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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Think I've snapped... Chores

107 replies

NagginMum · 03/08/2019 18:57

Honestly I probably am being unreasonable, but I've seriously had enough. Sorry for any spelling (my eyes are puffy after my little breakdown today) and thus is looong... I still may be mid breakdown.

Just had an absolute blazing row with husband, in tears and I mean in floods of tears, he's walked out and I've packed his stuff, and all that's going through my mind is "it's one less person to clean up after." 😔
It all kicked off because yet again I'm tired, I've had to drag my self out of bed, facing all the washing that needs putting away, the dog walk, the vacuuming, the pots and the cooker needs a good clean, there's bin bags to go to the tip because we forgot to put the bin out and I need to also go see my disabled gran just to make sure she sees a face this weekend. The kids have pulled every toy out and husband is no where to be seen. I find he's gone of to work just to put the last touches on a house he's working on, oh he's used all the milk so no coffee for me before we get into the full swing of things 😒
Just so everyone knows, we both work, he is self employed I work 32.5 hours a week. I also study from home, I want to pass my aat. I help my disabled gran with basically everything she needs because no one else does (but that's another off load for another time). We have two kids 8 and 4, our eldest is disabled. Oh yeah and I do all the house work.
My husband thinks he's helping when he does the pots once a week (but 50% of the time he actually just puts them all in the sink runs the water then leaves them) , he loves to mention he takes the kids to school in the morning when ever I bring up the fact he never helps. He hates the fact I let him know that in 6 years he done one wash, that he has no idea how to switch on our hoover (we've had it 2 years) he has no idea where clothes are kept (that's not an exaggeration he honestly has no idea where our kids tops are), we've had a dog for 4 years he's never done a pick up 💩

Now I've tried asking nicely, numerous times, I've reminded and reminded to the piont I'm now nagging.
I've wrote a little list of chores he could do the help: vac stairs, put washing away once a week, clean kitchen once a week (including cupboards and doors) he agreed then ignored it.
All week I've hinted I have a lot to do and have loads of cleaning to catch up with, then leading to asking outright for help. Yeah he said.

Now I'll give him one thing, he came back and went to the tip with the bin bags. I've decided I'll make a start on turning up all the youngest school pants and sewing in all the name tags.
He cones back and wants to go out with the kids 😕 I tell him I've got all the cleaning to do yet and want to finish this, his reply... Can't you just do it tonight. I just ignore him as I can't even reply to that 🤔
He then starts getting the kids ready to go out, without me, just leave me here to do the rest of the house work why don't you, you know instead of getting stuck in and actually doing it with me, then we can all go out later 🤷‍♀️

I've just lost it, burst into tears and said I've had enough of this why can't he just help. He says he does and brings up the school run, and the fact he just took 3 bags to the tip. But refused to answer when I asked what else do you do?
He stormed off after I've raised my voice listing all the things I do for him the kids and every f*er else. I just carried on doing all my cleaning. I tried calling him a few times but gave up because I thought, I'm not begging him to come home. Why should I?

Now I've got petty, I admit. I thought F you and called our phone provider, told them we've lost the phone. I pay for this all anyway. I've then got bags, and packed all his stuff, I've wrote him a letter explaining why I can't cope and he can see the kids 50 50 if he wants to. 😑 All that over chores...

Now I probably actually wouldn't mind as much if he even picked up after himself, but I scrub the bath after he comes home covered in dust, he leaves it with a horrible black mark. I move his shoes that he just leaves in the middle of the floor. I vac after he's had all his tools in, I'd never let him leave them in his van, but he could at least sweep up the saw dust they've left behind. When he shaves and doesn't rinse the sink. When he makes toast or a sandwich and doesn't even wipe the board 😵😠
But nooo he can't even do that, I feel like I have 3 kids, just that my 8 and 4 year old do help more! So now I'm thinking he' ll be home soon and I just hand over his crap, I'm not even willing to reason, I'm to tired, and what, he'll either promise to start helping do it for a month and then go back to normal.
Maybe he's just as fed up as I am, he can now live in a sty and not have anyone nag him over it.

So do you all think this is a big over reaction or do I stick to my guns?

OP posts:
SpaceDinosaur · 04/08/2019 09:06

@Huncamuncaa your friend is a bloody hero!!!

Nanny0gg · 04/08/2019 09:31

AAaaaaaaaaargh!!

'Helping' with reading and taking kids on 'adventures' doesn't make you an amazing parent!

Feeding them, clothing them, caring for their needs, anticipating their needs etc makes you an amazing parent! The fun stuff is the easy part.

Nanny0gg · 04/08/2019 09:34

Maybe see if you could get a cleaner/gardener? Also maybe can you get iron on labels or write/stamp name labels on clothes?

Yep. That'll fix the imbalance of both working full time, the OP also studying and doing everything else but school run, teaching one kid to read and having 'adventures'...

cottonwoolsnowmen · 04/08/2019 09:46

Feeding them, clothing them, caring for their needs, anticipating their needs etc makes you an amazing parent! The fun stuff is the easy part.

Not to mention respecting their other parent.

And abandoning your shoes and leaving a grimy bath for them to clean it up after you is hugely disrespectful.

billy1966 · 04/08/2019 09:56

OP, YANBU at all.

You sound worn out and exhausted from doing it all.

He will be a Disney dad to his children when you seperate and life will be calmer.

Please stick to your guns and calmly tell him that you no longer want him, his mess, and his selfish disregard of you in the house.

And mean it.

Gregoire · 04/08/2019 11:00

@SummerRays did you grow up in a house where it was just expected that housework was for women? Was it just expected / understood that it wasn't a man's job?

Because you don't have to live that way! You don't have to be a drudge for a man. Your role in life isn't to be the person who tidies and cleans and organises after a man so that his life is made easier.

You are worth more than that - you deserve more respect than that. A man who treats you as an unpaid skivvy doesn't respect you or see you as an equal.

LeeScoresbysBalloon · 04/08/2019 19:19

*@NagginMum have you heard from him today?

Alpacaface · 04/08/2019 19:33

Bloody hell, it's not "helping" it's being a capable person, which he clearly isn't. I wish people who don't pull their weight realised how completely unattractive it makes them.

Alpacaface · 04/08/2019 19:34

Also NOT how you treat people you love. If you love someone you WANT to make their life easier.

strawberry2017 · 04/08/2019 20:21

@Huncamuncaa I love your friend. That is inspirational!

Namenic · 04/08/2019 20:40

Well i’m Just saying that maybe he doesn’t care if the bath is grimy but she does? Then there is a mismatch in how people want to live. Some people are more fussy and spend more time on cleaning, cooking etc than others. Some people spend time on their hobbies, some on their kids. Quite often I give DH the choice of childcare or chores and he picks chores... just saying! Maybe it’s just our kids...

4legsandawaggytail · 04/08/2019 21:02

YANBU That's why I'm now divorced. Couldn't take it.

Cath2907 · 04/08/2019 21:15

@SummerRays - not taking an equal share in our life together was an excellent reason to leave my husband. He didn’t value or respect me or my contribution to our lives and was happy to sit on his fat arse and watch me struggle. Why on Earth would I want to be married to someone like that? I tried asking him to help, then telling him to help and finally threatening him with divorce if he didn’t help. He didn’t help.

I still have a household to run, my job, the kid and the dog but now there is less laundry to do, less food to buy and cook, less pee on the toilet seat to wipe, less rubbish to take out and less sock fluff to hoover off the carpet. I also feel less resentful and angry about the cleaning, cooking and laundering I do have to do because I can’t see him sitting on the chair messing on his phone and deliberately avoiding my eye so I won’t ask him to help.

I think a completely unfair division of labour within a household is an excellent reason for divorce!

chubbysquid · 04/08/2019 23:49

Any update op?

Kiwiinkits · 05/08/2019 02:50

Two incomes? Just pay someone!! It’s the obvious solution here. 20 pounds a week for a cleaner is much cheaper than a divorce.

DH and I have a student ‘helper’ who we pay to come in once a week to help change the beds, do the ironing, wash some windows, whatever needs doing really. Three hours once a week. And DH and I no longer need to argue about this shit. It’s priceless, in my opinion.

YouTheCat · 05/08/2019 10:12

£20 a week for a cleaner isn't cheaper than a divorce. It costs £550 if you do it yourself. The cleaner would cost over £1000 for a year and doesn't solve the problem of all the other stuff the OP does that her H just ducks out of.

Michaelbaubles · 05/08/2019 10:18

I felt so tired and resentful by the tone I left my exH that doing it all myself as a single parent was far easier.

Now I have a DP who doesn’t live with me and doesn’t consider himself a stepparent to my DC. However, if I need him to watch the DC on an inset day or similar, he will, without input from me, decide what to feed them and when, going to the shop as necessary for anything we need, get them dressed without me telling him what they need to wear, find and organise a day’s worth of activities for them (swimming etc) off his own back, and do all this while keeping the house spotlessly clean and having a meal ready for me when I get home. That’s being a good dad, and he’s not even their dad and doesn’t particularly want to be seen as one either. So it makes me so mad that actual fathers get a pass for doing maybe 10% of that and still get called “amazing dads”. They’re not, they’re barely functioning adults.

Coffeeandcherrypie · 05/08/2019 10:25

I really OP hasn't taken him back. Come back @NagginMum , we're all rooting for you!

SinkGirl · 05/08/2019 10:32

I had a big row with DH this weekend - I am not his mother. I have two children already and they’re both disabled, I don’t need to be mother too. I shouldn’t be waking him up in the morning and doing all his laundry and telling him to watch his drinking (big backstory there, I’m not just a fun sponge).

I said to him last week I was stressed because the house is a tip and we had guests coming, he said don’t worry I’ll help- bitter laugh from me because he always says that and then never does. I’ve told him that’s it, I’m getting a cleaner - if he can’t share the load I’ll pay someone else to do it, if you can afford it I suggest you do the same. Or just kick him out 🤷‍♀️

thejudgesaidhewasatitandIagree · 05/08/2019 11:57

Christ I would've divorced him years ago.

Smelborp · 05/08/2019 12:55

When did he eventually come back? Hope all is well OP. YANBU.

MorrisZapp · 05/08/2019 13:25

Get him binned, he's clearly an idiot.

But I never understand why women think men will change. I have two friends living just like this, their husbands have never lifted a finger. Obviously the husbands are lazy gits but then again they always were, and never committed to change.

Wishful thinking doesn't get physical chores done.

MarianaMoatedGrange · 05/08/2019 13:40

He's very much an amazing dad, he loves doing stuff with the kids, he helped our eldest with his reading so much and loves taking them out for really cool adventures.

Disney dad. Cool dad. While you do the drudge work.

Celebelly · 05/08/2019 13:51

All these 'amazing' dads on MN yet none of them seem to know or be able to do basic things for their children like dress them or clean up after them...

FlyingSpaghettiM0nster · 05/08/2019 13:51

YANBU. This is about his complete lack of respect for you. Awful