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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:
PaperRhino · 06/10/2023 10:15

Honestly the only thing you are doing wrong is to still call that silly woman a friend. You sound great,and normal, she sounds like an insecure person who is projecting all her doubts about her life into you. If I thought my partner was only with me because I kept a show home and went full on Masterchef for his dinner every night (I really don’t !) then I’d be insecure and lashing out at others too. Oh no, wait, I wouldn’t, I’d just tell him to get out and then happily live on my own until I met a reasonable man like your husband, preferably one I didn’t have to lure away from his wife with gourmet dinners. You sound like you work really hard both for your job and family so find something more fun to do in your downtime than chatting to a woman who appears to be living in the 1930s!

LaLaFlottes · 06/10/2023 10:16

Wow! I thought you were going to say that your friend thought your husband wasn't helping you enough!
Ignore these crazy people 😊your relationship sounds healthy, and a partnership. A's relationship sounds a bit weird! Probably due to how it started.

Somethingweirdisgoingon · 06/10/2023 10:16

@Empressofall

"I lost my shit and told her to fuck off"

👏🏻 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Bravo, perfect, correct response, I'm proud of you!

Also, find better friends! You're obviously switched on, hard working, and take no shit. Find people on your level and leave women like her to their toxic relationships that make them paranoid.

nutsnutspistachionuts · 06/10/2023 10:18

My dad's wife was the OW. Now, as an adult, I never, ever, see my dad unless she is there too because she is so paranoid she makes it impossible for him to go anywhere on his own. She continues to snipe about my mum even though a) she got what she wanted b) my mum never mentions her and c) they haven't spoken since about 1997.

Saschka · 06/10/2023 10:18

TheFormidableMrsC · 06/10/2023 09:57

Oh I do, I know somebody just like OP's friend whose paranoia knows no bounds due to her marriage starting as an affair. Insecure, absolutely obsessed with getting one over on the ex wife and very opinionated on other people's marriages. She's a twat, frankly.

Yep, I also know somebody like this. “Doesn’t get on with other women” though. They are all jealous of her, naturally.

bigshort · 06/10/2023 10:19

Mrsjayy · 06/10/2023 09:45

Your friend probably has a panic attack every time her husband leaves the house or lingers too long on his phone just in case somebody is going to make him "a better dinner" she is projecting it's quite sad really.

I'd put good money on someone else already "making him dinner".

RoseBucket · 06/10/2023 10:21

Does your Ex friend work?

She is utterly bonkers.

MissBridgetJones · 06/10/2023 10:21

Your friend is batshit x

TheFormidableMrsC · 06/10/2023 10:22

This has triggered a memory for me actually. I'm not a fabulous cook but try my best. It was a bit of joke between my now ex husband and I over the course of our marriage. When he left for OW, he used my cooking as one of the excuses as to why I was a terrible wife 🙄. As a result OW fed him to the point of obesity. He became hugely overweight very quickly. I thought it was so weird because he was very into his fitness and having a "buff" body. I have realised that it was her insecurity that made her feel she was somehow "better" than me and that having a now physically unattractive partner was better for her. Tragic really 🤣

Blough · 06/10/2023 10:22

No need to type out the minutiae of your day, or explain anything to the mistress. If you need to stay friends with her just laugh and say it must be awful having to be so paranoid to keep a man, but you’re fine thanks.

RandomButtons · 06/10/2023 10:22

Your husband sounds lovely. Your relationship sounds healthy. Everyone has to chip in and do chores.

Your “friend” is an idiot who chose live with a cheater. She’s made her fluffy pretty paranoid bed and now has to lie in it. She can “make all the effort” she likes but it’s never going to erode her fear of being traded in for a younger funner (more naive doormat) model.

She just can’t get her head around some men are actually decent people.

SmileyClare · 06/10/2023 10:22

A great way to find an extra 20/30 minutes in your stressful hectic week is to cut out the phone calls to friends you don’t like.

I’ve never phoned a friend to tell them the ingredients of a banal weekday meal and who washed up. Confused

Oh well you’ve told her to “Fuck off” now so that’s that friendship ended I would have thought.

TheFormidableMrsC · 06/10/2023 10:23

@Saschka OMG, same! And the OW in my case. No female friends to speak of and vile about other women. Imagine being like that?

TickTickTock · 06/10/2023 10:23

My DH is grateful for any plate of food when he gets home from work, even if it's sausage and super noodles! 😂
She's unreasonable. Ignore her and live your life how it works for your family

Safxxx · 06/10/2023 10:25

If your husband has no issues then no one else should either 👍 I would suggest not telling ppl about everything going on in your life...not everyone is your best wisher most just envy and are bitter within.
Her guy left his wife for her what's to say he won't leave her for another...karma is real, anyways you do you and let others do it their way...sounds like you got your priorities right and doing good 👍😊

Somethingweirdisgoingon · 06/10/2023 10:25

TheFormidableMrsC · 06/10/2023 10:22

This has triggered a memory for me actually. I'm not a fabulous cook but try my best. It was a bit of joke between my now ex husband and I over the course of our marriage. When he left for OW, he used my cooking as one of the excuses as to why I was a terrible wife 🙄. As a result OW fed him to the point of obesity. He became hugely overweight very quickly. I thought it was so weird because he was very into his fitness and having a "buff" body. I have realised that it was her insecurity that made her feel she was somehow "better" than me and that having a now physically unattractive partner was better for her. Tragic really 🤣

Is it ok this made me cackle?! Talk about karma, 10/10 for the end result in your favour 🤣

CitizenofMoronia · 06/10/2023 10:25

Hi so sorry your friends group are part of the cast of The Handmaids Tale, get new friends.

Kemper · 06/10/2023 10:25

This reply has been deleted

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LaviniasBigBloomers · 06/10/2023 10:26

Her partner didn't leave his ex cos of organic food and a well-organised linen cupboard, he left looking for fresh fanny.

But that's not something you can really bring up in polite conversation so now she's projecting and indulging in magical thinking (because I bet the sheen of her shiny new sex life has worn off, so she's putting her faith in organic chicken to keep him at home).

She is Bat. Shit. And you were quite right to put her in her place.

Doteycat · 06/10/2023 10:27

Im SO FUCKING HAPPY you told her to fuck off.
the amount of threads i read here where i think, why did you not just tell her to fuck off, and you DID.
You so did the right thing.
She should remember, if you marry a man who cheated on his wife... you are married to a man who cheats on his wife.......
Shes a muppet.

5128gap · 06/10/2023 10:27

I've no idea where you managed to find a friend so guaranteed to arouse the collective ire of the MN community OP. Not only a trad wife, but a busybody and other woman too! 😂

Creepygardengnome · 06/10/2023 10:27

Bizarre. After the day you had he can be grateful you're putting on any dinner at all.

namechangnancy · 06/10/2023 10:27

panelbottle · 06/10/2023 10:13

I don't think you did anything wrong but she's not wrong that there are women who will do the whole putting the man first. I've seen 2 relationships break down where the man has gone off with a subservient women, depressing.

I agree but the problem isn't with the women.

The problem is with the man. Comparison is a joy thief and I know there are people out there who like to "win" but if a man's like this, he's not much of a prize right.

Op well done for telling your "friend to fuck off". I had a mum friend like this and her husband told off her because she was going to the hospital (she was in labour) without make up and she "looked a state" and to get her self properly dressed with full face of make up. Grim.

What's worse is she was so insecure she made jabs at everyone else. Painful to watch her be with a guy who up her down regularly in front of friends.

TheSpikySpinosaurus · 06/10/2023 10:28

Ha, your friend has made her bed and now she's having to lie in it: she clearly feels that to keep her unfaithful, cheating h from cheating on her she has to make 100% effort every day. Lucky her. What a catch he is.

YANBU. You're not in the wrong here; she is. She's batshit.

ASCCM · 06/10/2023 10:28

Aquamarine1029 · 06/10/2023 09:38

Stop talking to these batshit women.

Reply win 🤣