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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

DH refusing dinner issue

289 replies

Lisagreen12 · 22/10/2022 14:36

thursday morning he txt when he was at work asking what’s for dinner as he needed to know if he had to try borrow some money, with it being the day before payday we had barely any food in
I replied saying we’ve got stuff in for a roast if you fancy it? And asked what time he would be home
he was happy with this
around lunchtime on his break we had an argument unrelated and at the end he said “don’t bother with dinner it’s not worth the hassle”
I didn’t reply to this message as I couldn’t be bothered with arguing but I’m not just going to not bother as the kids need to eat
he’s then gone and borrowed money off his mum and walked in the door after work with McDonald’s
So after 2 hours of slaving in the kitchen cooking a roast the kids didn’t want any of it.
Hes been in a mood since because we argued about that too, him saying I’m ungrateful and that he told me not to bother with dinner so it’s my own fault
but the kids had to eat and I didn’t know he was going to get his mum to send him money at his big age of 37, so was I meant to take the risk and leave them with nothing

OP posts:
Lisagreen12 · 23/10/2022 09:27

Your username is deliveroo and you’re moaning about a McDonald’s lol

OP posts:
ABBAsnumberonefan · 23/10/2022 09:27

He literally said don’t bother lol. Whatever your argument was about I think you knew he wouldn’t be happy. Sometimes we need little things to uplift us which it sounds like he did with tea. Sorry OP, but you just sound defensive in your posts.

Both of you should grow up and communicate better.

deliverooyoutoo · 23/10/2022 09:28

At the point at which he said cooking dinner for kids wasn't worth the hassle (Wtf) she could have said "no, I've a roast here I'll cook for dinner"

Lisagreen12 · 23/10/2022 09:29

@ABBAsnumberonefan ah so I should have listened when he decided I shouldn’t bother with dinner for the children and let them starve? Except I’m the main carer for them being at home all day so it’s my decision what they eat and what I do there

OP posts:
lifesabitchandthenyoudie · 23/10/2022 09:29

Bloody hell. This 'holier than thou we know best and can tell you how to sort your life out attitude' really puts me off mn. Think I'll take a break from you lot.

OP he was being unreasonable.

onlywishfulthinking · 23/10/2022 09:32

I’m the main carer for them being at home all day so it’s my decision what they eat

Doesn’t sound like it op.

nothing wrong with a 1yo in a sling. My DH fed him McDonald’s.

If I took the food off DC it would have turned into a massive argument

deliverooyoutoo · 23/10/2022 09:32

Lisagreen12 · 23/10/2022 09:29

@ABBAsnumberonefan ah so I should have listened when he decided I shouldn’t bother with dinner for the children and let them starve? Except I’m the main carer for them being at home all day so it’s my decision what they eat and what I do there

Except it's not, is it.

SpidersAreShitheads · 23/10/2022 09:33

Lisagreen12 · 23/10/2022 09:29

@ABBAsnumberonefan ah so I should have listened when he decided I shouldn’t bother with dinner for the children and let them starve? Except I’m the main carer for them being at home all day so it’s my decision what they eat and what I do there

except you didn't say that to him, did you?! You didn't text and say "no, I've got the stuff out for a roast so I'm cooking it for the kids - we can't afford to waste it". Neither of you are communicating - and here we are. Absolute mess.

And you're so insistent that it's "your decision what they eat" - and in the same breath you're saying you weren't happy that your 1yr old child was fed a Happy Meal but you were apparently powerless to stop it. I've never heard anything so ridiculous. Like fuck would anyone feed my baby something that I wasn't happy with. The DC enjoy an occasional McDs now they're older, but absolutely no way at 12 months old would anyone be feeding it to them.

At least be mature enough to own your part in all of this. No one is impressed with your husband/partner's behaviour but you're not an innocent party in all of this either.

HasBeans · 23/10/2022 09:40

I think a lot of posters have been a bit unfairly goady to OP. Repurposing or reusing leftover food other than just reheating it isn’t something that everyone automatically knows how to do. If nobody teaches you this stuff, how would you ever know? My mum was a tv dinner person, HE lessons at school didn’t cover basic food prep, etc, just random recipes. It took me a long time to teach myself to cook, let alone work out what to do with turning food that didn’t get eaten into another meal.

Perhaps some gentle advice on what OP might do with leftover veg and potatoes might be kinder than berating her for chucking the potatoes and lecturing her on what she should’ve done instead. And blaming her for her - at best, inconsiderate - partner being allowed to feed a one-year old a happy meal. Very few kids, of any age, would choose home cooking over McDonalds! Especially if it’s a ‘treat’ food, and everyone else is eating it!

OP, if it happens again, tell your partner to sort out himself before he gets home so he’s not bringing takeaway food into the house, and that you and the kids will be eating what you’ve cooked.

lentilly · 23/10/2022 09:43

HasBeans · 23/10/2022 09:40

I think a lot of posters have been a bit unfairly goady to OP. Repurposing or reusing leftover food other than just reheating it isn’t something that everyone automatically knows how to do. If nobody teaches you this stuff, how would you ever know? My mum was a tv dinner person, HE lessons at school didn’t cover basic food prep, etc, just random recipes. It took me a long time to teach myself to cook, let alone work out what to do with turning food that didn’t get eaten into another meal.

Perhaps some gentle advice on what OP might do with leftover veg and potatoes might be kinder than berating her for chucking the potatoes and lecturing her on what she should’ve done instead. And blaming her for her - at best, inconsiderate - partner being allowed to feed a one-year old a happy meal. Very few kids, of any age, would choose home cooking over McDonalds! Especially if it’s a ‘treat’ food, and everyone else is eating it!

OP, if it happens again, tell your partner to sort out himself before he gets home so he’s not bringing takeaway food into the house, and that you and the kids will be eating what you’ve cooked.

She knows how to reheat potatoes and veg she's just being fussy as they don't taste as nice the next day.

HasBeans · 23/10/2022 09:46

@lentilly and now you’re goading me! Please reread my post - I said ‘other than reheating’.

lentilly · 23/10/2022 09:47

HasBeans · 23/10/2022 09:46

@lentilly and now you’re goading me! Please reread my post - I said ‘other than reheating’.

But how is it goading OP to say reheating them is fine don't chuck them away! Or do you mean the ones where people are giving recipie advice?

lentilly · 23/10/2022 09:48

HasBeans · 23/10/2022 09:46

@lentilly and now you’re goading me! Please reread my post - I said ‘other than reheating’.

And apologies I didn't mean to be "goady"

JennyNotFromTheBlock · 23/10/2022 09:49

HasBeans · 23/10/2022 09:46

@lentilly and now you’re goading me! Please reread my post - I said ‘other than reheating’.

It's the same thing. OP has said she refuses to do it, regardless.

Travis1 · 23/10/2022 09:49

Wow there are some right nasty bastards on this thread.

OP you are not being unreasonable. Is this a pattern of behaviour with your partner? How will this now be resolved going forward? Are you expected to ‘back down’ and apologise? Or will you just brush it under the carpet?

Heyahun · 23/10/2022 09:51

annoyong Yes - but I guess he did say don’t bother with dinner

no idea why you can’t reheat potato’s that’s so weird - if you heat them in the oven they would be fine

you could have just had the roast the next day.

IhateHermioneGranger · 23/10/2022 09:52

I don't actually see anything wrong with a few chips for a one year old personally but that is just me.

I would say if you are struggling for money can't you work around your partner? Next time your skint do jacket potatoes or something like that.

Lisagreen12 · 23/10/2022 09:52

@Travis1 we’ve spoke briefly since then but still mostly the silent treatment, I’ll be expected to apologise for it before it can be resolved

OP posts:
ChaosDemon · 23/10/2022 09:53

JennyNotFromTheBlock · 23/10/2022 09:49

It's the same thing. OP has said she refuses to do it, regardless.

Exactly. The OP fucked up leftover roast potatoes once, but instead of using her brain and Google to try some different methods and recipes, she decides to be fussy and lazy and bin them.

Being skint and making do go hand in hand. I have been and actually am right now. Suck it up.

HasBeans · 23/10/2022 09:59

It's the same thing. OP has said she refuses to do it, regardless

it’s not the same thing. She only said she refuses to reheat the potatoes.

With respect, my post talks about knowing what to do with leftover food, OTHER than reheating, to make it more palatable and appealing. It’s not a given that everyone knows how to make a leftovers pie, bubble and squeak, frittata, etc. and just because it’s obvious to those of you with that knowledge and skills, doesn’t mean it is to everyone, or that everyone has the same knowledge or skill. I certainly didn’t for a long time.

lentilly · 23/10/2022 10:01

HasBeans · 23/10/2022 09:59

It's the same thing. OP has said she refuses to do it, regardless

it’s not the same thing. She only said she refuses to reheat the potatoes.

With respect, my post talks about knowing what to do with leftover food, OTHER than reheating, to make it more palatable and appealing. It’s not a given that everyone knows how to make a leftovers pie, bubble and squeak, frittata, etc. and just because it’s obvious to those of you with that knowledge and skills, doesn’t mean it is to everyone, or that everyone has the same knowledge or skill. I certainly didn’t for a long time.

Ah fair enough. Yes I think if I'd cooked a roast dinner I wouldn't then want to be thinking of something to do with the rejected potatoes. DH could do it or tough we're all eating reheated potatoes the next day.

HasBeans · 23/10/2022 10:08

Thank you @lentilly

To be fair, we will all eat cold roasties here (lovely with a bit of salad cream), but I guess not everyone likes the same thing. Mine would eat bubble and squeak made with leftovers, but not frittata.

JennyNotFromTheBlock · 23/10/2022 10:10

HasBeans · 23/10/2022 09:59

It's the same thing. OP has said she refuses to do it, regardless

it’s not the same thing. She only said she refuses to reheat the potatoes.

With respect, my post talks about knowing what to do with leftover food, OTHER than reheating, to make it more palatable and appealing. It’s not a given that everyone knows how to make a leftovers pie, bubble and squeak, frittata, etc. and just because it’s obvious to those of you with that knowledge and skills, doesn’t mean it is to everyone, or that everyone has the same knowledge or skill. I certainly didn’t for a long time.

It is exactly the same thing because if she doesn't like eating something the next day, it wouldn't matter how it was prepared. And OP hasn't commented on the recipes or said or hinted she is open to that, it's ever so clear from OPs posts that she has no intention of reheating or recooking food. She has made that more than very clear.

HeadacheEarthquake · 23/10/2022 10:10

But reconstituted reheated and deep fat fried potatoes are fine because they're covered in salt and come in a little red box with an "M"

whatodowhattodo · 23/10/2022 10:15

Overall, I don’t think you are BU, your OH’s text did not communicate a firm dinner plan, and given it came at the end of an unrelated argument you didn’t feel able to presume they had dinner covered, your efforts/the food went to waste, and your OH hasn’t apologised, and has instead made this about how he feels upset.

Also, depending on your usual pattern of communication, could ‘hassle’ in his text been taken as a mean rejection/jibe, implying that your efforts are no longer needed, and therefore bringing home McD deliberately disregards you/your efforts.

Your OH could be feeling that he did a good thing, now disregarded due to an incomplete text.

It sounds like you’re both feeling upset so perhaps discussing/disagreeing over who is right/not isn’t the answer, and hearing and appreciating the upset each is feeling, irrespective of where it came from, could be.

As an aside, hazarding a guess that you’ve tried reheating pots/veg in the microwave, but perhaps not creating a slightly different dish eg frying, a bit like bubble and squeak - traditionally with mash and cabbage, I think, but you could create your own version.

Caveat to my note - I’ve read all the OP’s comments and only the first few pages of responses, so apologies if this is a rehash of what others have said.

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