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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask him to do a bit more

25 replies

Itisjusttoomuch · 13/10/2023 16:26

Asking because I often feel like I'm at the end of my tether and I need him to do a bit more to help, but equally aware he has a massive amount on his plate too, so not sure if I'm being unreasonable.

He works full time, standard office hours. We have a big home renovation going on (uninhabitable so we live 10mins away, probably a year left til it's done). He is project managing, bringing in various trades and doing a lot of the manual labour himself (bricklaying, pointing, demolishing, labouring - highly skilled stuff like plumbing, electrics, carpentry etc. we have trades for, whom he is sourcing and managing). Until recently he had about 4 months of shared parental leave, so he was there most days including weekends. Now he's back at work full time, so it's weekends only. He might have 1 weekend day off per month.

We have 2 children, toddler age and when he's home he's very hands on. He'll do bath times, we both do bedtime routine together, he'll take them to the park if he's home early, etc.

I work from home about 20hrs a week and it's very flexible (as long as it's done, it doesn't matter when I do it, although there is something to be done every weekday), so we don't have childcare. I look after them all day, everday (in laws have the older one about once a week, but youngest is still breastfed, so she stays with me). They have clubs 3x per week, so I do all those, try to do other nice stuff with them on other mornings like soft play, coffee shops, parks, feeding ducks etc. I then try to get an hour or so of work done in the afternoon whilst youngest sleeps and eldest watches tv, then maybe another hour once fiance gets home.

We have a cleaner, but I do most washing (he does some, but 80:20 split probably and there's a lot, as we use reusable nappies), tidying, putting clothes away. I also do all food planning and buying, buying clothes, planning christmas and birthdays including gifts for both families, etc. Basically all the household planning stuff that doesn't get 'seen'.

In the evening, I do all cooking, but he does all washing up. Then we put the kids to bed together. Then I usually spend the rest of the evening finishing my work or planning stuff for the renovation. He is doing all the manual stuff at the house, but I'm keeping track of receipts, purchasing and taking delivery of everything (so occasionally have to be on site for that, now that he's back at work). Planning kitchen and bathrooms (there are 5, so not a small task!), researching and sourcing flooring, sanitary ware, radiators, lighting, deciding on paint, wallpaper etc. Finding kitchen and window and door suppliers (lots of showroom visits, mostly local, but some have been up to 3hrs away). So, if I'm not working then I've got plenty to do until bedtime. I never have nothing to do.

In the evening, once the kids are in bed, he usually watches TV for a few hours.

So, am I being unreasonable to ask him to do something in the evening to try to lighten my load a little? Or between full time work and the house renovation, is he doing enough and deserves a break? But, if the latter, where is my break?

OP posts:
Memba · 13/10/2023 16:38

If he is watching TV all evening while you're still doing stuff for the house/household then it wouldn't be unreasonable to ask him to do a bit more.

But what is it you'd like him to do? I think you'd need to be specific and let him know that you'd also like a couple of evenings to chill out during the week.

It does sound as though for the most part your division of labour is fair. If you enjoy planning kitchen, choosing tiles etc he may well think you're enjoying yourself and not consider it work!

JellyMouldJnr · 13/10/2023 16:40

i think you need some paid childcare, not your partner to do more.

katmarie · 13/10/2023 16:43

HIs life sounds exhausting at the moment. Yours sounds challenging too. My DH is working on a project on our house and is on it every weekend and works full time too, so I get it, you're probably picking up a lot. But what struck me is that you are trying to work the equivalent of 2 and a half days a week, with no childcare. I think that's what you need to address, as much as anything.

Taylorswiftserastour · 13/10/2023 16:43

Surely childcare is the answer here? If you put your kids in nursery or with a childminder while you work you'd have more time to do all the other stuff of an evening and get a bit of time off too.

IMarchToADifferentDrummer · 13/10/2023 16:46

Could you be more specific as to what you'd like him to do, please?

Itisjusttoomuch · 13/10/2023 16:46

You know, I thought I would enjoy it, but the time pressure in which to do it is making it stressful not enjoyable.

OP posts:
Itisjusttoomuch · 13/10/2023 16:49

Maybe we are trying to do too much. It's just we're also trying to afford the renovation, so trying to keep costs down elsewhere. But, maybe we need to accept it'll cost a bit more.

OP posts:
LindorDoubleChoc · 13/10/2023 16:50

How can you possibly work 20 hours a week with 2 toddlers, 1 still breastfeeding, and no childcare? I don't get it.

Itisjusttoomuch · 13/10/2023 16:53

I wanted him to pack the girls bags, so I wouldn't be rushing around trying to get everything sorted in the morning before their clubs, which are all first thing (at least on the nights before they have clubs).

Or tidy their toys away (properly!). Any other time he's done it, he just chucks everything in the first box he's sees, so puzzles, megablocks etc are all in various boxes, making them unusable, really. It's irritating!

OP posts:
Itisjusttoomuch · 13/10/2023 16:56

@LindorDoubleChoc 4hrs per day ish and as described above. 1hr while youngest sleeps, 1hr once fiancée is home, bit of time in the evening after they're in bed, get ahead over the weekend etc. I just fit it in where I can.

OP posts:
ASCCM · 13/10/2023 16:59

Sorry, let me just see if I have got this right.

he works full time and on top of that is project managing your house renovations, doing lots of it himself, he’s hands on with the kids when he is there and he cleans up after dinner he does some washing.

you have a cleaner

You work 20 hours from home and do the rest of the washing and the cooking and look after the kids for clubs etc and some paperwork and decisions for the house ( that you’d have to make even if you employed a builder I assume?)

and you think he should do more, rather than a couple of hours on the sofa? What do you want him to do???

Itisjusttoomuch · 13/10/2023 17:09

@ASCCM but if we employed a builder then WE could make those decisions. As it is, it falls entirely to me. I think you (and he) underestimate the time and effort that goes into that research and decision making.

So, because my contribution isn't manual labour, is the time I put into it less valid?

I'll also mention that until about 2 months ago, I was up 3 times a night to feed our youngest. Thankfully she mostly sleeps through now (but didn't last night, so perhaps I'm feeling this a bit more than usual today)

I never get time just to watch TV!

OP posts:
ASCCM · 13/10/2023 17:14

Itisjusttoomuch · 13/10/2023 17:09

@ASCCM but if we employed a builder then WE could make those decisions. As it is, it falls entirely to me. I think you (and he) underestimate the time and effort that goes into that research and decision making.

So, because my contribution isn't manual labour, is the time I put into it less valid?

I'll also mention that until about 2 months ago, I was up 3 times a night to feed our youngest. Thankfully she mostly sleeps through now (but didn't last night, so perhaps I'm feeling this a bit more than usual today)

I never get time just to watch TV!

Could you not short list and then run things past him during tv time?? This is what I do! When we were making house decisions I just proposed options for a sofa discussion later!!

from your replies I’m not sure if you’ve asked him to do the things you need ( he maybe doesn’t know they need doing?)

tbh, you need childcare during your working hours more than you need him to do more.

PS Tv is so shit just now, you’re missing nothing!! ( though I appreciate down time is what you mean)

Babadook76 · 13/10/2023 17:23

If I had to pick who I thought had the easiest schedule then I’d pick yours by a landslide. You seriously can’t be considering asking him to do even more. If you need more help op then I think you need to look into paying for childcare or something

midnitghtgraveyard · 13/10/2023 17:27

Wow i no a few women that would love your partner.
Hes doing enough .

If its to much get child care pay someone.
Honestly you cant make him do more than he is doing I'd be burned out if it was me.
He`s not superman.
You dont get TV time your not missing anything

i dont own a TV not had one in years.

Itisjusttoomuch · 13/10/2023 17:35

Yes, maybe childcare is the answer. It's not so much the TV, you're right, it's crap, I think I just need a break too. It just feels relentless right now. I know he's doing a lot, I said that in my opening paragraph, but he doesn't seem to get as burnt out as me. But then he gets a full night's sleep and a few hours break in the evening.

OP posts:
Tandora · 13/10/2023 17:39

No idea how you are working 20 hours a week while having no childcare!! YANBU to ask your partner to share the load more equally, you both should have equal time to relax. However, it sounds like you are both doing an insane amount. What you need is some childcare!!

Tandora · 13/10/2023 17:42

midnitghtgraveyard · 13/10/2023 17:27

Wow i no a few women that would love your partner.
Hes doing enough .

If its to much get child care pay someone.
Honestly you cant make him do more than he is doing I'd be burned out if it was me.
He`s not superman.
You dont get TV time your not missing anything

i dont own a TV not had one in years.

Edited

I honestly don’t understand how you can conclude this. You think it’s fair that the man has a few hours to himself to relax every evening and the woman has none/ no time off at all? (Not to mention I assume she’s also the one up in the night - breastfeeding). This is 2023, not 1650, men and women are equal and both deserve equal time to relax . Period.

Iknowthis1 · 13/10/2023 17:44

The problem isn't that he's not doing enough. The problem is that you are both doing too much. More needs to be outsourced or scaled back. Otherwise you'll both have a breakdown before you get to finish your renovation

billy1966 · 13/10/2023 17:49

Be very careful OP with that relentless workload that you don't get sick.

You are both working hard but you are juggling a huge amount which is stressful .

I certainly don't think he should be sitting down watching tv while you are still running around.

Both of you should be doing jobs until you both can sit down.

If you get sick, your choices will be taken from you.

Be careful.

OhamIreally · 14/10/2023 08:17

Agree that childcare is the answer. If your work was able to be completed peacefully in four hours each day you would have more time to yourself later and wouldn't feel so run ragged.

It's madness trying to work with no childcare but sadly appears to be on the rise.

amidsummernightsdream · 14/10/2023 08:22

The problem is you dont have childcare. You cant expect to work 20 hours a week without it.

Your husband sounds like he is doing his fair share from what you’ve said

SecondUsername4me · 14/10/2023 08:24

JellyMouldJnr · 13/10/2023 16:40

i think you need some paid childcare, not your partner to do more.

This was my thoughts too.

Karma2023 · 14/10/2023 08:43

@amidsummernightsdream 100% this.

You are trying to scrimp on childcare to afford a renovation that is stressing you out.

NeedToChangeName · 14/10/2023 08:46

You need proper childcare

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