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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:
Brefugee · 06/10/2023 11:19

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.

if you can't tell a friend to fuck off when they're being ridiculous, who can you say it to?

The friend wasn't being nice, kind or concerned. She was trying to make OP unsure of her husband. That is "fuck off" territory in my book (it's also "drop the friend like a hot potato" territory too, but OP may differ)

user1492757084 · 06/10/2023 11:20

No one is married to a generic person.
However you and your spouse work it out is unique to your relationship.
Listening to each other and creating a system that is sustainable and happy is all that matters.
One person's capacity isn't exactly the same as another.

Seaweed42 · 06/10/2023 11:20

Maybe it's your DH you are really angry with.

After all, he gets nice days off to himself and you don't.

You took your anger out on the friend because you don't wish to address it with your DH.
Maybe you are more like your friend than you think.

User0000009 · 06/10/2023 11:20

Its not 1956. You do whatever works for you and your DH. She sounds a jealous bastard x

Seaweed42 · 06/10/2023 11:22

I guess there's 'ah fuck off will you with that 1950's crap Mrs' or there's 'oh Fuck Off !!' and slam down the phone.

vincettenoir · 06/10/2023 11:23

Where did you meet friend A? 1953?

user1471538283 · 06/10/2023 11:24

It is none of her business. She is just projecting.

If your DH was single he'd be making his own dinner and doing his own dishes! My bf often cooks and washes up!

You and your DH are two adults in an adult relationship and it sounds like she is anxious her DH will leave.

Willyoujustbequiet · 06/10/2023 11:25

muchalover · 06/10/2023 09:40

It won't stop her husband having another affair. That's what she's really worried about. She just wants you to be as anxious as she is.

This.

Tell her you're sorry she's with someone who will cheat on her but that doesn't mean she gets to take her understandably obvious insecurities out on you.

Then suggest counselling to help with her inadequacy.

Pollywoddles · 06/10/2023 11:27

Jesus Christ, I have no idea why people feel the need to a)tell each other this kind of stuff about their home life and b) comment on it.

Stop talking to these lunatics and next time don’t share so much of the mundane aspects of your life. That’s just talking for the sake of talking. I couldn’t tell you what my friends made for dinner or vice versa. Ridiculous.

EmmaPaella · 06/10/2023 11:29

YANBU about this made-up scenario OP.

Offcom · 06/10/2023 11:29

I get that A has to make the estranged wife the villain of the piece so she can clear her conscience, but she's got a funny approach to dealing with her paranoia that her friends mmmmight think she's a bit of an idiot for putting her stock in a philanderer...

(I'd happily eat that dinner FWIW)

LadyBird1973 · 06/10/2023 11:33

I think you need some more time to yourself tbh. While your friend is clearly batshit crazy, your reaction was a bit ott.

Lulubo1 · 06/10/2023 11:34

She's jealous of your relationship with your husband. You work as a team (as you should do) and aren't as paranoid as her over a minor thing like a dinner!! YANBU.

Switcher · 06/10/2023 11:35

Just when I think I've heard it all...your marriage sounds like a nice team, carry on!

Viviennemary · 06/10/2023 11:37

You Don't need peòple like her in your life. A lot of perfect wives get dumped just as often as perfect ones. Same goes for men too.

ScrambledSmegs · 06/10/2023 11:39

Why are these weird people your friends? They sound like they create worry and conflict in your life, the opposite of what a real friend does.

Blanketpolicy · 06/10/2023 11:40

Your friend is allowed to think like a 1950s housewife
It is a possibility a man might leave his wife if he would prefer an 1950s housewife or any other part of the relationship doesn't work for him.

What is wrong here is you friend sticking her nose in. Being "appalled" at how you choose to live you life, and making assumptions about what your dh.

Either your friendship can cope with you laughing it off as she is just quirky and you are able to tell her that, or it can't.

YukoandHiro · 06/10/2023 11:40

Good lord. I would not want to associate with someone with such misogynistic views. Fuck off is right. Don't waste any more time on her.

As an aside, is she trapped in an awful one sided relationship and deflecting?

Booklover40 · 06/10/2023 11:40

But I have never met anyone like the people many Mumsnetters seem to meet all the time. If I didn't know better, I'd suspect that many encounters are exaggerated for effect

This. I read the OP and just think....nah. Don't believe for a second that a good friend would call you a lazy bitch for making an easy dinner for their dh.
If it is true she is clearly unhinged.

sllortynamos · 06/10/2023 11:41

2 of your friends think like this? Where do you find these people?

My friends are on my side .....even when I'm in the wrong. 😅

Dogfureverywhere · 06/10/2023 11:43

She's projecting her anxiety about her own relationship onto yours. Tell her to keep her beak out.

Nicole1111 · 06/10/2023 11:44

What a miserable little life she must lead if her sole purpose is to please a man. Tell her you appreciate her concern but you’re not open to taking relationship advice from someone who seems to have excelled in breaking down other people’s relationships

Janieforever · 06/10/2023 11:44

Why did you engage, why not just say lol, thanks for the advice. You already know she’s got issues.

AdoraBell · 06/10/2023 11:44

YANBU the “friend” is being bitchy and unhelpful. I would bin her, she’s not a friend.

Hummingbird233 · 06/10/2023 11:45

Sounds to me like she's probably in a shitty marriage. I wouldn't be surprised if her husband tells her this to keep her in her place and she's internalised it.

I'd be letting her know that's not a normal view on things and it's unfair. And that you couldn't live like that.