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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:
Franceen · 17/03/2023 21:03

Why have you termed your husband into "THEY"?

DanceMonster · 17/03/2023 21:07

redskylight · 17/03/2023 21:00

My main memories of childhood are my parents arguing about money.
The arguments stopped when my dad started a new, better paid job which meant he was away 2-3 nights a week.
I preferred the lack of tension over seeing him every day.

Things aren't always black and white.

No they’re not.
My parents divorced because my Dad (a high earner) was always at work and my mum felt entirely unsupported looking after me and my brother. She ended up having an affair. My Dad then had a breakdown and became an alcoholic. He’s now dying of an alcohol related disease, and my mum split with her second husband (her affair partner) and lives alone, suffering from severe depression. Things certainly aren’t always black and white.

Noicant · 17/03/2023 21:13

Dh is on about the same, he’s hands on, yeah he sometimes has to do evenings and weekends but thats because he has projects come up with tight deadlines. Where he can (which is 95% of the time) he spends time with our DC in the evening and then does bath and bedtime routine (we tend to do this together) and then works after DC has gone to bed.

Some jobs really do demand a lot but many people who aren’t having to travel do manage to find time for family, they just prioritise it. For DH this sometimes means working till quite late to make space for DD but he adores her so willing to do it. Also always does nursery run. He has much more flexibility as he’s become more senior. But he is a very family oriented person so it’s in his character anyway.

whynotwhatknot · 17/03/2023 21:19

Did everyone miss the part that ops dh went to work the day their dc was born?

he doesnt sound interested at all

DanceMonster · 17/03/2023 21:20

whynotwhatknot · 17/03/2023 21:19

Did everyone miss the part that ops dh went to work the day their dc was born?

he doesnt sound interested at all

Quite. My similarly earning DH took 6 full weeks paternity leave with our third child.

ladykale · 17/03/2023 21:22

LuckySantangelo35 · 17/03/2023 18:36

I think some of you read into things too much

I barely saw my dad as a kid. I knew it wasn’t cos he couldn’t be arsed but cos he was working all hours to forge a career that would provide for us all

I never have never in adulthood bitched about how he wasn’t there, how he was just the bank of dad etc etc I just accepted it - as do most people

Same.

If anything I have a lot of respect for him for doing what it took to pay for private school and all the rest of it, which I benefited from.

My mum worked long hours and I felt the same and to this day I'm very close to them.

Honestly don't think both parents need a super close bond during the baby phase. Primary care giver bond is important though.

Second care giver often finds it easier when the kid is a bit older and they can engage with them a bit more

Blossomtoes · 17/03/2023 21:22

whynotwhatknot · 17/03/2023 21:19

Did everyone miss the part that ops dh went to work the day their dc was born?

he doesnt sound interested at all

Mine did too. He was only allowed to visit for two hours, what was he supposed to do for the rest of that day?

megletthesecond · 17/03/2023 21:23

Yanbu. Your DH needs to stop drinking so much and cut back his pub evenings.

Butterkistfiend · 17/03/2023 21:27

Sorry OP but you’re both being unreasonable.

Him for not being more of a parent to his DC (but is he getting the option?) You need to allow him to parent his DC, if you don’t then this needs to change or no wonder he sees no point in coming home each evening.

You because it’s ridiculous to not use a baby monitor and have an evening downstairs when your baby is 5 months old! Come on, if you carry on like this the only way you’re heading is the divorce courts. Get a baby monitor, get the baby in it’s own room once it’s 6 months, hire a local nanny/ reputable babysitter for an evening a week so you and your DH can go out and spend some time together, you can start with them just coming round to the house for a couple of hours and getting your DC used to them, do this for a couple of weeks and then go out with your DH.

Ensure weekends are family time and again, try and give each other some attention.

But for god‘a sake get that baby monitor pronto.

Butterkistfiend · 17/03/2023 21:28

Oh and I’d be giving your DH an ultimatum too. That you BOTH put a lot more consideration and effort into the marriage and him put more effort into parenting and you’ll reassess things in 6 months, if things haven’t improved I’d be considering a separation.

DanceMonster · 17/03/2023 21:35

Blossomtoes · 17/03/2023 21:22

Mine did too. He was only allowed to visit for two hours, what was he supposed to do for the rest of that day?

Go home and get some rest so that he was able to help out with night shifts etc when you were home? Do some batch cooking so you had plenty in the freezer when you were on maternity leave? Clean the house top to bottom so it was nice for you coming home? Surely his paternity leave kicked in when you went into Labour, so why not use that time to make things easier for you post birth?
DH’s high salary (that one that means the OP can afford a crèche) meant that my husband could afford to take some unpaid leave and really support us after the birth of our children. I have such fond memories of all the bonding DH did in those early days with our babies.

Blossomtoes · 17/03/2023 21:38

It was 1975. We didn’t have a freezer. I cleaned the house within an inch of its life the day before. There was no such thing as paternity leave, he collected us from hospital and went straight to work, he wouldn’t have got paid otherwise.

Noicant · 17/03/2023 21:39

DanceMonster · 17/03/2023 21:20

Quite. My similarly earning DH took 6 full weeks paternity leave with our third child.

Same, he did the first nappy change too and shared the nights.

DanceMonster · 17/03/2023 21:40

Blossomtoes · 17/03/2023 21:38

It was 1975. We didn’t have a freezer. I cleaned the house within an inch of its life the day before. There was no such thing as paternity leave, he collected us from hospital and went straight to work, he wouldn’t have got paid otherwise.

No mine didn’t get paid either. Like I said above, his high salary meant he could afford to take some unpaid leave to be able to bond with his children.
However I’m assuming the OP isn’t referring to a baby she had in 1975, so maybe her husband could have done things like batch cook for the freezer rather than going to work?

SofiaSoFar · 17/03/2023 21:42

I'm afraid YABU, OP. As the vast majority on here agree.

Blossomtoes · 17/03/2023 21:43

maybe her husband could have done things like batch cook for the freezer rather than going to work?

Why would he when he could afford to fill the freezer with Cook meals? Not having to do that stuff is one of the major benefits of earning obscene amounts of money.

DanceMonster · 17/03/2023 21:45

Blossomtoes · 17/03/2023 21:43

maybe her husband could have done things like batch cook for the freezer rather than going to work?

Why would he when he could afford to fill the freezer with Cook meals? Not having to do that stuff is one of the major benefits of earning obscene amounts of money.

We can afford to buy Cook meals. DH’s cooking is far nicer.

Blossomtoes · 17/03/2023 21:50

OP isn’t married to your husband. I doubt hers has ever boiled an egg.

DanceMonster · 17/03/2023 21:53

Blossomtoes · 17/03/2023 21:50

OP isn’t married to your husband. I doubt hers has ever boiled an egg.

She’s not married to yours either, so no doubt he didn’t have his child in 1975 and probably got paternity leave.

Blossomtoes · 17/03/2023 21:54

OK, since you’re so determined to have the last word, you win. Happy now?

DanceMonster · 17/03/2023 21:56

My point was just that you can’t compare the OP’s situation to yours (nearly 50 years ago) then object to other people comparing it to theirs.

redskylight · 17/03/2023 21:58

Blossomtoes · 17/03/2023 21:22

Mine did too. He was only allowed to visit for two hours, what was he supposed to do for the rest of that day?

Mine did too. He was kicked out of the hospital as it wasn't visiting hours and he thought he'd use the time to finish off some bits of work and handover some others so he could spend more time with me and the baby later.

whynotwhatknot · 17/03/2023 22:00

Blossomtoes · 17/03/2023 21:38

It was 1975. We didn’t have a freezer. I cleaned the house within an inch of its life the day before. There was no such thing as paternity leave, he collected us from hospital and went straight to work, he wouldn’t have got paid otherwise.

ffs sake how is that comparable-anyway i wa born then my dad was with my mum all day-popped home and came back

Blossomtoes · 17/03/2023 22:01

I’m sure you remember it well @whynotwhatknot.

whynotwhatknot · 17/03/2023 22:13

oh ffs stop being so obtuse

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