Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU for giving partner a 'bedtime'

171 replies

Braneycat · 01/11/2020 01:05

Okay, context

My partner is not the best drunk. In the past there has been alot of trauma due to his drinking, from fights (with me and others) vile arguments, even got arrested once. He has grown out of all that but he still has a stupid habit of not knowing when the party ends, and goes too hard.

Now, on normal days this is fine. If I don't have work, I don't care what time he comes home (I mean I do, but it would be unreasonable of me to give him a time). But there have been occasions in the past where he's come home so late or so drunk I've had to call his mum early hours to pick my children up so I can go to work.

Now this is an argument that we've had for years, that he thinks it's unreasonable for me to ask him to come home at a certain time (2am). He does NOT like being told what to do. Normally he's fairly chill (like I said he has grown out of alot of his past bad behaviour) but frankly I don't trust him and the last thing I want before an NHS 12 hour Sunday shift is to be up worrying that he's going to be coming home in a fit state.

So, we compromised that he wouldn't drink much. He took a 4 pack of beers with him tonight, which won't get him tipsy. But to me it still feels dicey. He still won't commit to a certain time to be home by.

Tonight I've decided to trust him and 'let' him go. He doesn't go out drinking often anymore, even before the pandemic, and figured if we're going into another lockdown he won't know when he'll get to see his friends again (all properly done, rule of 6/outside area/social distanced btw, they're all fairly sensible. My anxiety would not let him go at all if I didn't think he was being safe) but its 1am and I can't sleep for fear he's not going to behave.

Is asking him to come home at 2am when I have work in the morning, even sober, really that unreasonable?

OP posts:
MoonJelly · 01/11/2020 07:15

How can it possibly be unreasonable to want him to come home on time and in a fit state to look after his children when he knows you have to go to work early? He really shouldn't have to be told.

I must say, if I were his mother the first time my DIL had to call me to help out would be the last time, because I would make it very clear to my son that I was utterly ashamed of him.

Landlubber2019 · 01/11/2020 07:15

Of course YABU, you are his partner not his mother! But he isn't behaving like a responsible adult and therefore you are needing to parent him Shock. I would be phoning his mother to collect his stuff and get rid of this dead weight pronto. You deserve better but have at least got a choice, the children however don't have a choice to put up with his drinking and fighting.

YouJustDoYou · 01/11/2020 07:16

Hands up anyone here who wouldn't put up with that shit? 🙋‍♀️

Op, that's not a good life you're living. Also, as a alcohol dependant person myself, he's an alcoholic. Do you want your children growing up think it's the norm to have a uselss drunk father figure around all the time? Because I grew up with exactly the same father figure, who did exactly the same as him, and look what it did to me- I grew up thinking that's just what men did, go out, get drunk, come home stinking of booze and unable and unwilling to care for me. My dad was also verbally abusive with it. My mum drank too . I would never stay with someone who was like that, and I'm now working on my own alcohol demons.

YouJustDoYou · 01/11/2020 07:19

You sound very controlling

No, she doesn't. She sounds like a tired mum who is fed up of not being able to rely on a partner who is completely unreliable when it comes to turning up to his own home to take care of his own children. He sounds like a waste of space for those poor kids.

Rotundandhappy · 01/11/2020 07:19

@GalaxyCookieCrumble what is ‘controlling’ about being anxious AF that a partner who has form for not controlling their drinking to the point he’s physically unable to care for their kids and has been arrested, will do it again when you have a 12-hour shift pending? Confused

LizzieSiddal · 01/11/2020 07:19

I hope you’ve got the message by now OP.

This isn’t about a bedtime, it’s about him being a reasonable and trustworthy partner and father. If he can’t do that then why would you want to stay with him?

SnuggyBuggy · 01/11/2020 07:25

@GalaxyCookieCrumble just come in from a night out?

Braneycat · 01/11/2020 07:32

Okay I need to clarify here

Neither of us are big drinkers... anymore. We don't drink at home at all. I haven't been drunk since February, my partner has gone out with his friends 4 times to get drunk since the beginning of lockdown (to give an idea of timespan). Its by no means an every weekend situation.

Alot of the horrible traumatic drunk things he did happened early in our relationship, in our early 20s. He's like a different person now, truly. No i don't really know why or how we stayed together during that time, it was very toxic. Let's say having children straightened us both out dramatically. He still did stupid drunk things but he's definitely outgrown alot of those behaviours, but for me that trauma is still there. I still have that panic, I still clock watch, I still worry about what mood he'll be in even though he hasn't been aggressive towards me drunkenly for about 4 years.

This argument comes up because A) he doesn't seem to understand that and to reassure me and B) we both work weekends, he Saturday, me Sunday. So he would like to be able to see his friends OCASSIONALLY on a Saturday night, something which, due to past behaviour, I didn't allow when I have work the next day.

He came home at 2.30, sober btw.

OP posts:
Mix56 · 01/11/2020 07:39

In this context 2.30 is the same as 5 am.
You were awake & worrying until past the agreed time
How would it go if you did the same, & he was left worrying all night, (with a gruelling responsable 12 shift ahead) ? having to call for help in lockdown ???
Not good enough for me.

AGoatAteIt · 01/11/2020 07:49

Giving him a curfew isn’t going to change the fact he has an alcohol problem. And that it is having a very real and very bad effect on all of the family.

You can’t change him, you even said you’ve been arguing about this for years. The only person who can change the behaviour of an alcoholic is the alcoholic themselves. He won’t do that anytime soon- why would he even try? Everyone around him is bending over backwards to make sure he can still drink one way or another while keeping life ticking over. I’m not blaming you btw- it’s not a conscious decision it’s a survival one when you forget what’s normal and acceptable.

Needless to say I think you should leave him or make him leave. Either way you shouldn’t be together for your sake and the sake of the children who are also putting up with all of this.

Bluntness100 · 01/11/2020 07:53

I don’t like your wording “ let him” “allow him” it’s far too controlling for me.

As much as he obvs should make sure he’s in a fit state to look after the kids, the controlling behaviour of what you decide he is and isn’t allowed to do is far worse for me, and if a man posted about what he allowed his wife to do he’d get his arse handed to him,

Bluntness100 · 01/11/2020 07:54

And all those saying he’s an alcohol problem etc, he’s been out four times since feb and doesn’t drink in between, get a grip for gods sake.

Anotherlovelybitofsquirrel · 01/11/2020 07:55

I'd tell him to stay out. Forever. What a sad manchild. You'll be happier without him and the stress.

Bookworming · 01/11/2020 07:57

And all those saying he’s an alcohol problem etc, he’s been out four times since feb and doesn’t drink in between, get a grip for gods sake.

This!

But obviously it's still causing you stress albeit he hadn't committed a crime when he left to go out last night.

It's a very tough one, but you have to talk, without blame and finger pointing.

wirldsgonemad · 01/11/2020 08:01

He's a complete man child. What will it take for him to grow up and be responsible? I would not let him out the day before your shifts, only on days you'll be there the next day for the kids. He'll be hung over and useless, is that really what you want for your kids?

Bluntness100 · 01/11/2020 08:01

I honestly think some folks just thrive on the drama and want to see other folks marriages end,

This bloke goes out on average once every two months, he doesn’t drink in between, if I was him I’d organise my mum to look after the kids on the Sunday and give me a lie in, and make sure I could have fun, everyone deserves a break and to let loose once in a while.

Bluntness100 · 01/11/2020 08:02

I would not let him out the day before your shifts

He’s her partner, not her prisoner.

Fairweatherrunner · 01/11/2020 08:07

I voted YABU because your still with him!

Braneycat · 01/11/2020 08:10

Bluntness

This is what I'm worried about and exactly the kind of language he used to.

I'm honestly NOT a controlling person by any means. He has his own life, completely separate from me and the kids, just like I do. And I hate the fact that he feels like I'm trying to control him here.

BUT he also hasn't proven himself trustworthy enough. He could just say 'for you, yes, ill prove I'm trustworthy enough' and that could be that. I'm my head I'm not being unreasonable but what you're describing is how he feels.

Also definitely not an alcoholic everyone, could possibly have been accused of that 10 years ago but not now.

OP posts:
Notverybright · 01/11/2020 08:11

@Bluntness100

I would not let him out the day before your shifts

He’s her partner, not her prisoner.

Have you ever worked a 12hr shift bluntness? One in which your actions have an affect on other people’s chances of survival?

It’s called a partnership for a reason.

Bluntness100 · 01/11/2020 08:12

I’m sorry op. But I’m not with you and the whole proving himself trustworthy thing, it’s once every two months. Where he’s going wrong is not organising child care so he can cut loose on the rare occasion he goes out and has some fun.

Didkdt · 01/11/2020 08:16

You're not his mum. If you treat him like a child he'll carry on acting like a teenager
If he wanted to grow up and sort himself out he would.
So YABU to give him a curfew.

Braneycat · 01/11/2020 08:18

Any other time, as stated in my OP, I don't tell him what time to come home. I leave him be. Childcare isn't that easy to come by, hence why we work alternate days, so we need to find a reasonable compromise if he wants to go out regularly on Saturdays.

OP posts:
WotWouldCJDo · 01/11/2020 08:19

I can't help but wonder how you thought this thread would go.

Braneycat · 01/11/2020 08:21

What do you mean WotWouldCjDo?

OP posts: