Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To want a break from my 3 little ones?!

77 replies

ShuffleShuffleSpin · 16/03/2019 11:40

Please help me figure out how to get some kind of break as I am at the point where I have no energy left to think!!! I have three children, a 3 year old, 2 year old, and 3 month old, and am a SAHM. I am self employed and currently taking a few months of maternity leave but will return to working soon. I am with the kids all day every day, with the exception of my 3 year old being in nursery 15 hours per week. When I work, I work from home in evenings after my husband comes home from work. Right now literally every day consists of dishes, laundry, taking the children on child centred outings like the park or toddler groups, cleaning up their messes, and cooking. My husband wants me to make him a big hot dinner every night as well as one to take to work for his lunch in a leftovers box, so I do lots of cooking as well. I love my kids so much, but when I have all three of them on my own, I can just “manage them” — I can’t really get quality time with them. My 3 y o is a high energy boy who sometimes plays nicely with his little sister, but often pushes and hits her and needs lots of supervision. The toddlers love the baby but I can never turn my back when they are with him. If he is in the same room as they are, intensive supervision is needed. The 2 yesr old is clueless and she shakes his bouncer, tries to touch his eye, tries to sit on him, etc. The children love to make messes and dump out boxes of toys, empty kitchen cupboards, toss folded laundry around, open drawers and throw out the folded clothes etc. Just normal children but it is exhausting when I don’t have a break at all. On weekends my husband wants family time and makes me feel guilty if I ask him if I could have 2-3 hours to please just stare at the wall in peace and be “off duty”. I am so burnt out mentally and physically. When we had baby number three I told my husband I wasn’t ready to try for a third mentally or physically as having just one baby and toddler was a lot — I said I would only do it if we agreed I could have about 8 child free hours per week to re charge and remain human. Now that we are here, with three kids, he wants to save money and doesn’t want me to get regular childcare. I feel my mental health is failing apart. I am starting to snap at the kids. It doesn’t help that my MIL says things like “a mother must be selfless”. And he repeats this. Any suggestions for how to get a break in this situation?

OP posts:
Clutterbugsmum · 16/03/2019 13:45

He is saying I’m horrible for shouting yesterday and that I need to get my act together and learn to control it and that I am going to become like a horrible neighbour we used to have who we heard shouting at her kids Tell him until he has them 24/7 while still doing all house work, cooking for his lazy arse then he gets to criticise until then he can STFU.

It so easy for him to criticise you while he does fuck all.

Actually show him this thread and we can tell him what like in the real world and not these 'lifestyle' blogs where they have cleaners, childcare while pretending they are superwomen and doing it. And he could use the time he's reading/watching these blogs he could have done something useful.

I don't know a single parent who in your state and has not lost their temper and shouted at their child. It's perfectly normal to get upset when you are worked to the bone, lack of sleep and have some idiot saying your not good enough. When a proper parent and partner would pick up the slack to help.

If I try to explain why I did/didn’t do something, no matter how calm my voice, he says we are bickering Tell him we are not bickering and the time it's taken YOU to be an arsehole YOU could have tidied the fridge the way YOU like it.

The more you write about him I don't think he will ever change. He just lazy manchild who expect you to wait on him hand and foot.

I would write a daily diary of everything you did in 24 hours and give it to him and show him you do not have time to anything else. Every time he comes home and list 10 things you didn't do give him list of 400 things you did do.

MutantDisco · 16/03/2019 13:46

OP, this what what I would say to your DH but I'm a stroppy cah

'If we were to separate, you'd have to look after the DC for an entire weekend on your own while I had a break, as well as cool your own dinner. From where I'm standing, that looks like a better deal than I've got currently'.

Coffeeisnecessary · 16/03/2019 13:54

This is very sad to read, he is lazy and abusive to you and sadly as often happens with criticism, it starts sinking in. Don't feel guilty for snapping, I don't know any mum that hasn't had shouty moments with their children. He's supposed to be your partner supporting you, not telling you that you are horrible. He needs to uphold his promise to give you 8 hours off so you can recharge and he can learn some understanding, he sounds useless though so don't know how you get him to do it.

Rumi00 · 16/03/2019 13:59

OP. I’m so sorry to read about all this, but, can I ask, why did you have to pay for the cleaner and babysitter out of money your parents gave you? This is a joint expense - does your DH not see that?

I really sympathise with a lot of what you’re saying because I’ve been there myself. There was a time when I had 4 DC under 7 and a workaholic DH. To be honest, it was easier when DH was away with work (which he generally was for at least a couple of nights every fortnight) because that was my “break” - ie not having to make an effort with dinner, tidy up before he came in, etc. Also, not have to listen to his criticisms and “have you done x?” “Can you do y?” on top of everything else. When you described your DH’s habit of making criticisms as a way of managing his own stress, I can totally relate to that. And yes, if you answer back or snap, you are told you’re being “difficult” or “snappy”. At least you’ve recognised this dynamic early on though. It took me about 14 years to see what was going on and I only really verbalised it in the last year or so since I’ve been in therapy. Since then I’ve been taking small steps and it is starting to make a difference.

The only thing I would say to where my DH sounds different to yours however, was that he didn’t mind at all how many hours I booked a cleaner. I did have a bit of help on and off, but with 4 DC it never really meant much of a break anyway tbh and sometimes the “help” was just another thing to manage. DH never begrudged me that though, I have to say. I had no family around, but loads of friends and we live in central London so loads to do and easy to get out every day etc. I think if I’d been somewhere rural, I wouldn’t have coped. Also, to be fair to DH, he never expected me to go back to work; no pressure there whatsoever and I never had to account for anything I spent on myself or the DC. He’s very easy-going and generous in that sense.

I think if my DH expected me to do all that you do and then work / study in the evenings, that would be the final straw. You need to lay it on the line for him.

As for reading blogs about women who seem organised etc - WTF?? I would throw the bloody laptop at him.

Tell him in no uncertain terms - a) you are exhausted b) if you end up having a breakdown you will be no use to him or anyone c) you cannot cope with one more criticism. Not one more. Even if he doesn’t mean it as criticism, this is how you hear it and it is making you ill d) go to the GP e) tell him you need a regular break in order to function as a good enough parent to your children and if he doesn’t sort this as a matter of priority, you will take yourself away for a weekend and he can see how he gets in alone. This has hi to the point now where you have to protect your sanity. Maybe when he is left alone with the kids, he could consult some blogs about “do it all dads?” That’s bound to sort it Confused

Also let him know in no uncertain terms that if he wants the “do it all” housewife / mother as his wife who never complains, then he needs to be the “do it all” sole financial provider who gets on with that role and never complains and /or restricts his wife’s access to money or expects her to take on anything else outside the home. He can’t have his cake and eat it frankly.

I wish you all the best and take it easy on yourself.

ShuffleShuffleSpin · 16/03/2019 14:00

Sigh. Yes I think a lot of you are right in that I have a marriage problem. If DH were more empathetic and supportive I wouldn’t have this problem. I also realise I need to just pull myself together and not let him treat me this way and perhaps push for counselling and definitely push harder in general. I have gotten beaten down by fatigue. I have actually texted him during the past couple of hours and told him again that he promised I could have regular time off etc before child 3. I asked him to imagine how it would feel if this were his life each day and he had a breastfeeding baby and had to make hot food and clean and wake up at night. I asked him to imagine being in a room all day with intermittent tantrums and crying and said even selfless people are human beings who get tired and need a break. He asked me to make some suggestions and said would it help if we added another nursery day and put DD in nursery instead of waiting until she’s closer to three. So good. We have a start. Thanks for helping me see a bit more clearly.

OP posts:
Chamomileteaplease · 16/03/2019 14:00

What is the longest time this horrible man has ever looked after all three by himself?

Smoggle · 16/03/2019 14:03

I think you need to do less asking and more telling - decide what you want, arrange it, inform him what's happening.
And stop doing so much cooking!

PregnantSea · 16/03/2019 14:07

A mother should be selfless as much as a father should be selfless, surely? You aren't beholden to a different set of standards. You are both parents, you are supposed to look after the family as a team. If you stumble your teammate should step in to help.

I would just stop asking and tell him that things are changing. Either organise the child care or organise something without your family on the weekend for a few hours. Then just tell your husband that's what's happening as you aren't able to cope anymore. You made an agreement that you'd get childfree time so hold him to that. Make sure he's clear that this is a serious matter to you and him brushing it under the carpet is no longer an option. Your mental health is at stake.

The added bonus to this is your husband will need to be alone with the children for a bit and will get a taste of how demanding it is for you. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is the real reason he makes you feel guilty for wanting a few hours alone at the weekend - he doesn't want to have to deal with the kids by himself.

Rumi00 · 16/03/2019 14:09

The thing is OP, you get so exhausted you can’t think clearly. You have no mental space to even think about helping yourself. You just live from minute to minute; always reactive to kids tantrums or mess or feeding. You can’t remember what it’s like to be hands free - just walk out the door with no fuss. This is what they don’t get (the DHs). It’s not the individual tasks - it’s the loss of self that’s overwhelming. This is what they don’t understand because you can’t unless you’ve been in that situation on a long-term basis.

billybagpuss · 16/03/2019 14:16

The other problem is they get a skewed version of what its like, because 'daddy looking after them' is the novelty rather than the 24/7 reality he gets the best of them and they don't tantrum and act up.

Colabottles64 · 16/03/2019 14:21

I have two and they are wearing me out, I can’t even imagine three of 3 and under! Your DH needs to pull his weight and stop expecting to be served dinners and lunches etc. How about he minds all three kids on Saturday and simulataneously makes you lunch and dinner?? I’m sure he would rethink how feasible it is for you to manage to do that relentlessly then.

Oh and feel free to tell MIL and him to piss off of they bring up that awful “mothers must be selfless” shite again!

Harumphharagh · 16/03/2019 14:23

OP, this what what I would say to your DH but I'm a stroppy cah

'If we were to separate, you'd have to look after the DC for an entire weekend on your own while I had a break, as well as cool your own dinner. From where I'm standing, that looks like a better deal than I've got currently'.

OP, I had written a long post but deleted it as too personal but this ^ is what I did (DH is a dote and would NEVER criticise but travels a lot for work and ALL the mental wife work was falling to me). I really meant it too! It really worked. I think it's only ethical to do that if you really mean it, i.e. not a threat.

I had been coming to the realisation that my life would be easier and i would have more free time to work if we divorced, and that if he was prepared to let me live like that, like a domestic slave, then he obviously didn't really love me so we should get divorced anyway. It kickstarted a lot of changes for us and now we are happier.

LannieDuck · 16/03/2019 14:27

Please leave the kids with him for a weekend (take the baby with you if you need to breastfeed). Challenge him to look after them by himself for two days (i.e. no running to Mummy), and have the house clean/tidy (to the standard he demands of you) and with enough food cooked for dinner and his packed lunch on Monday.

Bonus points if there's a doctor's appt (or something else he has to get them both out of the house at a certain time for) during his weekend.

If you don't let him find out how difficult it is, he'll never understand.

TheVanguardSix · 16/03/2019 14:30

I can smell the 1950s division of labour coming off your DH, OP.
The repeating of his mother's stale mantra... oy veh! I'm getting the rage on your behalf.
I really think a lot of men don't understand what it means when they want to try for number 3 or 4 and what the impact of this is on a SAHM. It is hard enough with one child.

I found with DC3, I felt just like you (without the expectations your DH is laying on you). I just wanted to stare at a wall.
Making your DH lunch must stop. He can do this. It is utterly ridiculous that your are packing him a lunch. He is not a fourth child. Or is he?
Does your DC3's nursery offer wraparound sessions? Ours did and it was a godsend. Also, as was mentioned above, I'd put your DC2 in nursery twice or three mornings a week.
I just 'did it'. I didn't ask DH's permission. I just put DD, when she was 2, in a private nursery for 2 mornings a week. What is 'saving money' worth when your sanity is at stake? Invest in some peace of mind, OP. The payoff is worth it.

Stripyhoglets · 16/03/2019 14:53

Good start but you also need to tell him not to come in and criticise you after both if you have had a full on working day - you at home and him out the house. Tell him now and tell.him when he starts.

Kokeshi123 · 17/03/2019 04:18

He reads blogs of women who he sees as organised and thinks I need to be more like them.

Oh my fucking GOD. He is living in la-la land. What an idiot!!!! Pushes his wife into having a third child (why, since he does not want to be involved with the kids' care?) and then expects his house to look like a showroom????

HedgerowTree · 17/03/2019 04:38

From your updates he is actually starting to sound quite abusive and I cantsee what you are getting from staying married to him? There’s not love for you, you are his house slave.
Tell him you need tomorrow 8 hours to your self. Go out, maybe come back to feed the baby only once or twice and just sit in your car or walk round a park or have lunch in a pub. He’ll see what 3 kids is like then.

Leaving him means you get the weekends off when he has them, your life is easier as you aren’t cleaning and cooking for him. Seriously, him coming home and telling you how you at failing at being a housewife is not normal loving or kind. Your life will be better without him.

InionEile · 17/03/2019 04:56

He is a dick. Unless he is taking the kids on his own on a regular basis, he doesn’t get to complain about how you parent. He has no idea how hard it is to have 3 children aged 3 and under clearly.

I had 2 DC three years apart because I knew it would be too intense without help otherwise. Even then it was tough. The only mothers I know who cope well with as 3 or more DC that close together either a.) have family help or b. ) paid childcare or - rarely - c. ) very calm, easy children who sleep well from an early age.

Tell him you either get paid childcare or help from family or else you will think about divorce. Then he will be forced to share childcare costs while you work and you will get at least every second weekend free.

Also you might want to gently introduce him to the sad truth that not everything on the internet is real so these perfect mother blogs he is finding will be carefully edited to make life seem effortless. What an idiot he is.

ferntwist · 17/03/2019 05:08

Show him this thread! So unfair of him to pick on you each night as a way of managing his own work stress. What a bully. You’re a saint not to have left him already.

Tinkerbell456 · 17/03/2019 05:54

You must be exhausted. Of course it’s not unreasonable to want/ dream of a break. Doesn’t mean you don’t love your family. Means you are tired!

circeplease · 17/03/2019 06:04

Just wanted to add my sympathy OP and I hope you get it sorted - some great suggestions here. Honestly this would challenge anyone’s mental health and you shouldn't have to endure it. Most people don’t. Good luck Flowers

ukgift2016 · 17/03/2019 06:22

Oh it makes me angry how some men now expect their wife to do all the housework, cooking, childcare and still expect them to work as well.

What a miserable life. You would get more free time if you split, you do realise that?

I don't understand why you had 3 children so quickly. You were suffering after the second yet took the risk and had a third. Beggars belief.

Triedtohelp · 17/03/2019 07:29

Probably because as the OP said she arranged with her DH for more support....which isn't happening.

cptartapp · 17/03/2019 07:50

I struggled with two little ones and went back to work pt for a break. Tell your DH to naff of with his 'no childcare' attitude. And warn him that if this marriage fails because of his attitude he'll have three young DC to sort out himself half the week. See how he likes being 'selfless!'

TheVanguardSix · 17/03/2019 09:24

I can't believe you have to ask him for time off, you know. What is he? Your boss? He's treating you like some breeder/PA. It's not on.

You just need to 'do'. I didn't ask DH if I could put our 2 year old in nursery for two mornings a week. I just did it! I made the unilateral decision to do what was best for me. Because everything was on me and I needed to catch my breath. I did it for my mental health. I wasn't going to wait until I was broken and the stench of resentment filled our household.

OP, seriously, you're a physically strong, strong person. Look at all you do! So go on, put that strength into action where it's needed most now. Don't let your DH be the dominant person in your relationship.

Stop the 1950s division of labour antics. Put yourself on equal footing. Make decisions. Don't ask permission to make 'joint' decisions' because this isn't happening. You're awaiting his approval. What's he going to do? Leave? Nope. Assert yourself in this marriage, OP. Get your self-respect on.

And I normally don't say this but in your case: Don't get pregnant. Wait, if you go for number 4.

Swipe left for the next trending thread