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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

For wanting to feel wanted

3 replies

ps1991 · 14/06/2019 20:53

Husband and I have a 5 month old and I’m still on mat leave and he goes out to work every day as a teacher. I know that having a baby can strain a relationship but I just don’t feel wanted anymore. My husband has said he hasn’t bonded with baby and doesn’t think he will until he’s a toddler. But he is spending lots of time away from the house and I don’t feel like he wants to come home to us. 4 out of 7 days this week he’s been late home, arriving pretty much in bedtime for baby, or has had friends over to play card games, pretty much from baby going to bed. I have tried to talk to him about this but it always comes back round to me not doing much socially for myself, and I hate it when he brings it up because I am happy with how social I am he just thinks I should be more social. I’m doing more housework since having baby. He literally comes in and has his dinner then plays games or watches tv. I just want to feel like he wants to come home to be with me, or to be with the baby. He could have been home at about 4:15 tonight, instead he got in at 6:15 just as I was putting baby to bed, because he chose to go to the pub to play games with the same friends who he’ll spend all afternoon/evening playing with tomorrow. A few weeks ago when I brought it up he said he felt like he had lost me because I was always with the baby, so I arranged with his mum to babysit for a few hours while I took him to his favourite burger place. And we were literally out an hour max and he wanted to get home! Even when I explained I was trying to get us some time together he still wanted to come home! He said tonight that I’m grumpy and boring which I understand isn’t nice to come home to but when I’ve had the baby all night and all day and trying to juggle making dinner for an unknown time I get angsty!!!

How can I tackle this?

OP posts:
WhiteRedRose · 14/06/2019 21:00

I would get a swimming pass or gym pass or cinema pass and take yourself off out two evenings a week and tell him he has to be home by 5.30/6pm as you have plans.

He will have no choice but to deal with the baby. And he is being a shitty father and you need to call him out on it. In those exact words, tbh. "Do you know you are being a passive and shitty parent?" "No? Well now you know" and the baby over and walk out for 2hrs.

WhiteRedRose · 14/06/2019 21:00

*hand oops

vincettenoir · 14/06/2019 21:03

It sounds like you’re trying to solve these problems on your own when you really need him to work with you on them. He is actively avoiding them. I hope he starts to acknowledge his role in all this and work with you towards something better.

I know this is missing the point but 6.15pm is not late to be home and many people, including myself would dream of having their partner home by this time after work.

But that doesn’t undermine the fact that it sounds like he needs to be much more present when he is there with you.

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