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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:
koalaknickers · 06/10/2023 13:18

If you have the misfortune to have to speak to his woman again, remember that the correct response to her nonsense is laughter and relief that you don't have to life her life.

Noodles1234 · 06/10/2023 13:19

Good grief she sounds batty.

sounds like your relationship is far more normal, hers sounds a quagmire of angst. I’d be very worried being with a man who dropped his first wife like that.

ThinWomansBrain · 06/10/2023 13:20

Her delusion that skivvying for a man is putting effort into a quality relationship - let her get on with it. Find better friends.

fairymary87 · 06/10/2023 13:20

She's not a friend! Wow

Sallyh87 · 06/10/2023 13:22

Well I’m on maternity leave and made my DH a Chinese takeaway last night! He threw the dishes in the dishwasher. Shall I prepare for him to leave me for another woman ? 😂

EandKDJ · 06/10/2023 13:22

The other woman is a nut job. Any relationship is give and take, you made dinner, he washed up.. sounds pretty normal to me.

Maevess · 06/10/2023 13:24

You can see why she said it can’t you? In her eyes you were banging on about how perfect your husband is, how he’ll eat whatever you’ve made and be grateful, how he helps out etc Essentially you’ve got a loving normal husband who accepts you for you while she’s with an absolute twat who expects her to be perfect and wait on him hand and foot otherwise he will start his next affair. She knows it and she’s trying to make herself feel better.

RosaMoline · 06/10/2023 13:28

Tell this Stepford Wife to fuck off to the 1950s. And stay there.

Almosthumannow · 06/10/2023 13:29

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.

@Saschka hits the nail on the head.

OP- I would tell her this . It would certainly stop her commenting further! 😂

also - her behaviour raises lots of red flags. I’d distance myself from someone like this. It’s one thing to have an affair ( these things happen, I suppose) but her behaviour is abnormal.

Next thing you know, she’ll be dangling an organic, homemade chicken Kiev ( from scratch!) under your husband’s nose…

SmileyClare · 06/10/2023 13:34

You have a 1 hour commute, start work at 7 and get home at 4.30 then bring work home and work through the night? Blimey- and mum to a baby!

Im seeing Gwenyth Paltrow playing you,; the honest hard working super mum, George Clooney as your high flying, hands on husband, and Angelica Houston as the wicked friend/husband stealer.

Cuttysark4321 · 06/10/2023 13:35

Your friend is a misogynist.

Kisskiss · 06/10/2023 13:39

If you were my spouse, and you had worked and bathed the baby, done bedtime AND made my dinner too I think I’d be thanking my lucky stars!!

your friend has some real issues

Bananagirl23 · 06/10/2023 13:44

Jeez, the idea that it is a woman’s job to serve a man food makes my blood boil 😡 sounds like you and your husband are a great team OP!

AtTheStream · 06/10/2023 13:44

I mean WOW. Just none of her business whatsoever and she’s projecting her own insecurities onto you.
Your set up at home is exactly like mine (even down to different dinners and hubby wangling downtime due to job- cant be helped but I still get jealous) You are a FAMILY you both contribute equally - if anything I’d have asked why she doesn't think he could have prepped dinner before his 9.30am start 🤣

CherryMaDeara · 06/10/2023 13:46

Funny how your friend didn't say your DH should have a home cooked meal ready for you on his day off during the week when the child is at nursery.

It;s all one sided.

ActDottie · 06/10/2023 13:53

Your friend is mad, that’s an ok dinner for a busy day. The main thing is that both you and your husband are happy :) and it sounds like he liked his dinner and then helped out by doing the washing up :)

fivenonrouses · 06/10/2023 13:56

RiderofRohan · 06/10/2023 09:44

Your friend is a toxic reincarnation of a 1950s housewife.

I wasn't working yesterday and my husband was working from home. We have no kids, but I'm pregnant and pretty fatigued at the moment. In between his day packed with meetings, my husband cleaned the entire kitchen, did the bins, tidied the living room, went shopping and cooked me dinner.

Your friend would probably keel over at the thought.

Worse than that!
A 1950s housewife didn't work, she focused on housework while her husband brought money in the house.
OP's friend expects her to be a modern slave.
OP's friend is modelling her own behaviour to please and secure a cheat. She's probably herself stuck in an abusive relationship with very little self esteem and no understanding of what a healthy relationship should look like. Yikes

Ndhdiwntbsivnwg · 06/10/2023 13:57

I suggest your friend works out her daddy issues in a psychologist office

Badgerandfox227 · 06/10/2023 14:02

Nope you are definitely not in the wrong. It’s called being in a relationship with an adult. No way am I going to act like some
grown man’s skivvy and no way would I be with someone who expected that.

NigelHarmansNewWife · 06/10/2023 14:09

readingismycardio · 06/10/2023 09:42

Tell her to find a proper man. Marriage means being A TEAM. This is how marriage should look like.

Exactly this. Stepford called and wants your so-called mate back.

Matronic6 · 06/10/2023 14:16

Your friend in projecting the insecurities of her own relationship onto you.

Creditscoredrop · 06/10/2023 14:30

Who the fuck are these women? Were they frozen and
bought back from the 50’s?
Actually that’s an insult to both my Grandmothers, who were 1950’s housewives and would never hold such an outdated way of thinking.

FictionalCharacter · 06/10/2023 14:39

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.

Yep. And she isn’t much of a friend.

Regholdsworthswaterbed · 06/10/2023 14:47

She's projecting her own insecurities. Men do not have an affair over a beige tea! She knows her bloke is a high risk as he left his wife for her. Sad cow.

ToussaintTheChef · 06/10/2023 14:52

Lol. I’m a SAHP and my husband does the dishes about 50% of the time. Poor him. How desperate he must be to leave me.