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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Why do men do this???

153 replies

Parrrrple · 19/08/2023 09:40

We need to be somewhere by 11.it’s an hours drive. I wanted to set off at 9am as that will give us time to get parked, get something to eat etc … DH thought that was too early so we compromised on 9:30. He’s dat doing nothing until 8:20 at which point I reminded him he needs to start getting ready. 9:30 arrives and at this point he decides he needs a poo and a shave. Why????

OP posts:
GreyCarpet · 19/08/2023 13:45

5128gap · 19/08/2023 12:26

Most women don't marry selfish, lazy, mid 40s men, grown arrogant and entitled with middle age, and move immediately into a house full of children, pets and domestic chores.
Many women marry energetic motivated young men who work roughly the same hours they do, so do their fair share to keep the tiny starter home tidy. Who participate with enthusiasm in shared (fun, adult centred, pre child) social activities. Who don't feel the need to collapse in front of the TV every evening and weekend because they've been to work all week.
Men change with age and circumstances, and frequently the young man who ticked all the boxes when life was easy, turns into a middle aged one you barely recognise when life becomes more of a challenge.

Yes, I understand that but, whenever there are posts on here about lazy useless men, there are often multiple childen, dogs, a large house with a big mortgage. None of those just happen out of nowhere either.

I've read many a thread where a woman is moaning about her husband being crap during pregnancy, for example, and it turns out she's been with him for years, he was like it during her first two pregnancies too and this is her third. And they just got a puppy and she can't cope. And she's finally had enough.

I've read a thread this week with a husband/father wanting to take their children away for a week and the wife/mother isn't happy with it. Her personal feelings aside, so many responses were questioning his ability to cope. How would he care for the children, meet their needs, entertain them on his own? How do people think single mothers manage? No one questions women's ability to cope. We just expect them to be able to. Just totally infantilising.

Many women infantilise men. And I don't know why. Perhaps it meets a mothering/nurturing need in them. Or it suits a personal narrative. It's no different to the narrative that men don't know their own minds, or they don't understand why certain behaviours are upsetting and why so many women ask "how can I get him to understand?" He does understand, he just doesn't care. Find one who does before you saddle yourself with babies, a mortgage, and depend on him in any way whatsoever.

My mother used to fawn around men. Bless him, he doesn't know how to x, y, z. Yes, he does. He's a functioning adult. And she's not alone. I've had friends turn down invitations to dinner out because they can't leave him to feed himself. Why? Oh, he wouldn't know where to start!

I know several families where, due to differing work schedules, the men do the cooking, laundry, cleaning, shopping etc equally to the women. I only know a few couples where the man is 'incompetent' and in every case, the woman admits its because she took over everything in the early days either so that he could rest or because she believed she could do it better (bless him, he tries...). In the early days, the men were just as capable. But get told to go and sit down and put your feet up or that you've done it wrong often enough and a new normal develops. Everyone can be lazy and, if someone facilitates that, you will be. Everyone would rather do something they enjoy rather than chores!

We have friends coming over this evening for dinner. We decided what to cook together, made a list of chores together, made a shopping list together, went to the supermarket together. At the moment, we are sitting in the garden drinking tea together and after that, we'll start cooking and do the chores. Together.

Oh, I tell a lie. He's just stood up to take the washing off the line and fold it before taking it inside.

I'm still sitting on my arse typing this! 🤷🏻‍♀️

tuvamoodyson · 19/08/2023 14:03

ConnieTucker · 19/08/2023 09:55

This.

men dont do this. Your husband is doing this. Dont accept shitty behaviour because you think it is all men who do this. It isnt.

but why do you need to eat at 9.30am? Surely youve literally just had breakfast?

I took it to mean they’d have time to stop on the way to get something to eat, still leaving time to not be late

theresastormcoming · 19/08/2023 14:05

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Gerrataere · 19/08/2023 14:07

Yes, I understand that but, whenever there are posts on here about lazy useless men, there are often multiple childen, dogs, a large house with a big mortgage. None of those just happen out of nowhere either.

Heard of sunk cost fallacy? It applies to many a marriage.

Many women infantilise men. And I don't know why. Perhaps it meets a mothering/nurturing need in them.

Women do not seek to infantilise men, this is such a MRA train of thought. ‘Nagging at men is mean, they’re grown adults who don’t need to be told’. The same men who cannot see mess beyond a few dishes that need washing or the lawn mowing unless told about it. The same men who never make dentist/doctor/hair appointments for their children, they expect them to just happen and be told about it later. The same men who don’t think anything needs doing before leaving the house except put their shoes on.

Women want men to pull their weight at home without being told. Men are resisting a society that expects them to do this. So women are at fault, for nagging, for expecting, for trying to change what being a ‘man’ in the world is. So many women are leaving and trying to show the next generation that they don’t have to put up with it before it’s 3 kids and a mortgage deep, which of course is wrong as well because poor men and the effects it’s having on them. However this is looked at, the woman is always blamed for men’s ineptitude.

Screamingabdabz · 19/08/2023 14:09

Actually in our family it’s the women who faff about and make everyone late. YABU for thinking this is a male trait.

crazeekat · 19/08/2023 14:13

control. he is controlling you but making you believe your getting to have a choice or opinion. manipulative fk. get rid of him.

KohlaParasaurus · 19/08/2023 14:16

It used to be a joke in our household that my dad would pace around impatiently waiting for the rest of us to be ready to go out, then once we were all in the car he'd say, "I'm just going to water the greenhouse before we go." It probably happened once.

My DH is innocent of all charges. If a journey needs doing, he wants it done as quickly as possible even if we end up twiddling our thumbs for hours at our destination.

ChocolateCinderToffee · 19/08/2023 14:20

I had a female friend like this. To me, normal people calculate backwards from the time they need to be at a place to decide when they need to leave home then to when they should start getting ready but some people just muddle along.

Pixiedust1234 · 19/08/2023 14:41

@GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut I am so sorry that happened to you. That was a very nasty thing he did to you.

@off thanks for the link, very good read!

Popworld · 19/08/2023 15:09

crazeekat · 19/08/2023 14:13

control. he is controlling you but making you believe your getting to have a choice or opinion. manipulative fk. get rid of him.

That's hilarious. Is it also controlling when its woman? As many woman on here have said its them that do the faffing, are they controlling?

Parrrrple · 19/08/2023 15:10

TastesLikeStrawberriesOnASummerEvening · 19/08/2023 10:47

My Dad used to do similar, and also nonsensical things like suddenly need to wipe the clean kitchen benches.
I always said it was a control thing, my Mum backed him up, no idea why, even now and they've both been dead for years.

Yes! That’s another thing he’ll do! We needed to be somewhere for 10am once and it was 9:45 (15 minute drive so we needed to leave NOW). I get sick of waiting (he’s having a poo again 🙄) get in the car and start the engine. He comes strolling out, glances around the driveway and then starts weed picking!!!

OP posts:
CloseItAgain · 19/08/2023 15:12

Parrrrple · 19/08/2023 09:40

We need to be somewhere by 11.it’s an hours drive. I wanted to set off at 9am as that will give us time to get parked, get something to eat etc … DH thought that was too early so we compromised on 9:30. He’s dat doing nothing until 8:20 at which point I reminded him he needs to start getting ready. 9:30 arrives and at this point he decides he needs a poo and a shave. Why????

Mine does this. Or he'll start fixing something that has been needing looking at for ages and could wait until we get back!
We laugh about it when I'm like 'really? That's your priority today?'

HarrietJet · 19/08/2023 15:13

CloseItAgain · 19/08/2023 15:12

Mine does this. Or he'll start fixing something that has been needing looking at for ages and could wait until we get back!
We laugh about it when I'm like 'really? That's your priority today?'

Maybe you should stop laughing about it. It's not particularly funny 🤷🏻‍♀️

FadeAwayAndRadiate · 19/08/2023 15:15

Parrrrple · 19/08/2023 15:10

Yes! That’s another thing he’ll do! We needed to be somewhere for 10am once and it was 9:45 (15 minute drive so we needed to leave NOW). I get sick of waiting (he’s having a poo again 🙄) get in the car and start the engine. He comes strolling out, glances around the driveway and then starts weed picking!!!

FFS, the man can't control when he needs a shit! Confused

You do seem to get stressed out very easily. Just chill your boots, relax, and stop being so angry with your husband for doing NOTHING WRONG.....!!!!

Soubriquet · 19/08/2023 15:16

My dh is the same except he HAS to have a smoke before we leave.

We will be all ready and I’ll say right come on let’s go

“stop rushing me. I want a quick fag before we go anywhere!@Parrrrple

Every. Time.

Drives me crazy

Soubriquet · 19/08/2023 15:16

Sorry…don’t know why it tagged you there

Parrrrple · 19/08/2023 15:20

FadeAwayAndRadiate · 19/08/2023 15:15

FFS, the man can't control when he needs a shit! Confused

You do seem to get stressed out very easily. Just chill your boots, relax, and stop being so angry with your husband for doing NOTHING WRONG.....!!!!

It’s control shitting. Men are excellent at using their arses to control things around them.

And the weed picking? Did that REALY need to be done there and then?

OP posts:
Thepeopleversuswork · 19/08/2023 15:21

FadeAwayAndRadiate · 19/08/2023 10:14

I know right. It's batshit isn't it @WandaWonder

Suggesting a man is controlling and manipulative because he needed a last minute 💩as they were due to go out is farcical!

It’s true that no one can help needing a poo but women generally can manage this in about a tenth of the time an average man takes.

My dad and my ex husband would both routinely spend upwards of 40 minutes having a poo. I can be in and out in five.

It just doesn’t need to take that long.

FadeAwayAndRadiate · 19/08/2023 15:22

Parrrrple · 19/08/2023 15:20

It’s control shitting. Men are excellent at using their arses to control things around them.

And the weed picking? Did that REALY need to be done there and then?

😂 LMFAO. You're obviously joking!!! 😆

NO-ONE can control when their shit comes out!!!!!!

FadeAwayAndRadiate · 19/08/2023 15:23

Thepeopleversuswork · 19/08/2023 15:21

It’s true that no one can help needing a poo but women generally can manage this in about a tenth of the time an average man takes.

My dad and my ex husband would both routinely spend upwards of 40 minutes having a poo. I can be in and out in five.

It just doesn’t need to take that long.

40 minutes?! Shock WHY??? Most time DH has ever spent in the loo (having a 💩 ) is 5-7 minutes. Tops. Usually 3-4 minutes.

TheBitchOfTheVicar · 19/08/2023 15:25

off · 19/08/2023 12:14

Roald Dahl wrote a beautiful short story about this in the 1950s.

https://xpressenglish.com/our-stories/way-to-heaven/

I shared the short story with my therapist (who specialised in working with women who'd been subjected to intimate partner abuse of various kinds) once, and we had a very interesting and fruitful conversation about it.

If you have a DP like this, it's a very satisfying story.

I thought of this too when I read the OP!

Parrrrple · 19/08/2023 15:25

FadeAwayAndRadiate · 19/08/2023 15:22

😂 LMFAO. You're obviously joking!!! 😆

NO-ONE can control when their shit comes out!!!!!!

I was joking about the controlling arses 😂 but not the rest of it.

OP posts:
Soubriquet · 19/08/2023 15:27

My dh can control it….

he’s held it in for hours before cos there was no facilities for him. He’s also not one of those who sits on the toilet for hours.

He is in and out.

LaMaG · 19/08/2023 15:28

My dh does this too. I agree your title is wrong its not a man thing, my mum was like this a bit too.

Dh and I have had massive rows about this, I mean this is a big thing in our marriage and he has improved, but if we have something organised I remind him in advance how important it is he doesn't do that thing. It ruined everything for me for years. We'd often arrive on time by luck and he'd be smug, 'well I don't know what wrong with you, we made it didn't we' not allowing for the fact that I'd be sick to my stomach for the whole day. It was only when I refused to go to social engagements because the anxiety of this put me off that he actually listened. So so many times he screwed up, the one that broke the camels back for me was an event in another city about 3 hours away. I was so anxious about everything going wrong in the morning that I insisted we go the night before and stay in a hotel. With 3 kids it made it very expensive. I repeatedly said it was because I was afraid we would be late. When we left the hotel he realised he forgot his tie and I said no problem I'll msg BIL to bring a spare but no he wanted a particular colour and drove to a nearby shopping centre, it was all one way systems and we didn't know where we were going. (I had plotted out our exact route from hotel to venue to ensure we wouldn't get delayed). We were only a few mins late in the end but enough for me to get a where the hell are you call from my sis. I still resent him for this kind of shit.

TheBitchOfTheVicar · 19/08/2023 15:30

BibbleandSqwauk · 19/08/2023 11:41

@TreadLight will your improvised plan to get home possibly involve ringing your wife for a lift? How old are your kids? If 10+, NT and not in any way fussy about what they eat then fine to wing it a bit, but if younger, or very picky and will only eat a limited range of things you can't guarantee to buy when out, then a bag of "stuff" is necessary. Also, having money helps. If you can afford to casually fork out for a pizza restaurant (£50 for three probably) and a taxi and other snacks and drinks then fine but if not, you have to plan and pack. Dont be all "oh it's fine and easy and women make to much fuss" when you don't appreciate how peoples' situations differ.

I found my DH was willing to throw money at trips like this, which then added the pressure on me when I took DC out, as we simply didn't have enough for us both to spend a lot for ease or convenience on trips out...