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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Dh pissing bed drunk

472 replies

Exutant · 25/02/2022 07:11

He is 52 and went into work yesterday in London (normally wfh). Spare bedroom. I went in to see him at 6am - bed soaking with and freezing.
It's not the first time - it happens about every 6 months.
I'm so pissed off. Carrying the sheets down and the lovely matress topper that all thr guests say has made the bed so comfortable. Probably ruined.
Washing machine is thru the kitchen so the kids saw - ashamed to.say I told them "daddy has pissed the bed".
Aibu to think it's not normal?
He's trying to ignore me asking about it and even tried to get into our bed but I made him have a shower.
Now he's being all jolly with the kids and I feel seething.

OP posts:
Gonnagetgoing · 25/02/2022 10:02

Ah - sorry missed out - yes a lot of lawyers have very stressful jobs and a lot have drink problems and more, not all do. I could write a book about my ex boss and his heavy drinking - but he'd say he didn't have a drink problem!

CleansUpButWouldPreferNotTo · 25/02/2022 10:03

@wordleaddict
What is the crime of pissing the bed compared to the crime of being a city lawyer.

Adapted from Brecht.

WTF do you think you're clever? What does that add to poor OP's dilemma?

Guiltypleasures001 · 25/02/2022 10:06

Housekeeping?

Controlling the money you've got bigger problems op

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 25/02/2022 10:08

You don't need to do a min wage job OP. I did a degree in podiatry when I left my husband and easily earned 5k a month .onto doing private podiatry. I do NHS podiatry now as I enjoy the acute wound care and its 9 to 5 weekends and Bank Holidays off its amazing being able to have a great life without having to deal with a man's garbage. Why not hang around and take advantage of being a sahm while you train to do something you rely want to do. Put yourself first.

newbiename · 25/02/2022 10:09

@Exutant

If I'd left them on he would have stayed there until 9.30.
Let him. Are you a servant ?
Prettynails · 25/02/2022 10:10

@Clymene

No it's not normal, it's disgusting. But why are you cleaning his pissy sheets?
This why are you cleaning it.
LillianGish · 25/02/2022 10:12

'Make him pay' won't work, so I will have to buy it from housekeeping. Then I'll be short but he will have to top it up. I'm sahm so all money comes from him This sentence rings more alarm bells for me than the fact that he has wet the bed. He controls all your money - washing the sheets is the least of your problems.

thetombliboo · 25/02/2022 10:13

No I wouldn't make a big deal out of it.
He was drunk and had a bodily function by accident? It's not like he is pulling it out and aiming at your soft furnishings.

If he was doing this every week yes you have a problem but now and again I wouldn't make an issue out of it you as were not in the bed, but let him clean it up himself in the future if it happens again and probably a chat about the amount he's drinking and the stress he is under.
Men suffer a weaker bladder with age too. He is probably ignoring it out of embarrassment.
As the current owner of a leaky bladder after a birth It is humiliating.
Touch wood I have never wet the bed but my kids have by accident, we don't shame them? It was an accident.

Chilledchablis1 · 25/02/2022 10:13

Northernparent68

Exutant
Actually I see them as MY SHEETS.
Why should I not fucking clean them if they are dirty.

Grr, almost derailed thread by the focus being on this.
“There you are then, you think they are your sheets and not a joint possession. Then you act like a martyr.”

Martyr? Crikey that’s unfair ?
OP I don’t understand why people are criticising you - it wasn’t you who pissed the bed ! I always have a wry smile when posters say things like - make him wash the sheets ,make him give you money etc etc .how do you MAKE a grown man wash sheets ? My DSD’s husband has wet the bed ( and worse ) but refuses to wash them as she is a SAHM so what is she supposed to do ??

mummykel16 · 25/02/2022 10:13

Horrible to be married to a mess.

Terrible what stress can do,
When all the stress is on one person it's not ideal.

Clymene · 25/02/2022 10:15

I'm so sorry @Exutant. Your life sounds dreadful

CousinKrispy · 25/02/2022 10:15

Wetting the bed as an otherwise healthy adult is not normal.

As a side effect of overindulgence in alcohol I don't find it acceptable. Obviously some others on this thread do, but you're not in the wrong to find it unacceptable.

If your H is an alcoholic I would guess that pissing himself is not his only problematic behaviour.

Would you be willing to contact Al-Anon? they are wonderfully supportive to family members of alcoholics.

spacehardware · 25/02/2022 10:15

"My DSD’s husband has wet the bed ( and worse ) but refuses to wash them as she is a SAHM so what is she supposed to do ??"

Leave

Sometimes we don't have good options - we have a choice between one crappy choice and another one. Try to pick the one that doesn't involve being pissed on/hit/abused

ranoutofquinoaandprosecco · 25/02/2022 10:16

I'm married to a corporate lawyer and he can get quite drunk at corporate events however this would be a game changer for me. It's disgusting.

Re money you need to know properly what he earns and what you spend there doesn't seem to be much visibility your end.

WetLookKnitwear · 25/02/2022 10:16

I’m laughing at the people putting the boot in here. Typical mn. It’s not your fault op.

thetombliboo · 25/02/2022 10:17

Sorry OP I've just seen your update where you say you don't love him. My reply didn't represent that. I think if you did you would feel very differently about it all.
All the best to you.

Howareyouflower · 25/02/2022 10:21

@Exutant I really feel for you, and I understand what you're saying. I'd have done the bedding as well, to minimise the damage. But I'd have been furious and I'd have let him know that I was. For me, it's so disgusting that I'd be leaving, not least because of his attitude. You said somewhere
"That is also very harmful to families and I have lots of friends who have ongoing issues in adult from their parents splitting up."
and I'm sure you're right, but I know several people for whom the opposite is true, who wish their parents hadn't stayed together, and in one case, a man who treats his wife in the way he saw his dad treat his mum. That damage could continue through the generations.

mummykel16 · 25/02/2022 10:25

@Blinkingbatshit

Grads at magic circle city law firms start on well over £100k these days …..OP’s other half, aged 52, should be significantly further on into 6 figures. He should definitely have enough for a new mattress and be giving OP more than just housekeeping.
How much does three lots of private school fees cost, you could be looking at six figures a year for that alone.
cravingmilkshake · 25/02/2022 10:26

I've been with my husband for 8 years, pre children he did this and I counted 33 times . Last straw was when our 4 day old daughter was in the bed . I made him buy 3 new mattresses during those times, so the financial side of things stung him. After our daughter incident nearly 3 years ago, he realised this can't go on and now hasn't drunk more than 4 beers on a weekend and doesn't drink in the week atall. He had a major problem. He realised and stopped. You need to nip this in the bud.

grapewine · 25/02/2022 10:29

@BantersaurusSex

What do fee-paying schools have to do with anything *@grapewine* ?

Presumably that's a chippy comment about independent schools and the people who use them. In fact, the children would most likely remain at their current schools even if the OP and her husband were to divorce...

I'm not chippy. If people can and want to pay, more power to them. It sounds to me like OP is staying for the lifestyle her husband's job affords. My point is private education won't make up for the toxic family environment for the children.
clarepetal · 25/02/2022 10:33

@OldDocs

Why on earth are people picking on the OP?!

Because she could take complete control of this situation and leave him. But the savings, investments and 3x school fees are more important to her.

I know she hasn't said it but women only stay in shit marriages because of fear of being alone, a fear of losing the lifestyle or just not being able to afford to go. Lack of money clearly isn't an issue, and she hasn't mentioned that she loves him so...

In allowing this situation to continue, she is choosing it for herself.

Only on mumsnet could the op get TOTALLY blamed Flowers
ElevenSmiles · 25/02/2022 10:35

He overdoes it a couple of times a year, I'd leave it for him to clean up....spiteful of you to tell the kids.

Drinkingallthewine · 25/02/2022 10:35

What outcome do you want OP?

The biggest obstacle many people face is wanting to change the actions of another person without changing their own status quo.

You are still at the point where you think you can fix him, and I understand why that feels like the most straightforward option.
If he dealt with work stress in another way, if he didn't get so drunk, life at home would be much better for all of you. You feel right now that if he did that, you wouldn't have to have a protracted and complicated separation, the children and you don't have to have their lives dramatically altered and disrupted.

He has a drink problem. And he's no different from all the other people with a drink problem. His stresses aren't unique to him. And the fallout is not unique to your family either.

You are about to learn that you didn't cause it, you can't control it and you can't cure it. Right now you are washing sheets and thinking a telling off from your marriage therapist will improve matters.

I think you've a ways to go yet before you realise that you can't change another person. Sometimes they can't even change their behaviour even though they want to. And when you realise that you can't live like this any more, when you are exhausted at the chaos his drinking brings, and you've no option but to walk away maybe Mumsnet might be more practical use to you then.

For now, the only advice I think you are able for is that you should probably just get waterproof sheets and cheap bedding and only swap over to your nice bedding on that bed just before someone comes to stay so that when he does have a bender, you are minimising the impact to your household budget. As long as he thinks he's got every right to piss in his bed at home, and that your job is to clean it up after him without daring to hold him to account, that's all you can do really, isn't it?

The best of luck to you and your kids Flowers

ElevenSmiles · 25/02/2022 10:37

Has the OP said he has a drink problem ?

whynotwhatknot · 25/02/2022 10:38

Stop being his maid and sort out the finances he shouldnt be giving you a bloody allowance- me and dh have a joint account its his earnings but i can use whatever i want