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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Mums get overlooked at Christmas

9 replies

qwertyuiop098 · 04/01/2021 14:51

Having read all the threads leading up to and after Christmas about women making all the effort for Christmas and not getting many gifts/much appreciation in return, I'm sure this sketch on SNL left a few awkward silences in (American) sitting rooms

I don't have kids yet and me and my partner spoil each other equally but I feel sad that this seems to be so common. It's not my experience of the women in my family, but maybe I'm shielded and it's more normal than I think. Do most people have some direct or indirect experience?

OP posts:
picklemewalnuts · 04/01/2021 15:14

Aw.

coldwaterfeed · 04/01/2021 15:15

YANBU. There are lots of threads on MN at Christmas time about women being shortchanged by partners, in laws, older/adult DC, colleagues when it comes to presents etc.

It’s a bit different at ours as DH loves Christmas and he cooks/ hosts when it’s our turn (Covid aside). I don’t do the ‘wife work’ of cooking / presents for in laws etc.

contrmary · 04/01/2021 15:16

YABU, it depends how well you raise them as to how well they treat you.

ghostmous3 · 04/01/2021 15:23

Contrmary
Well I'm not bringing up my dp 🤣 hes not my extra child

And my ex was an abusive shit who didnt care much for me at xmas and as a consequence left me to do everything and the kids didnt appreciate me either.

Dont victim blame women..how about they dont act like shits in the first place and treat thier partners like shit and so thier kids repeat the cycle

Dp is brilliant and thoughtful and pulls his weight..my kids are now the same..because hes not an abusive shitbag and sets a good example and I've got the confidence as well to stand up for myself

thecatsthecats · 04/01/2021 15:24

In terms of effort, no. I don't make any additional effort for Christmas because he does his share.

In terms of gifts, he probably is a bit crap. Trouble is, he's all about buying an assortment of gifts, whereas I do quality over quantity, also experience stuff that's for both of us. So he got some very good expensive gifts and a couple of small items that benefit us both (think household gadgets).

Whereas I got two OK items, one horrible one, one mediocre and one quite nice. For which he could have got me the quality pen I asked for and he forgot, and a box of chocs. (MIL got me everything on my list bless her!)

But most of his gift can and will be enjoyed by both of us, whilst the smaller individual things he got me are at least all mine (except the vegan chocolate, which I gave back because - and I am for once happy to use the word - it was vile, literally tasting like stomach bile).

He always comes away from Christmas with the same hang dog expression that he hasn't done as well as me in gift buying, but he keeps making the same mistakes.

coldwaterfeed · 04/01/2021 15:27

Dont victim blame women..how about they dont act like shits in the first place and treat thier partners like shit and so thier kids repeat the cycle

Exactly!

Ninkanink · 04/01/2021 15:31

Start as you mean to go on - Never, ever place yourself at a lower priority behind everyone else and never, ever put up with being taken for granted. You count too, you are not a mummy martyr and a skivvy for everyone else. An empty, worn-out, resentful and sad mother will not have the resources needed to look after everyone. Someone needs to look after you too, and if no one else bothers then you need to tell them straight out and not just fall for empty promises but actually expect your voice to be heard and your needs to be met. Teach your daughters, by example, to value themselves! And teach your sons to value and appreciate everything you do.

Speak things exactly as you mean them - ‘I would like a card/small (or big) gift/chocolates/a special meal on my birthday; I would like x hours for my hobby/walks/gym/coffee shop per week - equivalent to any hours your OH takes without even giving it a second thought, just assuming that you will always pick up the slack; I would like you to be responsible for X Y and Z.

And again, don’t accept empty promises. Love is a verb - you prove it by your actions.

You are not your OH’s mummy. Nothing less sexy, attractive or worthy of respect than a man baby who doesn’t pull his weight in the household, in the family and with parenting. If your OH ‘doesn’t know how to look after the children’/‘doesn’t understand’ about basic things like food, safety, engaging with his children, ‘can’t cope with them on his own’ or ‘can’t put them to bed’ then he needs to practise, practise, practise until he gets better at it, not be given a get out of jail free card to opt out of the difficult, dreary bits of looking after his children.

Wilkolampshade · 04/01/2021 15:33

Oh God, 😂that video's a little too close to the bone....

Notnt · 04/01/2021 15:37

We take turns about cooking Christmas dinner, but presents to and from each other are equal. To be honest, we don't want a lot of gifts, both of us would rather put money in savings/spend it on things like home improvements, etc. than exchange several big presents. Plus we have a joint account anyway. 😅
We do spend more on our son, but to be honest the adults in the family would probably be embarrassed at being "spoiled". They'd much rather receive a dressing gown/robe they could get a lot of use out of than, say, expensive jewellery.

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