To think I’m being a complete CF and not want to ring into work again!

[MeteorGarden92]

So I recently dropped to PT hours to accommodate completing my qualification. Work are wonderful and supportive but I know it’s a stretch for them!

Yesterday I get a call at 7am from DP who has written off his car on the way to work. He’s ok but car is not! (Second accident in 3 months but neither his fault- he has a 2 hour commute on bad roads).

Obviously I rang in and swapped my day off!! They were fine about it.

This morning he’s taken my car to work and I’ve come down to an exploded dishwasher poring water down the front of my washing machine (and no doubt over the plugs at the bag which I CANNOT get into) I’m 26 and not the most stressful practical with electrics but pretty sure I can’t go out to work and leave the new water feature going!

Rang DP - no answer as he’s no doubt mid way through an operation right now. (Dr) so don’t expect a response from him in the next hour or two and even if he does respond he’s over an hours drive away!

Rang my mum- can’t come over.

Rang the plumbers who didn’t answer yet.

This is the second time the dishwasher has done this in a month! And our car was sick a few weeks ago and had to be rushed into the vets (again by me as couldn’t reach DP at work!

DP and I are getting married in 12 weeks and he would bend over backwards to help...if I could get hold of him, which I never can as obviously they don’t allow mobiles in operating theatres and he spends 50% plus of his working day there!

He’s on a 13 hour shift today- I just feel like it’s always falls to me, and it’s always going to be my career taking a huge hit! I’m sat here feeling terrible about having to ring work again and honestly could just cry!!

I think the OP was very stressed, needed to sound off and wanted a bit of advice. She didn’t sound to be being dismissive or awkward as such- just very stressed and worrying about what to do.

Give her a break people- you can get your point across but still be kind!

@BluebadgenPIP - please don't get drawn into YellowFish's imaginary workplace. They have history of derailing threads to hear their own voice

Ignore YellowFish. She posts crap just to be controversial. It’s all fantasy.

Yawn. You said that stay at home mum's who asked for help were the absolute worst! That's not disagreeing and wasn't anything to do with what the OP had asked. I actually never search users but I remembered your name, as I said, because your reaction was so rude and uncalled for.
You didn't just disagree so don't try and say that you did now.
I hope you have sorted your dishwasher emergency

YellowFish appears to have difficulty telling the difference between fantasy and reality. He/she is always spouting off about her/his imaginary work.

Yup yellowfish's comments are always interesting. I was wondering if it's the same poster where they lock the workers into the building and can refuse to let them go in an emergency.

Some people on here are horrible ooh I'm so perfect just turn the water off telling her off like a child. We all have to start somewhere guys and if we have never been this position how would we know what to do. She is stressed some people are stupidly nasty.

@kmam 🙄 I’m pretty sure I said something along the lines of

‘women who complain constantly about their DP not reguarly getting up in the night, whilst they’re at home on Maternity leave and DP works FT- ARE THE WORST!’

But if you paraphrase that down to ‘a woman who is struggling and asking for help is terrible’ then I think that says more about you than me!

Yeah okay. Well people can read that thread for themselves. You can call it what you want. I've made the point I wanted to.

Well I think grown women who make up stories post on Mumsnet about not knowing how to turn their electricity supply off, whilst declaring themselves to be well educated, and try to defend their attack on a mother, when they can't even manage to feed their cat, are mormons morons.

@Lad 😂😂😂😂😂

Oh my days! Yeah, I made it up- super interesting topic hmm... dishwashers 🤯 Could have made myself an international spy engaged in a torrid love affair, but the pull of fantasy dishwasher issues was just too strong!

Just in my way out... to go stand around the local park and wait for my opportunity to shout abuse at local mother’s minding their own business ....

😲 oh now wait, I only offer my opinion when it’s asked for... on AIBU!

This thread would have gone a lot better for you if you'd listened to the advice everyone gave you very nicely at the start and also, if you hadn't then basically implied that you are fat more educated and living a more successful career than the women who've come before you, so this sort of stuff isn't something you need to know.

I think you learned today that you do need to know this stuff, and your education and career have no bearing on your ability to run a house. The rest of us have simply already learned that, whilst juggling careers and children.

*far

@kmammamalto Well said!

I love a good dishwasher fantasy myself - all that pouring water and risk of electric shocks...
Meanwhile back in the real world LadAlive proves why children's use of the internet after school should be supervised by their parents...

OP, for me grown women who don’t know the most basic stuff like turning off water or electricity are the absolute worst! It is pathetic and cringy and plays up to stereotypes. You seem to think that the poor menz who work should not do any of the caregiving for a baby because those women on maternity leave sit around all day and do not deserve any sleep. Think the 1950s want you back!

@TheInvestigator

Oh sorry, I did actually take their advice and was grateful for it! Sorry I rushed off to work and forgot to update but then got sidetracked with the whole ‘other thread things’

Which by the way I just went back and read the responses on and cannot help thinking has been blown COMPLETLEY out of proportion on here. The OP did not appear to feel attacked at all by me. A couple disagreed- a few openly agreed with me- totally normal MN AIBU kind of comments 🙄 and quite unreasonable to have brought up on here I think!

Anyway, I never intended in the least to insinuate anything like that- other than I’m not uneducated and yes probably should know this stuff!!! I honestly couldn’t tell you where people have drawn inferences from that I think I’m better than anyone- I assume because I was panic typing/not updating due to being at work!

🤔 quite a rash over reaction though - I can see a few posters have said that exact thing. Was it a very slow Wednesday? Were people short of things to be offended by?

I can change a tyre and am a pretty dab hand at general household DIY - so hardly play into gender stereo type- in fact for those who read the other thread I suggested the SAHM swap with her DH given that she was unhappy!!!

I just didn’t know how to turn off the water/electric - because I’ve never had to do it before and didn’t think about it!

I was annoyed because I'm your age (well, 29 but same general age group) and I'm educated and run a business, and I've got 2 kids. And I know how to work my house. My peers all know how to work their houses... And I live in the country so there's always something going wrong with a leak, or a flood, or an oil tank going kaput. We all manage. Saying everyone you age who is educated just doesn't know this stuff was a short sighted comment.

I think a lot of other people who were annoyed with that comment who are older felt you meant that being your age, and educated and successful meant that this sort of stuff isn't necessary for someone of your calibre... which means you think the older generation who know this stuff are somehow less than you. It just didn't come across well.

If you'd just say "people my age struggle with this" then it wouldn't have been bad because it could totally be true. It was the educated and successful thing which got peoples backs up.

For people who have important/priceless stuff in the freezer and want to ensure it has not been defrosted while a freezer is off:

Get an old small milk carton, one of the plastic transparent ones (not terra pack type) or other similar vessel, half fill it with water and drip in some food dye, nice bright colour.

Stand the bottle in the freezer, let it freeze, then turn it upside down.

If the coloured water is ever back at the bottom of the bottle, the freezer has defrosted at some point.

OPTell your boyfriend all about how nasty everyone has been when he gets home from Holby City.
I'm not offended, I'm very old, my 'take offence' bone (that's a real bone, ask your boyfriend) is as decrepit as your dishwasher.
I know how to change a plug, change a nappy and prevent my cat from starving.
I am clever.
I am woman.

@theinvestigstor

Oh god, no 🙈 I sent a frantic message on my WhatsApp group of friends simultaneously to posting on here being like ‘wtf do I do?’ And quite a few (who on paper are very intelligent) came back with no idea! So I thought oh well clearly it’s not just me. In no way do I think having a good job means you don’t need to know how to work your house!

If anything quite the opposite, my finance based qualifications were of absolutely FA use to me whilst slowly watching my kitchen floor and wondering whether I was going to accidentally electrocute the cat if he ran through it!

Tbh I meant it in a ‘god its crazy that I could not realise I didn’t know this!!!’ Way! I consider myself rather independent and have lived on/off alone since 18 - How the hell didn’t I know how to do this!

Anyway plumbers been and it’s a fault with the actual dishwasher. @Lad it’s only 4 months old...bummer!

*flood

If it's only 4 months old it should still be under guarantee.

Even if they say that you don't have a warranty, the consumer rights act has you covered. It allows you up to 6 years for going back to the place you bought it from, but it's done along the lines of "how long you would expect something to last". So if a £5 toaster broke after a year, you wouldn't really be able to get them to replace or repair because it's a £5 toaster and you can't expect a long life. But a dishwasher after 4 months? It should last longer so even if you didn't buy the warranty, fight your corner using consumer rights.