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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Called husband an incompetent parent

210 replies

happysundayiguess · 06/11/2022 13:23

He's stormed out saying he clearly can't do anything right so what's the point trying

Back story, heavily pregnant and feeling every bit of it. Husband went to collect our click and collect order this morning, 3 year old didn't want to go with him, fine. The plan is to go to the beach for a walk for the afternoon so he's getting out then. Spent the morning on the sofa, he was on the floor with Netflix on in the background playing with his toys.

10am Netflix comes up are you still watching, mum guilt kicks in, I say right enough tele let's go do something. Go in the kitchen, get the paints out, cut some potato stamps and we are doing that all fine, not even 5 minutes later he starts complaining he's bored and wants tele back on. I say no we've had 4 hours of tele we're going to do something else, if you don't want to do painting why don't we get something else out and make a few suggestions. He flies off the rails (which in itself is the result of too much screen time!) escalated to the point he scratched my arm and threw a bar stool over which took a chunk out of the wall. I did raise my voice at this and he then threw the paint and made a big mess with it. My husband walked in the door as this was happening and suddenly my son went from angry to hysterically sobbing that mummy made him upset because she shouted (I know I shouldn't of) my husband asked what happened and I explained that we've had hours of tele and he's kicking off because I said no more. He says give them a minute to calm down and go for a shower as I had paint on me.

I come back down from my shower and they are cuddled up on the sofa and he's got tele back on. As I walk in my husband goes right what do you say, toddler says sorry mummy, then my husband says that my son has cleaned up the paint and knows that because he was naughty he doesn't get to go to the beach anymore.

Fucking really? We don't think the logical solution here for a tantrum about screen time was to say because you've behaved in this way, there's no more screen time today and we're all going to go out to the beach. No, we take away the walk, outside in the fresh air, and give him more screen time? I turned the tele off and said you've had enough screens, we're going to the beach. Husband says I'm undermining him, I laugh because it's so ridiculous that this is how he thought he had resolved situation, he says why am I laughing? I say it's incompetent parenting to reward a tantrum about screen time with screen time and take away an outdoor activity as the punishment despite the fact that's a positive thing and is totally unrelated. He kicks off nothing he does is good enough and storms out. Left me with a kicking off child who didn't know what was going on and was just angry all over again about the tele being turned off. Took me an hour to calm him down, another big tantrum in that time and now I'm just exhausted and pissed off.

AIBU? Or is just parenting 101?

OP posts:
SpeckofDustUponMySoul · 06/11/2022 13:40

Doesn't sound as though you're in the frame of mind to hear a perspective contrary to your own?
Nope, putting the TV back on wasn't the best move, but he calmed your child down and was chilling with him, which calm mood you disrupted.
I think a walk on the beach will do you all some good.

arethereanyleftatall · 06/11/2022 13:41

You have clearly not listened to any of the responses. You are obviously ALWAYS RIGHT. It's impossible to move forward in this situation. To be able to articulate to your dh what he did wrong, and for him to listen, you need to accept and own what you did too. Otherwise you'll both stick only with the bit if the story you were right in. Nothing moves forward. Nobody learns.

happysundayiguess · 06/11/2022 13:41

Of course he calmed the child down because he gave him exactly what he wanted - I could of calmed the child down by turning the tele back on!

OP posts:
girlmom21 · 06/11/2022 13:42

happysundayiguess · 06/11/2022 13:41

Of course he calmed the child down because he gave him exactly what he wanted - I could of calmed the child down by turning the tele back on!

No he cleaned up all the mess and told him he would need to apologise to you before he watched the telly.

BankseyVest · 06/11/2022 13:43

I agree with you op. Your dh has rewarded your ds for throwing a tantrum and wanting more telly, by giving him more telly. Your ds will now know that he can get more screen time by throwing a tantrum.

notforonesecond · 06/11/2022 13:43

You’re not wrong technically, the walk probably wasn’t the right thing to take away in this situation and probably had more to do with your DH not being that arsed about going on the walk.

But just because you’re right doesn’t mean you get to be an arsehole to your husband after he’s calmed down a messy situation, cleaned up and got a 3 year old to apologise.

You're annoyed that your 3 year old had a tantrum at you and you’re taking that out on your husband. You’re really pregnant, it’s understandable, but you were still mean.

Just say sorry for being mean to him and move on.

arethereanyleftatall · 06/11/2022 13:43

Could 'have'. Please, please, please 🙏🏿

ZeroFuchsGiven · 06/11/2022 13:43

BagOfBollocks · 06/11/2022 13:35

Christ, let the poor kid have a chill day doing what he wants.

Not everything has to be structured all the time.

I couldnt agree more, you are at the end of your pregnnacy just chill out a bit and enjoy it. I can guarantee once your baby is here you wont give a flying fuck how much the telly is on for your 3 year old when a bay is taking up most of your time.

BagOfBollocks · 06/11/2022 13:44

happysundayiguess · 06/11/2022 13:41

Of course he calmed the child down because he gave him exactly what he wanted - I could of calmed the child down by turning the tele back on!

He was happily playing with his toys before you turned the TV off and forced 'fun' on him.

One of his parents actually decided to listen to him and it wasn't you.

So why is your husband the incompetent one?

wombat1a · 06/11/2022 13:44

Sounds like your DH has done well here and you have undermined him. No wonder he has gone off somewhere.

LondonWolf · 06/11/2022 13:44

I agree with you OP. The only thing you did wrong was to post on here. You'll no doubt get a kicking which I am sure you could do without,

BagOfBollocks · 06/11/2022 13:44

arethereanyleftatall · 06/11/2022 13:43

Could 'have'. Please, please, please 🙏🏿

Oh stop being a dick 🙄

happysundayiguess · 06/11/2022 13:46

BankseyVest · 06/11/2022 13:43

I agree with you op. Your dh has rewarded your ds for throwing a tantrum and wanting more telly, by giving him more telly. Your ds will now know that he can get more screen time by throwing a tantrum.

Thank you this is where I'm questioning my sanity on this thread. So often on mumsnet you read that the punishment needs to be related to the situation so taking away a walk outdoors instead of screen time

I'm getting berated for leaving the tele on for four hours and in the same breath berated for turning the tv off and trying to do some painting with him!

Arghhhh!

OP posts:
Butitsnotfunnyisititsserious · 06/11/2022 13:46

BagOfBollocks · 06/11/2022 13:35

Christ, let the poor kid have a chill day doing what he wants.

Not everything has to be structured all the time.

I agree. You might call him incompetent but you aren't sounding any better OP.

VyeBrator · 06/11/2022 13:46

Once the new baby's here do you honestly think you're going to have time to obsess about the structure of your toddler's day?

ZeroFuchsGiven · 06/11/2022 13:46

arethereanyleftatall · 06/11/2022 13:43

Could 'have'. Please, please, please 🙏🏿

Oh behave. A full stop comes at the end of a sentence btw. Or was it a question which would be ended by a question mark?

PeekabooAtTheZoo · 06/11/2022 13:47

YABU. If my DH took the toddler off me when I needed a rest after a stressful incident the only words out of my mouth would be ‘thank’ followed by ‘you’.

happysundayiguess · 06/11/2022 13:47

Because he told him he could only have the tele back on if he did those things? Sorry I'm not about to praise a parent for stopping a tantrum by letting them have the thing they were told no to. I'm not seeing the other side of that no, because it's worrying to me that next time I say no enough tele he knows what worked last time and I don't fancy him having massive tantrums on me every time I say no because he's learnt that it works

I accept IABU for my choice of wording to my husband

But I stand by the rest

OP posts:
SnarkyBag · 06/11/2022 13:48

I agree that the tv shouldn’t have gone back on after the behaviour BUT BUT BUT. This was actually a situation of your making. Toddler playing happily for hours with TV on in the background all settled. YOUR mum guilt kicks in and suddenly no more playing and TV that’s it it’s now painting in the kitchen.

you could have avoided all this with a simple warning of 15 more minutes and the TV is going off. Do you just want to keep playing nicely with toys or would you like to paint with mummy before we go to the beach. We can make a nice snack in the kitchen before we get the paints out.

sorry but I think your superior attitude towards your DH is misplaced here.

LizzieSiddal · 06/11/2022 13:48

I’d be so pissed off with your H because he cancelled the beach walk, that was daft. But I wouldn’t have got worked up about more TV as sometimes, if the adults are all frazzled you just have to give them what they want for a quiet life. (Not all the time obviously)

I feel sorry for your Ds today, you should both, tell him you all seem a bit tired and grumpy, have a group hug and go to the beach!

happysundayiguess · 06/11/2022 13:49

VyeBrator · 06/11/2022 13:46

Once the new baby's here do you honestly think you're going to have time to obsess about the structure of your toddler's day?

Realising that four hours screen time is a bit much and trying to do some painting with my young child despite feeling a bit crap, how is that obsessing about a schedule? Eh?

OP posts:
Hugasauras · 06/11/2022 13:51

I think it's just one of these everyday parenting situations/differences which isn't that important but that you've both got disproportionally upset and entrenched about tbh. I would apologise for the incompetent comment, and all of you go out and do something together and get away from the TV.

happysundayiguess · 06/11/2022 13:51

SnarkyBag · 06/11/2022 13:48

I agree that the tv shouldn’t have gone back on after the behaviour BUT BUT BUT. This was actually a situation of your making. Toddler playing happily for hours with TV on in the background all settled. YOUR mum guilt kicks in and suddenly no more playing and TV that’s it it’s now painting in the kitchen.

you could have avoided all this with a simple warning of 15 more minutes and the TV is going off. Do you just want to keep playing nicely with toys or would you like to paint with mummy before we go to the beach. We can make a nice snack in the kitchen before we get the paints out.

sorry but I think your superior attitude towards your DH is misplaced here.

Appreciate that but he was fine when the tele was turned off. I was feeling guilty so I said to him right that's enough of that should we go make some potato stamps and he excitedly said yes. He got bored after five minutes and wanted tele back on. We regularly have to do timers on my phone as a warning to an activity ending as he likes the control and if he had said he wasn't done or wanted more time or started to get upset at the time I would of offered to do a timer and ease him out that way.

OP posts:
notforonesecond · 06/11/2022 13:51

I really wouldn’t worry too much about this one off situation causing tantrums forever.

If your DS does kick off next time you turn the tele off you’ll have another chance to set the boundary. It’s not a once or nothing thing.

We all muck up sometimes and I reckon when your DH feels less attacked he’ll get what you’re saying about punishments being appropriate.

Nothing you’ve written here suggests he’s actually a bad parent though. None of this is that big of a deal.

VyeBrator · 06/11/2022 13:52

happysundayiguess · 06/11/2022 13:47

Because he told him he could only have the tele back on if he did those things? Sorry I'm not about to praise a parent for stopping a tantrum by letting them have the thing they were told no to. I'm not seeing the other side of that no, because it's worrying to me that next time I say no enough tele he knows what worked last time and I don't fancy him having massive tantrums on me every time I say no because he's learnt that it works

I accept IABU for my choice of wording to my husband

But I stand by the rest

Has there been any point during your parenting life where you've thought about something and concluded you might have been wrong?

Like when you disturbed a perfectly happy 3 year old who was playing with the TV in the background, forced them to do something they hated after 5 minutes because you you decided they had to do it, refused to let them go back to what they were happily doing and then had to deal with the resulting tantrum?

See I would've learned a lesson from that, but you just seem to consider yourself 100% right.

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