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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to expect boyfriend to contribute to housework?

209 replies

nutellacrumpet8991 · 19/12/2018 10:13

I've been with my boyfriend for almost 3 years now. I am 23, he is 36. We don't live together although we are planning to move in together next year after i finish my master's degree. I stay at his place for weeks at a time, even months during the summer.

I don't work but i have my own money. Less than him, but enough to cover my rent, bills, food, travel and necessities.

Generally we get along well and things are good. However there is one major problem that has been bothering me. When i stay at his place for a long period of time i do EVERYTHING. I do laundry,i fold it and put it in the wardrobe, i cook dinner every single night, durink the weekend i also make us breakfast and lunch, i do the dishes every single day, i pack his lunch for work, i clean the flat,i take bins out, i even put his dirty clothes in the laundry basket. I also do a food shop every week (i don't drive so i have to carry bags uphill for half an hour).

He works Monday to Friday from 9 to 5. Desk job. When i tell him that he should do some stuff around the flat too he says things like 'Well i work every day so we can have a flat, food and afford nice things'. Which is fair, but it's not like i am dependant on him. I pay rent for my own flat, i pay my own bills, i pay for what i need for myself, i buy food for the both of us.

If i don't do the housework he still doesn't do it and i can't live in filth. If he makes a sandwich or toast he lives the buttery knife on the counter, crumbs everywhere. He is very messy. We had an argument a while ago because the bin was full and i did not take it out that day and he said to me: 'I feel like when you are here you treat this flat like a holiday home'. Then i told him every single thing i do around his flat and again i got the 'i go to work every day so we can have this and this' response.

I did a big expensive Christmas food shop the other day. But we still need the turkey, veg, fruit and drinks that are difficult to carry. I keep asking him to go get them but all i get is 'i am tired, just make me a list and i'll grab some things during lunch break". I said no, we need to go one day when you come home from work. He just tells me he's tired and that i can get the rest of what we need because i have nothing to do. Last year was my first Christmas with him. We had a Christmas lunch with his family then for the rest of Christmas we ate cheese sandwiches because he was too unorganized and lazy to do a food shop.

I now have doubts about moving in with him next year. I'll have a full time job too by then and i don't want to come home from work, do everything while he is relaxing on the sofa waiting for dinner to be ready.

Besides this he is affectionate, funny, caring and we enjoy our time together. His family is great and they like me. I really don't know what to do.

OP posts:
Shoxfordian · 19/12/2018 13:25

He's not going to change
Do not move in with him unless you like being an unpaid housekeeper

sadkoala · 19/12/2018 13:27

Jesus do not move in with him OP!

My bet is that if you have a chat with him and lay down the law/threaten to not move it etc he will "change" for a bit and then as soon as you move in with him he will be back to the old ways and you will potentially feel stuck.

He's 36 and sounds like a child. If at that age he is incapable of keeping his own place clean and tidy he won't magically change now.

You're 23 and have much better things to do than waste your time on that OP.

BitOutOfPractice · 19/12/2018 13:31

It's unbelievable (almost !) that tere are still men like this around isn't it?

OP leave. He won't get better. Quite the opposite

CarolineTheChemist · 19/12/2018 13:32

I have been here OP and there is no nice way to say this, but you deserve more. If he isn't prepared to be more respectful of your time then you need to replace him with a new man.

I tried so hard to get my ex to change over this issue and he wouldn't. He just couldn't see how any of this stuff was just as much his responsibility as mine. Each time he would leave his glass beside the dishwasher rather than putting it in the dishwasher he was saying "my time is more important than yours, therefore i expect you to put this in the dishwasher for me"

He used the classic lines "well I don't mind if the sink is dirty, so why should I clean it?" "i don't care if we don't eat healthy food, so why should I go grocery shopping?"

Some men will take take take take take and if you point out how much they're taking they will turn the blame on to you and your high standards.

He used to arrive home a good hour before me, he'd take the time to go for a run, shower and play is guitar. I would walk in, take off my jacket, go straight to the kitchen and start cooking dinner for both of us. Often I'd come home after having done the grocery shopping too - he didn't like going to supermarkets cos the bright lights hurt his precious little eyes.

After 2 years of living together I realised I was basically his mother. I looked at my future with him and thought about having kids and how we would share responsibility. I became very depressed and thought that actually if my life was going to be looking after him for all eternity then I'd rather be dead. Seriously, rather be dead.

So i took a chance and broke up with him. It was scary, but I knew I wanted more from life. All I regret now is that it took me so long to do it.

I found this thread on metafilter a long time ago and it really helped sum up my feelings on this matter:

I really hope this helps you too.

Having a Conversation About The Imbalance

WilburforceRaven · 19/12/2018 13:38

Do NOT move in with him! He will NEVER change. He sees lifework as someone else's job because he's selfish, entitled manchild. This is how he will always be. He sees you as a handy domestic appliance.

NO amount of 'chatting' or conversations will change him, it's just farting in the wind.

5foot5 · 19/12/2018 13:41

Another one saying DON'T DO IT!!

You are only young - the same age as my DD. Do not tie yourself to some useless, lazy man-child who will expect you to run round after him for ever. Ditch him. There is plenty of time to meet a nice, grown-up sort of a man who will treat you with the respect you deserve.

This is not normal.

My DH is 60. He has always pulled his weight and done his share of housework, shopping, cooking and childcare and we both go out to work. Actually, DH once said that he thinks it is particularly important that our DD grew up seeing him do his share so that if she ever took up with a lazy git (like your boyfriend) she would know he was being reasonable.

5foot5 · 19/12/2018 13:43

he was being unreasonable of course

BestZebbie · 19/12/2018 13:44

That is a great deal he has going there! Next I'd say "we've had six months of me living at your flat, now we do six months of you living at mine and doing all my housework". If you don't like the idea of him messing up two flats whilst you have no tidy space, for God's sake don't move in with him on a more permanent basis!!

TheGoddessFrigg · 19/12/2018 13:48

Why do you think he's not going out with a woman his own age? Hmm

Wooooooooaaaaaaaahhhhhhh · 19/12/2018 13:49

Are you his girlfriend or his maid?

He won’t change, this is how things will be. And it will get worse if you have children. He will still expect you to do everything because you know, he works. 🙄

You have the opportunity to change this however by not moving in with him.

Wooooooooaaaaaaaahhhhhhh · 19/12/2018 13:50

Also, just stop doing his washing. He has arms and knows where the machine is right?

Pernickity1 · 19/12/2018 13:50

Nope, nope, nope. I made this mistake OP, I'm so regretful of the fact that I didn't have the insight you have before I got pregnant. Now I'm stuck with this bullshit because I brought children into the mix. If I had known then what you know now I would have ran a mile.

Do NOT move in with this man! You are so young, you are well educated, you don't need to settle - leave him and find someone better... I wish I had.

FrogFairy · 19/12/2018 13:53

Trotting out the very true pearl of wisdom...

He has shown you who he is. Believe him.

And then LTlazyB.

Ellisandra · 19/12/2018 13:55

More fool you if you do move in with him.
MN will still be here when you want to come back and complain he hasn’t changed though!

Why on earth do you pick up his dirty clothes? Some of this is of your own making. But most of it - he doesn’t give a shit about running a home the way you want to, and he doesn’t give a shit about compromising to make you happy.

ThistleAmore · 19/12/2018 13:56

@TheGoddessFrigg

BEST response! GrinGrinGrin

mirren3 · 19/12/2018 14:00

No, no, no. Do not move in with him, if this is how you feel just now it's only going to get worse.
FWIW if it was me, I'd also stop staying at his place so much, he's on to a winner if you do everything for him. In fact I would be seriously thinking of the relationship, you're only 23, you have the rest of your life ahead of you and there are plenty of men out there who would treat you as an equal not just an unpaid cleaner and Persoanl Shopper.

woollyheart · 19/12/2018 14:01

It sounds wonderful for him. You are a great girlfriend and also a free servant.

storm11111 · 19/12/2018 16:31

I'm assuming he survived before you were on the scene packing his lunch.

Halt housework and observe him in his natural habitat so to speak, if you cannot live in the result of this, then you should not live together.

TinkerSpy · 19/12/2018 16:35

Household chores should be easily shared; having a clean home, washing and food prepared benefits BOTH of you.

He's proved himself to be lazy and selfish. Those traits don't change.

cstaff · 19/12/2018 16:39

He obviously needs to find himself another mother - that is not you OP

Candy43 · 19/12/2018 16:40

I both do and don’t think it’s unreasonable.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable because you don’t seem to live there. It’s his house he should clean it.

However if the reality is that you do pretty much live there then it might be different. I can’t see a suggestion you have kids and he is working and you aren’t. That doesn’t give him the right to abdicate all responsibility but I’d be expecting the non working occupier to pick up most of the house work whatever gender.

But as it stands I don’t think you live there but you’re being treated like it without any of the perks. If it wants a cleaner he should hire one. If he wants you to be more than a ‘date’ he should commit a bit.

Petalflowers · 19/12/2018 16:46

Why don’t you stop doing everything and see what happens?

Ie. Food shop, laundery, bins etc. He may then appreciate what you do, and realise what you do.

Why are you doing his laundery, food shop etc when you are there? That’s not your job. It’s nice to help out with cooking etc, but you shouldn’t be doing housework when you don’t live there.

SilverySurfer · 19/12/2018 16:56

Unless you are planning to win best prize as a domestic drudge for god's sake don't move in and stop doing everything for him; you are enabling him to be a lazy arse and that won't change. Also please don't get pregnant by this loser.

WhoKnewBeefStew · 19/12/2018 16:57

Do not move in with him op!

losingfaith · 19/12/2018 17:28

He is showing you who he is. He isn't going to change, if anything this is the "honeymoon" period and will actually get worse as time goes on. As others have said huge red flags.

My husband earns far more money than me despite em working full time also. He has honestly never once thrown that in my face, or used it as an excuse not to do things around the house. Whilst isn't great at some things cleaning wise things, he is brilliant at other things so it works out 50:50 for us.

If it were me I'd sit down and think about whether I'd be happy with someone with the attitude he has ("well I work every day...you have nothing to do"etc), what if you had kids and and became a stay at home parent? I'd be concerned about him not seeing me as an equal, or appreciating what is done around the house etc. Personally from what you've said I wouldn't move in with him and would consequently question the long term viability of the relationship.

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