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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Husband being useless or me too harsh?

144 replies

anothershitweekend · 27/03/2021 18:56

Quick background -

2 children, ages 2.5 years and 1 year. I am a SAHM and have been since the eldest was born. Eldest now attends nursery for two half days a week and baby is at home.
H works for himself so pretty much as many hours as he can get away with. He works out of the house and also has an office upstairs. I ask him to finish at 6pm during the week to help get the kids ready for bed time at 7pm. By that point I've usually fed them and got pjs on etc, it's just teeth brushing left to do and story in bed. They're usually in bed between 6:30 and 7pm.

At the weekend I expect there to be a willingness to help but there is none.
Today he has sat on the sofa leaving the youngest to cry and scream while I was busy trying to make them all food. He did the same while I was trying to go to the toilet and at various other points through the day. the youngest is very clingy to me and will often get upset when he's put down but if he's picked up again or interacted with then he's fine. He's just not so good at entertaining himself, he is only one after all.
He hardly interacts with our youngest, just seems to ignore him. He took him upstairs for a while, the idea being that he worked a bit in the office and DS played but he just sat and cried because he was again being ignored. Then H gets pissed off because the baby isn't behaving how he wants him to. So I just ended up taking him back downstairs and had him with me.

The eldest is going through the "I don't want to share stage" so there is a lot of screaming and tension sometimes.

Every weekend is the same. He will be present but not really present during the day, he will usually be on the laptop or his phone, too engaged to interact with the kids or me or to offer any sort of help when I'm struggling. If I ask for help then it's met with a sigh or eye roll, it's always a problem.
Then in the afternoon he will sneak off upstairs and disappear into the office for hours, even if he can hear that I'm having a hard time he won't come down unless asked and even then he will still sit on the sofa and not be proactive about trying to help.

I'm now at boiling point. Today he's been fucking useless. Done nothing to help and then snaps at me because he's apparently sick of the kids screaming "all the fucking time" in his words. I'm just so sick of it. I make everyone's meals, juggle the house work and children, try to be a good and present parent, I have no breaks, I do all the night time wake ups, he doesn't do any at all. He says that's because he works so he shouldn't have to do them.

Is he useless or am I too harsh?

OP posts:
cansu · 27/03/2021 18:59

no he is useless. You are right. Would your life be harder without him there? Probably not. Could you work and get childcare?

ButIcantsitonleather · 27/03/2021 18:59

You’re not harsh enough.

orpah · 27/03/2021 19:01

get rid

anothershitweekend · 27/03/2021 19:01

My reasons for not going back to work were because I would spend all my wages on childcare and i felt that I would rather look after my children than someone else. It is hard and I know that I have made a rod for my own back in a way but that's just how I feel about it.

OP posts:
SewingWarriorQueen76 · 27/03/2021 19:01

He is useless. I'd advise leaving them both with him, while you have a long walk tomorrow. He will just have to put them first for the time you are out.

He is a parent and should pull his weight and just because you are a SAHM doesn't mean you are on call 24/7 as an unpaid skivvy.

HavelockVetinari · 27/03/2021 19:02

He's useless, you aren't harsh enough. What a lazy bastard - does he not understand that you also work bloody hard Mon-Fri in lockdown with 2 under 3, and that weekends should mean equal downtime?

RachelRoth · 27/03/2021 19:03

He is awful.

anothershitweekend · 27/03/2021 19:03

I don't think he would put them first though. I think the situation would be exactly the same just without me being there to intervene.

He worked away for a few days this last week and it was so much nicer without him and his negative attitude around. It's just draining, the constant face pulling, sighing, bad moods. I'm over it

OP posts:
Carrottop73 · 27/03/2021 19:06

He is absolutely awful and lazy. You should get rid, he’s not making anyone happy.

nimbuscloud · 27/03/2021 19:07

My reasons for not going back to work were because I would spend all my wages on childcare
Do you have full access to all family income?
Or do you literally mean that you would be solely responding for those costs?

Freddiefox · 27/03/2021 19:07

Your post made me feel really sad. My ex was like this. Lazy and selfish. Would rather watch and hear me struggle than help out. Like you any ask for help was met with a moan or resistance.

It made me feel valueless and incompetent. A skivvy rather than a partner.

It’s him not you. But he’s unlikely to change.

anothershitweekend · 27/03/2021 19:09

No, I wouldn't be solely responsible but my wages would go on childcare, so I viewed it as I would be paying someone to look after my children for me to work and have no wage at the end of it. I felt I'd rather look after them myself because it didn't feel like there was any benefit to working. Apart from maybe keeping me sane.

OP posts:
RachelRoth · 27/03/2021 19:10

But it wouldnt be your whole wages. It would be an amount out of the wage pot of both of you.

TigerBeetle · 27/03/2021 19:13

Make him take them out to the park rather than ignore look after them at home.

Cherrysoup · 27/03/2021 19:14

What is the point of him? I would do absolutely fuck all for him then tell him you were looking after the dc and he needs to make his own food, do his own washing etc. Useless fucker. I feel very sorry for you. Did he not want dc? He’s extremely selfish.

anothershitweekend · 27/03/2021 19:15

He's always been selfish, I don't really know why I though having kids with him was a good idea to be honest. We all make mistakes I guess

OP posts:
anothershitweekend · 27/03/2021 19:15

Not that the babies are mistakes, of course not. Just the choice of mate wasn't good.

OP posts:
RachelRoth · 27/03/2021 19:17

@anothershitweekend

He's always been selfish, I don't really know why I though having kids with him was a good idea to be honest. We all make mistakes I guess
You're not the first woman to think that a selfish man just needed the massive and largely thankless task of raising children to make him selfless.

What is the point of him? quite.

Mamette · 27/03/2021 19:17

I had that age gap and it’s tough. You need more support. He gets to be at work from 9-5 Mon-Fri and that’s it. When he’s home he pitches in 50/50.

Too much screaming? Maybe if he fucking parented for 5 minutes the DC wouldn’t be so screamy ffs.

Veterinari · 27/03/2021 19:18

What does he say when you point out that he does zero parenting or anything proactive to stop the DC screaming?
It sounds like he's treating you like a nanny/maid. I assume he wanted children?regardless, they're here now. You need a frank conversation with him

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 27/03/2021 19:18

Yes I remember having that kind of attitude in my life when I was with exh Angry

WitchesBritchesPumpkinPants · 27/03/2021 19:21

He worked away for a few days this last week and it was so much nicer without him and his negative attitude around. It's just draining, the constant face pulling, sighing, bad moods. I'm over it

Have you tried 'entitled to' to see how much you would be able to get on benefits?

It's definitely easier to 'go it alone' than be tied to a dead weight.

HollowTalk · 27/03/2021 19:21

What a useless man. What kind of relationship does he think he's going to have with them? Is he the kind to react well to a threat to leave if he doesn't shape up?

Babysharkdoodoodood · 27/03/2021 19:24

@anothershitweekend

No, I wouldn't be solely responsible but my wages would go on childcare, so I viewed it as I would be paying someone to look after my children for me to work and have no wage at the end of it. I felt I'd rather look after them myself because it didn't feel like there was any benefit to working. Apart from maybe keeping me sane.
No. The idea is that you each pay half. He's half his after all. Then you have more money left.
Lambside · 27/03/2021 19:25

I've been there. You need to get tough. Have a talk by all means and tell him he needs to start parenting his children but really you need to change your behaviour too. Go out for the day when he is available from work and leave him to it. Hand over the one year old and you take the older child to the park maybe. Reiterate the 'parent your child/children' line. Smile and wave bye bye.
I split with the father of my children eventually.

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