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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

SAHM. DH says I am selfish…

1000 replies

SAHMworry · 17/03/2023 09:02

Background info: I’m a SAHM. DH works a lot. Usually out by 7:30/8am and home by 7:30pm (although could be back by 6:30pm but stays late to get more done). Weekends is constantly on the phone working and often goes into work on days off. Earns very well (£250k+) and provides everything for me and DC.
DC is under 1. I do absolutely everything child related. DH wouldn’t even know what to feed DC, or what routine we have regarding naps and bottles as he just isn’t here enough to know. DC is asleep by 7:30/8 so he barely even sees them awake in the week.

Recently our relationship has just changed (since DC). DH often gets home so late that I’m already in bed (DC is in a sidecar cot and I still go to bed at the same time rather than leaving with a baby monitor although I intend to start with the monitor soon) and we barely exchange a few sentences. Even when DH is back by 7, I do bath and bedtime whilst DH stays downstairs unwinding and having a couple of drinks.

Which leads me onto the next issue, I resent how much he drinks and goes to the pub after work. He will often leave work on time and go to the pub… so he could have been home by 6:30 but instead goes to the pub so again, I am in bed with DC by the time he is home. We’ve discussed this many time and DH promises to be home earlier, which happens for about a week before he goes back to being late again. This happens probably twice a week… I would say he is home by 7pm twice a week MAX.

Recently I have started going to the gym. I do a couple of PT sessions during the week, and a couple of morning classes. These morning classes mean that DH has to look after DC before he goes to work, and due to timings, has to get ready for work at the same time. I come in and take baby straight off of him, which leaves him about 10 minutes before he has to leave out.

DH says this is selfish and that I shouldn’t do these sessions in the morning as it makes him late for work. I think he needs to be more organised and get ready before I leave so that he isn’t rushing around whilst looking after DC. He could have everything ready the night before to ensure he isn’t late… except he doesn’t and therefore rushes around once I’m back and is late. I get ready every day whilst looking after DC and manage not to be late for everything.

I am starting to resent being expected to do everything for DC (even though I don’t mind! It’s the principle), and can feel I have become cold towards DH which he has picked up on. He says he doesn’t understand what more I want as he provides absolutely everything for us and can’t do that without working so much. We agreed I would be a SAHM before having children and I love that I get to spend so much time with DC. DH thinks I need to “let go” with DC more and put them in their own room/use babysitters so that we can spend more time as a couple but I don’t want to do this - we have no family nearby and IMO DC is too young for their own room.

Sorry for the long post - but AIBU? Do I need to suck it up and realise that this is how things are with a high earning DH who provides everything? Our relationship is not great at all at the moment and I’m just not really sure where to turn.

OP posts:
Mumsanetta · 17/03/2023 12:42

MrsWhites · 17/03/2023 12:32

If the working parent in this thread earned £50k you could guarantee the responses would be different!!

I think a lot of the replies on this thread reflect the fact that so many women think a high salary is ultimately the most important thing a DH can provide and the OP should think herself lucky.

ladykale · 17/03/2023 12:43

DanceMonster · 17/03/2023 09:25

Gobsmacked at some of these replies to be honest. Selfish for going to the gym in the morning meaning her DH just needs to be a little bit more organised? Yet it’s fine for him to go out for drinks nearly every evening, which means he barely sees his DC on weekdays?
The problem is OP people see that he’s a high earner and therefore think you should just be grateful for your lot and not expect any free time of your own.
If he wants to spend more time with you he could always not go out for drinks after work every evening.

If he leaves at 7.30am then yes it's a bit ridiculous and I wouldn't agree to look after a baby if I had to leave for work at that time. I'd arrange for a nanny to come and start at 7am so I could get ready,

She's a SAHM why does she have to go to the gym at that precise moment.

Or she could put him in a crèche for one morning a week to go to the gym.

All such a bizarre post tbh.

He's not absent because he's out on the lash - he's working - and going for one drinks at 6.30pm really isn't that unreasonable

Dillydollydingdong · 17/03/2023 12:43

Why are you referring to dc as "them?" Are there two babies?

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 17/03/2023 12:45

You know for a fact if you'd started a thread asking if it was OK you use a creche a few times a week to work out, everyone would be piling on saying "why can't you leave the baby with its dad, go early in the morning before work" blah blah.

ladykale · 17/03/2023 12:46

Nooyoiknooyoik · 17/03/2023 09:33

Yes, I second what a pp said about making him spend time with just the baby for a while at weekends. Get him to take bub to the park or swimming or to a class and make him do all the dressing and feeding for this period. You go off and do something yourself while they’re doing that. This is the only way they will truly bond.

Also take the initiative, get some dates from him and book nice family holidays for the three of you to relax and enjoy each other (and tag team the childcare equally on the holidays).

But she said he offered to & told her to go out, but she didn't want to as she doesn't want to be away from the baby,

Sorry but so many women on here create problems for themselves then complain!

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 17/03/2023 12:47

If you're in bed by 8pm every night, what's your issue with him going to the gym or the pub? He's probably bored and lonely.

It does sound as if he is avoiding being a Dad though and stressed about it (if he doesn't know what's he's doing).

Could you do anything together as a family at the weekend? A walk in the park etc?

I think it would do your mental health good to get some childcare and go back to work, at least part time. It sounds as it your world has shrunk to just you and your child. If DH doesn't want your DC to go to nursery, but he also won't help out; that's not fair on you.

MrsSamR · 17/03/2023 12:49

All this safe sleep guidelines debating is driving me mad: we all know it's advised that babies sleep in the same room as you for all sleep (day or night) until 6 months. But why are using a monitor and baby sleeping upstairs while OP and her husband are downstairs or OP going to bed with baby at 7.30 the only options?! My DD (also 5 months old) sleeps in her bassinet next to the sofa with my husband and I downstairs while we eat dinner/watch TV/have a glass of wine. Why is this not possible?! The OP is making a choice to go to bed with her baby rather than spend time with her husband (if he's home) and the husband is making a choice to stay at the pub rather than come home. That's the issue here!

Spudina · 17/03/2023 12:50

Your marriage isn’t going to survive this set up. I do think you should think about rejoining the workforce at some point to have some financial security should things go tits up. Your DH has totally checked out of your family life, and that’s rubbish. His salary doesn’t justify that. It’s hard to respect/fancy a man so incapable of looking after his own child. There could be a compromise to be had. He swaps a pub night for date night and you get a sitter. Have a serious conversation about his lack of engagement with his kid. Things have to change. He needs to do some baths and beds now. It’s the little things that turn into big things when bonding with a baby.

Mumsanetta · 17/03/2023 12:51

@ladykale
If he leaves at 7.30am then yes it's a bit ridiculous and I wouldn't agree to look after a baby if I had to leave for work at that time. I'd arrange for a nanny to come and start at 7am so I could get ready,

Have you ever tried to hire a nanny for an hour at 7am? Absolutely nothing wrong with him watching his baby in the morning, it’s great bonding time for them. My DH does this before work so I can go to the gym.

Or she could put him in a crèche for one morning a week to go to the gym.

A 20 week old baby?!

He's not absent because he's out on the lash - he's working - and going for one drinks at 6.30pm really isn't that unreasonable

He is absent because he chooses to get home once the baby has gone to bed. If he had his way, he would spend no time at all with the baby during the week which makes him very much absent.

Also, they are actually both working, it’s just that OP’s job is unpaid and in the home. And interesting that you think it’s perfectly ok that OP’s husband goes out for a drink after work instead of helping with bath and bedtime as he needs to wind down but not perfectly ok for the OP to go to the gym in the morning for her to wind down.

RemoteControlDoobry · 17/03/2023 12:52

There are a few things going on here. I was a SAHM so I kind of understand.

Your DH is a very high earner, which suggests a certain type of personality. I’m only guessing but he’s possibly a bit narcissistic and not very empathetic. Doesn’t show much interest in your DC.

You are a bit anxious and clingy with your DC (not being mean - I’m the same and mine are 18 and 20🙂). You’re not making time for your DH. Your DH will be feeling rejected because of the lack of intimacy. That’s neither right or wrong - it’s just something that happens. So he goes to the pub to sulk.

What I would say is that you could make steps to improve your life. Your DH makes a small fortune and it sounds as if he isn’t stingy. You could afford to find someone wonderful to look after your child while you go to the gym and do lots of other fun things. Maybe try to find some time for DH. You have so many opportunities currently that most women just don’t have. You could arrange some weekends away or you could study. Perhaps you could talk to your DH and ask him to spend more time with his DC. It’s really important that they have a bond, for your child’s sake but at the moment you’re not letting him.

The alternative is becoming a single parent. Your DH is a high earner which means high maintenance payments but if something happened to him you could be left in a difficult situation. You’d have no security. A lot of us feel that our lives are lacking in some way but (and I say this kindly) you have absolutely no idea how awful some women’s lives are. Don’t throw away what your have and don’t behave impulsively. Your DH isn’t very interested in your child now and if you left him, you’d still be doing all the childcare while he got on with his important job. And if you refused, he’d pay someone else to do it. Take it from someone who knows!

ladykale · 17/03/2023 12:52

@Mumsanetta but salary does have a bearing on responses, because most £250k jobs are highly stressful and require long hours...

It is also enabling her not to work so expectations are different

Naunet · 17/03/2023 12:53

ladykale · 17/03/2023 12:43

If he leaves at 7.30am then yes it's a bit ridiculous and I wouldn't agree to look after a baby if I had to leave for work at that time. I'd arrange for a nanny to come and start at 7am so I could get ready,

She's a SAHM why does she have to go to the gym at that precise moment.

Or she could put him in a crèche for one morning a week to go to the gym.

All such a bizarre post tbh.

He's not absent because he's out on the lash - he's working - and going for one drinks at 6.30pm really isn't that unreasonable

She's a SAHM why does she have to go to the gym at that precise moment

Hes a father and a husband, he doesn’t need to go to the pub every night, but he does…

DanceMonster · 17/03/2023 12:53

ladykale · 17/03/2023 12:52

@Mumsanetta but salary does have a bearing on responses, because most £250k jobs are highly stressful and require long hours...

It is also enabling her not to work so expectations are different

Do you know many people earning £250k?

Seeingadistance · 17/03/2023 12:55

Purplecatshopaholic · 17/03/2023 09:05

If I’m totally honest op, my first thought on reading this is you don’t know how lucky you are….

This.

EarringsandLipstick · 17/03/2023 12:55

MrsWhites · 17/03/2023 12:32

If the working parent in this thread earned £50k you could guarantee the responses would be different!!

Absolutely this.

blisstwins · 17/03/2023 12:55

Your situation is not tenable. You are living a life with very traditional gender roles, but expecting something else. You need some hired help so you have some relief and also to spend some time with your husband.

SeasonFinale · 17/03/2023 12:56

Gym with a creche means you can during the day. It must be stressful thinking you are going to be at work late hanging around for you to get back.

Why are you going to bed at 8/8.30? That is no way to have a relationship. Even if you went to bed at say 10 which is early at least you would spend time together.

Re him staying in the pub - if you are frequently in bed at 8 he probably thinks what is the point of getting in any earlier. You are at risk of pushing him away entirely.

EarringsandLipstick · 17/03/2023 12:56

FourTeaFallOut · 17/03/2023 12:34

Well, of course, the position on MN is that any sahm is always in the wrong, but - putting aside your feelings on the matter - when is he ever going to spend any time with his kid on this schedule? Presumably he wanted some part in sharing some of his life with this child and not just the same house?

Perfectly & succinctly put!

ladykale · 17/03/2023 12:57

Mumsanetta · 17/03/2023 12:51

@ladykale
If he leaves at 7.30am then yes it's a bit ridiculous and I wouldn't agree to look after a baby if I had to leave for work at that time. I'd arrange for a nanny to come and start at 7am so I could get ready,

Have you ever tried to hire a nanny for an hour at 7am? Absolutely nothing wrong with him watching his baby in the morning, it’s great bonding time for them. My DH does this before work so I can go to the gym.

Or she could put him in a crèche for one morning a week to go to the gym.

A 20 week old baby?!

He's not absent because he's out on the lash - he's working - and going for one drinks at 6.30pm really isn't that unreasonable

He is absent because he chooses to get home once the baby has gone to bed. If he had his way, he would spend no time at all with the baby during the week which makes him very much absent.

Also, they are actually both working, it’s just that OP’s job is unpaid and in the home. And interesting that you think it’s perfectly ok that OP’s husband goes out for a drink after work instead of helping with bath and bedtime as he needs to wind down but not perfectly ok for the OP to go to the gym in the morning for her to wind down.

I don't mean a nanny for an hour & she should get childcare for half a day and go to the gym, get her hair done and do whatever else she needs to do. Genuinely not advertising as I have no link to them, but Bubble Childcare offers this as I've used it for that purpose.

Some men don't want to be super hands on & I hate to say it, but if they are willing to pay for extra hands on help I don't personally see the problem. Both parents don't need to have the same relationship with the child. Some dads find it easier to bond with babies when they are a bit older.

I would go to the pub too if my OH went to bed 30 mins after I got home! What's the point of him coming home early if she's going to sleep early anyway.

It's unlikely he would make it home for bathtime regardless. I can't think of a single job that pays £250k that alllows you leave on the dot at 5pm every day to get home in time for bathtime.

SeasonFinale · 17/03/2023 12:57

Naunet · 17/03/2023 12:53

She's a SAHM why does she have to go to the gym at that precise moment

Hes a father and a husband, he doesn’t need to go to the pub every night, but he does…

Probably because she is frequently in bed when he gets home - by her own admission so why bother getting in earlier.

EarringsandLipstick · 17/03/2023 12:57

redrobin75 · 17/03/2023 12:41

Agree with other posters:
Find a gym with a Creche
Find an evening class at the gym so he has to do bedtime once a week
Find a babysitter for nights out together

Or...

Expect the father of the child to make an appearance in said child's life at some point in his working week?

Sleepless1096 · 17/03/2023 12:58

I am in a similar situation to you, only with two children and my husband works longer hours... seldom home until after midnight, can be early hours. Also, my husband does make an effort to spend time with the eldest on the weekend. He has limited interest in the baby but, based on past experience, will become marginally more interested when the baby can do more stuff.

I do practically everything at home and for the children, and quite frankly I'm sick of it and not sure our 'relationship' will limp on much longer. But I'll probably wait until the baby is older and I'm back at work at least part-time to press the nuclear button. But it's very much in my mind...

In the short-term, I'm planning to hire a nanny/home help for a few hours a week to care for the baby while I have some time to do stuff for me (work, gym, classes etc). I don't particularly want to leave the baby with a stranger but tbh she's probably spent more time interacting with the nice lady who runs our nearest cafe than she has with her own daddy so I'm not sure it would upset her any more than if I left her with him (and I'm sure she'll soon develop a bond with a consistent and affectionate caregiver). That's obviously shit and a poor reflection on him, but as I've found, you can't force someone to parent. Deadbeat dads come in all shapes and sizes (and income brackets), it's just societally more acceptable if you're well off.

Pleasepleasenomorecocomelon · 17/03/2023 12:59

butterfliedtwo · 17/03/2023 12:29

If I knew my wife would be in bed by 7pm with the baby I'd go to the pub too.

What a shitty attitude. My first thought would be jeez my wife seems knackered from doing all the night waking. Maybe I need to help out more and rush back once I'd finished work.

Scottishskifun · 17/03/2023 12:59

I find this very sad to read.
Your DH basically has zero relationship with his child and then complains at being left with him for 2 hours in the morning and having to get ready around him. Seriously what does he think you do when you need to go out?!

Agreeing to be a SAHM doesn't mean 24/7 responsibility. He gets to unwind in the evenings.....when is your unwind time?????

I'm not a SAHM I work full time but I most definitely find time with my children and my husband has both our children first thing in the morning and does breakfast.

It's bollocks to say we'll he's working hard.....looking after children is working hard and he needs to understand that you need a break and unwind time too!

EarringsandLipstick · 17/03/2023 12:59

I think a lot of the replies on this thread reflect the fact that so many women think a high salary is ultimately the most important thing a DH can provide and the OP should think herself lucky.

Yup.

It's so so depressing.

This kind of indentured servitude - he's earning so much you need to put up & shut up & just facilitate his every whim. Christ.

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