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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To blame DH for sucking all enjoyment out of our holiday?

68 replies

HedgehogintheFog · 24/05/2022 13:22

Holiday booked. Has been for a long time. Once in a lifetime type trip for us. I am completely fed up with DH’s attitude. We both had some initial reservations purely around how much it cost, but he was definitely not opposed to it in principle.

However, he cannot say a single positive thing about it. It has crept up on us a bit and we now have weddings to attend the two weekends before. Everything to do with the holiday is either too much hassle or about how much money we’re spending.

Conversations go as follows:

”I’m really looking forward to our holiday.”
”I can’t even think about it. Let’s get through this wedding first.”

“You could wear [outfit for wedding next weekend] for activity X on holiday.”
”Oh great, something else I have to take with me.”

“I think X is included in the cost on our holiday.”
”I suppose we’ll have to do that then to get our money’s worth.”

”We could go to Jamaica for what we’re spending.”
”Do you want to go to Jamaica?”
”No.”

I feel any excitement on my part is met with a negative response, to the point that it has completely killed it for me and I am dreading how he’s going to behave when we’re there.

AIBU to feel really annoyed with him for spoiling it for me.

OP posts:
Onlythelaundryfairy · 24/05/2022 13:24

Sounds like he's being an arse about it. Have you asked him directly what's up, or explained that you get enjoyment from anticipating the holiday and he's upsetting you?

SamphirethePogoingStickerist · 24/05/2022 13:26

Have you had that conversation? Does he know he is spoiling it for you?

Happyplace88 · 24/05/2022 13:26

YANBU. Do you think he realises how he’s coming across? Have you told him how he is making you feel? Some people are just Debbie downers without realising I think!
if he genuinely isn’t looking forward to it, is there any chance of changing the tickets and taking a friend instead?

IncompleteSenten · 24/05/2022 13:28

You need to tell him he's being an arse.
I'd be telling him if he doesn't want to go, he can stay home and you'll go with a friend instead.

olympicsrock · 24/05/2022 13:30

Miserable bugger!

weekfour · 24/05/2022 13:34

He sounds stressed. I'm sure it's annoying though.

Jamaica convo made me lol.

10HailMarys · 24/05/2022 13:38

YANBU. He's being a twat about this. I get quite stressed about packing and holiday prep because I'm crap at it, but I still look forward to the holiday and I certainly don't moan about it!

The holiday is booked and, I assume, paid for. Even if he's now regretting spending that much money, there's nothing he can do about that now, and moaning about it is just making it worse for him rather than better. He'll regret the spending a lot more if he refuses to bloody enjoy any of it!

People who deal with bad situations by making them even worse are the absolutely pits (not that your holiday is a bad situation of course, but you know what I mean).

I do think you need to have a conversation with him. Gently explain that you know he's a bit stressed about everything, especially with the weddings, but that you've spent the money on the holiday and it makes sense to enjoy it and make the most of it, and that his attitude is genuinely starting to upset you and get you down. It's possible he doesn't realise what a drag he's being.

JosephdeMaistre · 24/05/2022 15:13

Are you and your husband one of these ‘we agreed’ couples, the ‘we’ being you?

Nothingiseverything · 24/05/2022 15:39

I'd like to hear his side. Could you actually afford the holiday? Are you now in debt because of it or even before it was booked and are now in more debt? Did he want to use the money for something else? Did he want to go somewhere else on holiday?

BadAtMaths2 · 24/05/2022 15:42

IncompleteSenten · 24/05/2022 13:28

You need to tell him he's being an arse.
I'd be telling him if he doesn't want to go, he can stay home and you'll go with a friend instead.

this...

StrawberryLipstickStateOfMind1 · 24/05/2022 15:46

Tbf I can be a bit like this about things, but this is why I do them on my own.
I spend the money, then get a bit panicky/anxious.
I just bug the living shit out of myself though.

BarbaraofSeville · 24/05/2022 15:46

Divorce him and find a nice husband to go on holiday with.

DahliaDreamer · 24/05/2022 15:47

IncompleteSenten · 24/05/2022 13:28

You need to tell him he's being an arse.
I'd be telling him if he doesn't want to go, he can stay home and you'll go with a friend instead.

This for me as well!

minipie · 24/05/2022 15:51

”We could go to Jamaica for what we’re spending.”
”Do you want to go to Jamaica?”
”No.”

Sorry OP but this made me laugh! What a miserable bugger.

Is he worried about costs do you think? Maybe when the trip was booked you didn’t have these weddings costing extra?

I think you need a “clear the air” conversation where you ask him why he’s being so negative. If it is due to cost maybe you can walk through what options are available to save money (probably not a lot) and then once he has accepted there are no options you can say, ok, the money is committed now so please let’s enjoy it!!

Blueeyedgirl21 · 24/05/2022 15:54

Do you absolutely have to go to the wedding the weekend before ? Could you both shirk it, spend the weekend in prepping and save money and frame it to him that you want to reduce his stress levels as it seems like he is really worried about the holiday and you want him to enjoy it. Or could you drive at the wedding and not drink to keep costs down ?

Parky04 · 24/05/2022 16:00

To be honest, I show no interest in an holiday until about 7 days before we go, and then I'm all over it!

TokyoSushi · 24/05/2022 16:01

Is it the cost? Have you overspent?

bert3400 · 24/05/2022 16:10

I would ask him these questions

  1. What do hope to get out of this holiday?
  2. What are your top 3 things you want to do on the holiday ?
  3. What thing would you not want to do ?

If he turns quedtions 1 And 2 into a massive Debbie Downer I would tell him you'll go on your own and he can stay here . Miserable git

JudgeJ · 24/05/2022 16:11

Parky04 · 24/05/2022 16:00

To be honest, I show no interest in an holiday until about 7 days before we go, and then I'm all over it!

I'm the same, someone constantly wittering on weeks before would drive me mad and we did some amazing road trips etc that needed quite a lot of planning but once we had done the broad planning it was put onto the back burner.

JudgeJ · 24/05/2022 16:13

bert3400 · 24/05/2022 16:10

I would ask him these questions

  1. What do hope to get out of this holiday?
  2. What are your top 3 things you want to do on the holiday ?
  3. What thing would you not want to do ?

If he turns quedtions 1 And 2 into a massive Debbie Downer I would tell him you'll go on your own and he can stay here . Miserable git

Why should be be cross-examined? Maybe he would prefer to go on his own!

AlternativePerspective · 24/05/2022 16:19

Sounds to me as if everything you currently say revolves around the holiday, and tbh if it were me that would get a bit tedious, especially as you have other things to do before said holiday.

You say this is a holiday of a fortune. TBH there is a risk that you build that up so much that it’s a letdown when the time actually arrives.

I would talk to him, but tbh I’d be interested to hear his side.

dreamingbohemian · 24/05/2022 16:21

Maybe just stop talking about it? It sounds like it's stressing him out in theory, he'll probably be fine when you actually go.

Is it possible to rebook any aspects of it so it costs less? Is it really unaffordable for you now?

NewandNotImproved · 24/05/2022 16:30

Tell him to phone and remove himself from the booking.

VenusClapTrap · 24/05/2022 16:33

Dh did this when we went to Centerparcs when the dc were little. Total pita. It didn’t stop when we got there either; he kept complaining about how awful the food was, how we could have stayed in a fancy villa in Europe for a week for what it cost, how he hated crowded swimming pools, how poky the cabin was etc etc. eventually I lost it and told him he was being a dick and that he’d made the whole holiday into a chore.

I don’t think he’d realised quite how much of a pain he was being, and he apologised and acknowledged that he was being a stuck record. It’s gone down in family legend as the holiday where Dh behaved as badly as toddler ds, and we laugh about it now. We’ve never been back to Centerparcs, mind you.

EileenGC · 24/05/2022 16:33

Who talks about a holiday weeks/months before it’s due to happen? It would drive me mad. I don’t have enough mental space to deal with multiple conversations or comments about how great it will be. Sure, I know it’ll be fab / hot / relaxing / whatever, but I don’t need constant reminding.