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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:
Ambertonix · 06/10/2023 10:51

Your friend needs to understand that if he will do it 'with you', he will do it 'to you.' Maybe she needs to concentrate on that and stop interfering in your marriage although why you are giving her the headspace is a mystery to me. With friends like that etc etc.

Onelifeonly · 06/10/2023 10:52

She's riddled with anxiety and desperately jealous of you. She chose the wrong husband - one who left his wife for not 'putting the effort' in. Now she's stuck with trying to be Mrs Perfect Wife. Her fault.

Mikimoto · 06/10/2023 10:53

I'd rather have nothing than "frozen breaded chicken", but it's still nothing to do with the friend.

Lowkeynote · 06/10/2023 10:54

Gosh, can't believe that some women still believe that you have to slave around for a man to keep him. No wonder men are such dicks a lot of the time.

Don't get upset over this OP and look for better friends.

SchoolQuestionnaire · 06/10/2023 10:55

Saschka · 06/10/2023 09:43

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.

This is the key really isn’t it? She has to convince herself that she “won” her husband because his slovenly wife didn’t work hard enough to keep him, and not because her DH is a scummy cheater who can’t keep his dick in his pants, and has probably been shagging other women since the honeymoon.

She is upset that you are managing to “keep” your DH despite not killing yourself to keep him happy. You are shining a permanent light on what a shitbag her DH is.

100% this!!

He’s convinced her that it was the ex-wife’s fault that he cheated and it will be hers if he does it again!! It’s actually pretty ingenious. If this man used his gaslighting powers for good he could rule the world. Instead he’s probably already dicking about while she’s busy trying to persuade herself that couldn’t possibly be the case because she is behaving like the perfect stepford wife.

Ywnbu op but I wouldn’t get into discussions like this with your friend. She’s projecting but I feel quite sorry for her.

Lowkeynote · 06/10/2023 10:55

And yeah, it's jealousy that you have a respectful husband and a functional marriage.

Nonplusultra · 06/10/2023 10:55

Actually she’s wrong. Human psychology is a bit quirky and we don’t have straight forward linear responses - if you do too much for another person, or are too perfect it weakens the bonds of the relationship.

A man who comes home and gets stuck in helping with the cooking, clearing up, or whatever needs to be done is actually more likely to believe he does those things because he is committed to his wife, home and family. We look for the easiest explanation for the effort we put in. The more effort put in = the more she’s worth it.

But when everything is handed to you, it’s uncomfortable to think about the imbalance, so rather than feel “I better be the best husband ever to this deserving martyr”, it’s more likely the thinking will veer towards entitlement or worse, resentment.

Birch101 · 06/10/2023 10:59

I'd expect the husband to cook after work, if you had also worked and done loads of stuff afterwards lol!
I'll keep my partner under close watch in case he wanders off
Your friends aren't acting much like friends imo

ButterflyOil · 06/10/2023 11:00

I feel for her a bit. She had an affair with and then married a man who believes the job of the woman in his life is to be his support human vs equal partner in life. That’s an exhausting and belittling role to play and it seems like the only way she can square that is by hanging on to a sense of having ‘won’ this man. Now she’s got her prize from ousting wife number one there’s no competition there so she’s using you to make herself feel good about her choices with this whole you should be a handmaiden or you’ll lose him. I’d lose her honestly as it must burn her up that you have a husband who loves and respects you and is an equal partner whereas hers is conditional on however long she can perfectly service his needs. She’ll never really be happy and she’ll never be a friend to you or your marriage.

horseyhorsey17 · 06/10/2023 11:04

Your friends are mental. Also, if they really think that a tidy house and home-cooked food are the key to a happy marriage then I suggest they jump into their time machine back to the 1950s (middle/upper classes only).

ISeeTheLight · 06/10/2023 11:05

Even my granddad in the actual 1950s helped out a lot (even changed jobs/careers and completely retrained so he could be home over lunch and do lunch for the kids together with my grandmother). He also baked bread every week, did half of the cleaning, all the gardening (they had/have an extensive veg patch & a small orchard so this was quite a lot of work), etc.

Your friend is delusional. I couldn't respect someone like that to be honest.

TakeMe2Insanity · 06/10/2023 11:06

You need a new friend. Definitely agree your husband is not her concern. Agree with previous poster who says she needs to justify why she ‘took’ the man from his horrible wife. Honestly I wouldn’t bother with your friend.

Mamai90 · 06/10/2023 11:07

Even my grandmother, a 1950s house wife wasn't some slave to a man.

Your friend is a pathetic misogynistic twat. Bin her.

SoftPillowAllNight · 06/10/2023 11:07

If I were in your shoes and did everything you did, my feet would be up by 7.30 and husband would be cooking.

ShadowsontheHill · 06/10/2023 11:07

Why would you listen to someone with such a broken moral compass. No one has done the dirty on me so it’s not from a personal vendetta perspective but I judge her as much as her affair partner.

Dentistlakes · 06/10/2023 11:09

She’s nuts. Does she think married women are slaves. Marriage is a partnership. Well done for putting her straight.

Graciebobcat · 06/10/2023 11:10

I cook a lot from scratch and do all the dinners but one night a week we have something like prepared chicken, chips, veg and gravy, as you did.

Tell her to mind her own business.

Chocolatepopcorn · 06/10/2023 11:11

She's not your friend. But to be honest I wouldn't have gone near a woman who had had an affair with a MM anyway. It says a lot about her character and it's not good.

historyrepeatz · 06/10/2023 11:12

Yanbu. She's an idiot. Sounds like you and DH work as a team and will adjust accordingly. You aren't validating her lifestyle.

VeridicalVagabond · 06/10/2023 11:12

Your friend is projecting her own insecurities about her relationship onto you. She's also probably a bit jealous that you don't need to roleplay as a 1940's housewife to maintain your husband's interest.

Keep living as you're living. And next time you're doing garlic roast potatoes can I come please?

Brefugee · 06/10/2023 11:14

tell your time travelling friends to get back to the 50s because their husbands are waiting for their dinner.

And don't give them too many details about your private life going forward.

the main thing is: your DH agrees with you.

TrackerBar · 06/10/2023 11:16

Why are you knocking about with these dogshit friends??

YANBU

Seaweed42 · 06/10/2023 11:17

Your point of view was 100% right.
But your behaviour wasn't right.
Telling a friend to 'fuck off' is rude, impulsive and hurtful.

Did she really deserve that?

She was trying to help you AND she has a very different perspective on how women should be treated.

therealcookiemonster · 06/10/2023 11:17

are your friends from the 1950s?

truthhurts23 · 06/10/2023 11:18

yanbu, she is projecting and jealous
but one thing I would say, you should not have told your husband about this situation .. I’ll leave that there

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