding out exactly why he is her EX!

poppy54321 · 18/11/2018 09:11

I think you need to say no. It’s a lot of travelling with a 4 week old. I would not expect someone to do this. Also one of my daughters hated car travel at around 6-12 months. Screamed the car down, it was dreadful and to be avoided at all costs.

NotBeforeCoffee · 18/11/2018 09:24

I don’t think it’s safe for you to drive that far when so tired. I didn’t feel safe to drive long distances for months after birth of DS (he basically doesn’t sleep)

Plus it will be even worse when the baby starts screaming for milk mid drive.
Your DH shouldn’t want his kids in that situation

fullerhouse · 18/11/2018 09:30

Op how about speaking with dh and getting him to take next Friday of work. Express some milk ready for him and leave dd to him all Thursday night and Friday day then get him to do the school run with dd in tow. Let him see it from your point of view plus you get a good nights sleep and can pop out Friday and have some much needed you time. Win win.

MamanGee · 18/11/2018 09:49

Small babies shouldn't be in car seats for that length of time anyway. When my DD was weeks old she was cluster feeding and I could even drive home from my parents house( 20min drive) without her screaming her head off. That coupled with your exhaustion would not be safe for you to drive that distance. YANBU in my opinion.

IAmBeyonceAlways · 18/11/2018 09:50

Go to your mums Thursday till saturday for a few weeks. Then DH will have to sort it (apologies if this has been said already - only skim read)

MsJolly · 18/11/2018 10:24

Hope you’re having a restful weekendFlowers

SleepingStandingUp · 18/11/2018 12:54

Op how about speaking with dh and getting him to take next Friday of work
If he was that reasonable op wouldn't be in this position though.

Express some milk ready for him and leave dd to him all Thursday night and Friday day then get him to do the school run with dd in tow. I'm assuming you mean threaten to, not actually do it? Why should OP have to go all day without seeing her child, who quite possibly will refuse to take a bottle, all the EXTRA work of expressing (?plus quite possibly shopping for bottles etc) just to make her DH grow up?

Hissy · 18/11/2018 13:28

The “D”H in this has to step it up and manage the pick ups or sort it out with the ex so that contact flexes for a while until a proper and sustainable arrangement is in place.

angel3008 · 18/11/2018 13:40

YANBU.
Two hours is too much a long time driving with a 4 week old!!!
If it was your own DS to pick from school you could much more easily find alternatives but because it’s your DSS, you can’t say much.
Yes once a week seems okay but still two hours with a newborn ! Sounds tough even for once a week.

Vixxxy · 18/11/2018 13:52

YANBU at all

The night before you have the school run day your DH should do all night feeds so you get decent sleep then you'll be able to drive safely

At the very least I would be saying this^

Its very unreasonable to expect you to drive that far because the childs mum moved house and it should be up to DH to sort it out!

Astrid09 · 27/11/2018 05:08

I know its been a few days since last message on here but I had to post. Watched a segment on the program fifth gear/top gear and driving tired or having not much sleep is just as bad as driving drunk. Reaction times changed and the people tested in a simulator crashed. Please explain this to DH your DD is his as well and she needs to be thought of and you. Tell him you're not risky your likes.

Somewhereovertherainbow13 · 27/11/2018 06:29

When did a 20 mile journey become a 2 hour drive? Surely when you get to school you can lift baby out of the car seat and carry her into school to pick up the older sibling which prevents baby being in a car seat for the whole ‘2 hours’ that it supposedly will take. Also if baby needs feeding at this point find somewhere to feed them near school before heading home.

Your comment about having a c section is unfair - yes what if you’d had an emcs and your baby was in special care, it’s not some sort of competition between how to give birth and get sympathy

KeiTeNgeNge · 27/11/2018 07:37

Hope you laid down the law to DH and he is now doing drop offs and pickups

KeiTeNgeNge · 27/11/2018 07:38

I can see you didn’t read the full thread something

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