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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Help me settle disagreement with DH?

226 replies

sssf24 · 14/01/2024 17:19

This is a little lighthearted and obviously not a hugely relationship ending issue, but it's irked me enough to want to post here to gain some perspective.

This afternoon our just turned 3 year old DD was playing with dolls from a doll house, and was role playing mummy had hurt herself. She then said "daddy look after mummy", and role played the daddy comforting mummy etc. I said "aw is daddy going to look after the baby while mummy gets better?" and DD was like yeah... etc.

I then lightheartedly said to DH, who was in the room so overhearing this interaction I had with our daughter: "I think it's important to teach her that mums should be looked after when they're not well too, and that Daddy should step up when mummy is unwell and look after baby... Last think I want for her is to feel the pressure to conform to society's expectations of women when she's older, like I felt" - or words to that effect. But my message being - I'm role playing this with her so she gets the message from a young age about societal imposed gender roles and expectations of women, hoping to dispel some of that for her (if that makes any sense).

DH then commented back "yes but she's barely just turned 3, what's the point?" I replied I didn't think it was ever too young to teach her that she doesn't need to martyr herself as a woman simply because society expects it. I said I thought it was an important lesson, just as important as her learning colours or numbers.

DH then said he didn't think society imposed such messages. I said he was wrong in my lived experience as a woman, and he was invalidating that. I asked him how could he possibly know, as a male, what the lived experience of a woman was? I said he's wrong and society does give such messages to women and that men are generally in a more privileged position in many ways.

He then rolled his eyes a bit and said, "and I'm sure women are more privileged than men too in lots of ways." I laughed and asked him to name one such example before I listed hundreds of examples to support my argument. He replied "well I can't right now but if I did some research I'm sure I'd find a few".

He also then made a (ridiculous in my opinion) throwaway comment that "next you'll be teaching her "they/them" pronouns". I was a bit confused here and replied I wasn't sure what on earth "they/them pronouns" have to do with the message I was indeed trying to convey to her? That part was very odd.

That was pretty much the end of the discussion and although it was a lighthearted back and forth on the back of an innocent interaction with out child, I honestly felt quite invalidated by him, and that he just doesn't "get it". Which makes me sad considering we have a daughter to raise together.

So I suppose my AIBU is in 3 parts:

  1. AIBU to feel a bit invalidated as a woman after this interaction?

  2. Can anyone shed any light on what on earth the "they/them" pronoun issue has to do with anything I was saying?

  3. Is DH correct that there are ways women are more advantages than men in society? If so what are these? (I couldn't bring any to mind and neither could he!)

OP posts:
Westernesse · 14/01/2024 22:38

Annacondas · 14/01/2024 22:37

@Westernesse but why would you disagree with someone’s lived experience?

Its simply illogical and a bit stupid

It’s not a concept I accept in any form of discussion. And have you never heard someone bullshitting before?

Annacondas · 14/01/2024 22:39

@sssf24 Unfortunately it’s on posts like this where the majority of AIBU users being 55+ has its disadvantages.

Factually you are correct, your DH was a prick. My only view on this is actually you didn’t go far enough with it considering how damaging his views will be when your DD grows up. This would be a relationship ended for me personally although many will consider that ott

kisstheblarney · 14/01/2024 22:41

Annacondas · 14/01/2024 22:39

@sssf24 Unfortunately it’s on posts like this where the majority of AIBU users being 55+ has its disadvantages.

Factually you are correct, your DH was a prick. My only view on this is actually you didn’t go far enough with it considering how damaging his views will be when your DD grows up. This would be a relationship ended for me personally although many will consider that ott

Surely you ascertain views before agreeing to marry?

Westernesse · 14/01/2024 22:41

Annacondas · 14/01/2024 22:39

@sssf24 Unfortunately it’s on posts like this where the majority of AIBU users being 55+ has its disadvantages.

Factually you are correct, your DH was a prick. My only view on this is actually you didn’t go far enough with it considering how damaging his views will be when your DD grows up. This would be a relationship ended for me personally although many will consider that ott

999 people out of 1000 would consider that OTT.

are people really that disposable to you? You would throw away your husband and damage your family over a trivial disagreement like this?

sssf24 · 14/01/2024 22:42

And it’s a very self indulgent sentiment. It’s also insulting to the other person, regardless of topic.

I wholeheartedly disagree.

OP posts:
Annacondas · 14/01/2024 22:42

@Westernesse it’s not trivial.

It would show to me my husband has no respect for women. Not truly. And that is more damaging to my daughter.

Also I wouldn’t have damaged my family, DH would have

Annacondas · 14/01/2024 22:43

@kisstheblarney peoples views change you know.

especially with age.

sssf24 · 14/01/2024 22:43

Surely you ascertain views before agreeing to marry?

Surely you read the full thread (or at least all of OP's comments) before asking a question that's been already answered previously .....

OP posts:
kisstheblarney · 14/01/2024 22:45

sssf24 · 14/01/2024 22:43

Surely you ascertain views before agreeing to marry?

Surely you read the full thread (or at least all of OP's comments) before asking a question that's been already answered previously .....

Surely you realised I tagged another poster, so I wasn't referring to you?

Westernesse · 14/01/2024 22:45

Annacondas · 14/01/2024 22:42

@Westernesse it’s not trivial.

It would show to me my husband has no respect for women. Not truly. And that is more damaging to my daughter.

Also I wouldn’t have damaged my family, DH would have

So any husband of yours is not allowed any view which deviates even marginally from yours. If he does he is to be disposed of. No further discussion.

that is not normal.

Annacondas · 14/01/2024 22:46

@Westernesse not even close

You’re a man aren’t you 😅

kisstheblarney · 14/01/2024 22:46

sssf24 · 14/01/2024 22:43

Surely you ascertain views before agreeing to marry?

Surely you read the full thread (or at least all of OP's comments) before asking a question that's been already answered previously .....

Or is this a name change fail Grin, because surely you'd say my comments , not the OPs comments?

Who else are you on here?

Iwasafool · 14/01/2024 22:48

sssf24 · 14/01/2024 22:38

Ironically, however, DH is ex army and his years in the military were some of the best of his life, by his own admission!

But I take the overall point of course.

Yes it is great if it is his choice just like it is for the women who make that choice. Not so great if it is forced on you.

SavBlancTonight · 14/01/2024 22:52

Dh and I have regularly had conversations where we agree that using the correct language and modelling things from very young is nb. I honestly don't see it as a passive aggressive statement at all... dh once had a long chat with a bemused ds (aged 2) about why the man in the park telling his son he "throws like a girl" was deeply inappropriate! 😆😆😆

Having said that, even dh has been known to get defensive if he thinks he is being attacked and we have certainly had some robust conversations over the years over whether women really are disadvantaged..

the "they/them" dig was a low blow and a transparent attempt to shut you up. Its putting feminist principles into the same bucket as "woke silliness" and is dismissive and rude.

Westernesse · 14/01/2024 22:57

Annacondas · 14/01/2024 22:46

@Westernesse not even close

You’re a man aren’t you 😅

If I was, I wouldn’t tell you. This is an anonymous forum and i would not choose to share my protected characteristics with you.

Fidgety31 · 14/01/2024 22:58

OP sounds like hard work and way too intense . No wonder your husband got fed up !

Annacondas · 14/01/2024 22:58

@Westernesse you are a man though

Its painfully obvious by your posts on this thread

confirmed by your post history doing a quick advanced search

Westernesse · 14/01/2024 22:59

SavBlancTonight · 14/01/2024 22:52

Dh and I have regularly had conversations where we agree that using the correct language and modelling things from very young is nb. I honestly don't see it as a passive aggressive statement at all... dh once had a long chat with a bemused ds (aged 2) about why the man in the park telling his son he "throws like a girl" was deeply inappropriate! 😆😆😆

Having said that, even dh has been known to get defensive if he thinks he is being attacked and we have certainly had some robust conversations over the years over whether women really are disadvantaged..

the "they/them" dig was a low blow and a transparent attempt to shut you up. Its putting feminist principles into the same bucket as "woke silliness" and is dismissive and rude.

Perhaps her husband gets it and lives a live with his family that is respectful of his wife and daughter. Could be that he didn’t appreciate another passive-aggressive lecture delivered through his 3 year old’s innocent play when he was simply existing.

could be that.

Westernesse · 14/01/2024 23:00

Annacondas · 14/01/2024 22:58

@Westernesse you are a man though

Its painfully obvious by your posts on this thread

confirmed by your post history doing a quick advanced search

I don’t care if you think that but I’m not sure you’re allowed to go around trying to out people like that on here. Pretty sure it is against the rules.

desist, please.

Annacondas · 14/01/2024 23:01

@Westernesse

Stating a fact isn’t against the rules Grin

You are a man, a pretty odious one at that based on these comments and your previous ones. Not sure why an MRA is spending so much time on Mumsnet.

Boomboom22 · 14/01/2024 23:02

I don't like the they them. So if your daughter works and the husband looks after the kids or her if ill she's not a woman? If a female does masculine things she's not female anymore but them? Wtf is that? Feminists are they?

Weird.

sssf24 · 14/01/2024 23:03

If I was, I wouldn’t tell you. This is an anonymous forum and i would not choose to share my protected characteristics with you.

That's a yes 😂

OP posts:
Annacondas · 14/01/2024 23:05

@sssf24 100%

It’s laughable that @Westernesse doesn't think him being a man, a pretty gross one at that, isn’t painfully obvious in every comment he makes.

sssf24 · 14/01/2024 23:05

*Or is this a name change fail , because surely you'd say my comments , not the OPs comments?

Who else are you on here?*

EH?!?!

We have reached new heights of batshittery.

I cannot deal. 😆

OP posts:
Westernesse · 14/01/2024 23:06

Annacondas · 14/01/2024 23:01

@Westernesse

Stating a fact isn’t against the rules Grin

You are a man, a pretty odious one at that based on these comments and your previous ones. Not sure why an MRA is spending so much time on Mumsnet.

Leave me alone please.