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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU for telling my "friend" that my husband isn't her concern?

401 replies

Empressofall · 06/10/2023 09:35

100% believe I'm in the right here but you never know.
Context: My husband and I both work full time. Both have stressful jobs.
He has long shifts (10+ hours) but his days off can fall during the week when our child goes to daycare so he has actual time off to do as he pleases (it's just how his shifts work. No shade that our kid isnt at home with him. We still send him so we can keep his place and its fun for him) and I do not. I often bring work home and either work into the night or grab some time during baby's nap time. My "days off" are weekends where I'm 100% in charge of the house and our baby if my husband is working.
My husband is as hands on as he can be in the time that he has.
On to the issue: last night, he came home at around 7.30pm (late for him) and I'd already done grocery shop, laundry, bathtime, bedtime, cleaned the lounge etc. I was pretty tired.
I made dinner. I made breaded chicken (from frozen, like a Birds Eye packet), roasted garlic potatoes and salad. Not really a chore. But somewhat nutritious.
Husband was super grateful and ate it all up.
He then did the dishes.
I was chatting to my friend (let's call her A) about our day and she was appalled that I'd made my husband a "low effort and low quality dinner" and that "making him do the dishes after a long day at work was bitchy and unhelpful". Like... excuse me?! I also worked yesterday. And did 100% of the childcare/housework. I was exhausted. I didn't even ask him to do the dishes. He did them himself because he's an adult who knows how and when to wash dishes.
I told her this.
She told me not to be surprised when he finds someone willing to put more effort into the relationship. More context: A was involved with a married man who left his wife for her, citing that his wife didn't make enough effort. She's paranoid AF that he'll leave if she isn't 100% perfect. Their house is like a fucking show home and every meal is organic from scratch blah blah blah.
I got angry and told her that my husband isn't her concern, that if he leaves me because of a dinner then he's not much of a man. She then said ahe was only telling me "for your own good". I lost my sh1t and told her to f**k off.
Husband says I'm in the right. Another friend agrees with A that I should have put more effort into the meal and offered to do the dishes because husband worked a longer day than I did.
But the way I see it, we both worked so why is his job and work day more important than mine?

If anyone's wondering, I started work at 7am, finished at 3.30pm, did the grocery shop at 4.30pm (after commuting an hour), bathed baby at 6.40pm, put him to bed by 7.20pm and had 10mins to myself before husband came home. I started dinner as soon as he walked in.

Husband started work at 9.30am and got in at 7.30pm meaning he finished at 7pm.

Was I wrong to tell her this? Am I just lazy?
Edit: my husband never EVER expects me or even asks me to cook for him. We have VERY different tastes in food so we often just cook for ourselves because it's easier!

OP posts:
Allmadinhere · 07/10/2023 21:06

And why aren't you making homemade meals and awaiting upon DHs arrival with a g+t etc. Cause this isn't the 50s.

INTERNETEXPL0RER · 07/10/2023 21:06

Aquamarine1029 · 06/10/2023 09:38

Stop talking to these batshit women.

This. You need new friends, ones from this century.

Threeboysadogandacat · 07/10/2023 21:14

This isn’t about you or your husband. It’s all about her insecurity in her relationship. I’d ditch her as a friend.

Yourcatisnotsorry · 07/10/2023 21:14

Why are you friends with this horrible woman with no morals? Ditch her and enjoy your happy balanced relationship. Your potatoes sound delicious.

oosha · 07/10/2023 21:15

Those ladies aren’t your friends, I would get rid. They are off their rockers. What bizarre views they have. Sounds to me like you do more than enough.

Livelovebehappy · 07/10/2023 21:19

take more care when choosing your friends. You already know her moral compass is at zero as she’s had an affair with a married man. So I wouldn’t take any advice from someone like this…

Spanglishmummy3 · 07/10/2023 21:24

Omg! I think regardless of what choices you make together in YOUR marriage, totally not her place!!! I can’t believe the actual Gaul of it to be honest.

Wanttobekind · 07/10/2023 21:40

I dread to think what she would say about me…my husband cooks every night for all three of us! Goodness knows how I am “keeping” him 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Ramalangadingdong · 07/10/2023 21:42

You have really horrible friends.

But you seem to have a good husband - which is great.

Dweetfidilove · 07/10/2023 21:49

What she said is moronic and YWANBU to put her in her place.

I do wonder though if the women on MN can really only be friends with people who are identical to them in words, thoughts and deeds.

RingInTheNew · 07/10/2023 21:53

Apart from the fact your friend doesn’t seem to understand what a healthy relationship is, and that you did actually work all day too (because apart from your job, doing laundry, shopping and childcare is work too) - how do you judge what a good enough meal is? What are the criteria? Your meal sounds lovely to me! You don’t have to work for hours on a meal for it to be good.

Orangello · 07/10/2023 21:54

There's not a man in history who has left her wife because the mistress is better at housework. 'Oooh, the way she polishes the furniture, mmm..'

newfriend05 · 07/10/2023 22:02

Aquamarine1029 · 06/10/2023 09:38

Stop talking to these batshit women.

This ..

NosyJosie · 07/10/2023 22:04

How she got him is how she’s going to lose him.

YANBU. Get new friends.

squirreltoes · 07/10/2023 22:04

Jfc I have never posted anything, ever, on MN before, but this compels me. You are utterly reasonable - your friends' perspectives only speak of their unexamined conditioning and sh*t like that drags us all down. It sounds like you have a great relationship with your husband x

Channellingsophistication · 07/10/2023 22:08

you are not in wrong. I think your friend is probably anxious about her own situation….

OrlandointheWilderness · 07/10/2023 22:10

What you ate and who did what is completely irrelevant providing you are both happy with it! Sounds like a good dinner and you have a (tiring admittedly) good lifestyle and a good working relationship. You do you.

HappyMe6 · 07/10/2023 22:11

You have done nothing wrong at all, I’d also tell her to F off she is actually quite pathetic . And paranoid about her own relationship jealous of yours too, she’s no friend

jaspertown · 07/10/2023 22:11

Why are you friends with such an awful person

savethatkitty · 07/10/2023 22:12

Your "friend" is a giant knob who clearly has no idea what an equal, healthy relationship looks like.

HappyMe6 · 07/10/2023 22:13

Also never try and justify yourself to anyone! You are hundred percent right! And no way lazy

Rosscameasdoody · 07/10/2023 22:21

Your friend didn’t ‘win’ her husband from a slovenly wife. She ‘won’ him because he couldn’t keep it in his pants and the two of them are equally to blame for breaking up a marriage. In her quieter moments she probably finds that unpalatable and lies to herself instead - thus it’s all his ex wife’s fault for not looking after him properly. She’s delusional and sounds very jealous of the fact that you and your husband have a much more relaxed marriage that works for you both. I think you were very restrained in just telling her to fuck off. I’d have put it much more strongly than that. I’d also keep her at arms length with toxic opinions like that - she’s batshit.

Tigernoodles81 · 07/10/2023 22:24

These are not your friends! They are crazy people. Marriages are a partnership regardless of how much one or the other works, household is split down the middle. If I cook, he washes up. He does bathrooms, garden and boy jobs, i dust and hoover. It’s a joint effort regardless of who works more. (Me cos I wfh!)

Raffles76 · 07/10/2023 22:34

This

Skodacool · 07/10/2023 22:35

Tell your ‘friend’ that you’re his wife not his servant.

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