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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

DH half arsed attitude & half done jobs

52 replies

HalfaJobHusband · 30/03/2024 21:28

Aibu to despair of DH never giving anything 100%?! We've been together for over 10 years, 3 DC together and I'm at my wits end. He just doesn't seem interested in doing things, that are a fundamental part of parenting or even god forbid being an adult.

When the DC were younger I got fed up of bearing all of the mental load so gave him two "jobs" to do - sort out registering the kids at a dentist and book them onto swimming lessons. That was 5 years ago. He's done neither.

He has a work trip coming up and his passport has expired. Its the type of thing I would deal with but I've just refused to have anything to do with it so he's now flapping around panicking and had to book an in person appointment to get it sorted in time.

He has four shavers because he can't be bothered keeping track of them (I organise everything in the house so everything has a home but obviously I never use his shavers). He often shaves in the car after he's parked up about to go into the office.

I've tried to get him to help with specific things, e.g. cleaning the bathroom is his job but he will wipe down the sink but never use anything other than loo roll or kitchen roll so after a while there's a ring of black stuff around the plug. He doesn't consider the bathroom floor part of his job. He hoovers around things (even socks!) instead of moving them. He's supposed to be responsible for the weekly shop but regularly forgets to buy the specific things only I need (due to my own dietary requirements) so I often have nothing in for breakfast.

He's supposed to be in charge of the dishwasher (if he 'washes' our youngests bottle up there will still be milk residue in the crevices, so I do all manual washing up) but never stacks it right so things remain dirty, never cleans the filter and doesn't use the right setting so unclean items just sit in the dishwasher until they're eventually considered clean and put away. He often puts away crockery that's still got food residue on it.

Is this unreasonable? Am I asking too much? If I mention it sometimes it'll improve but most often he gets defensive and brings up the one time I left a cup in the living room overnight, or calls me a nag, or points out I work part time and he full time. Sometimes it feels like he's physically incapable of finishing something, I did wonder if he's ND but as a woman with ADHD it's not an excuse for me to be lazy!

I'm just so down about it. Even the non household stuff- this Christmas was the first one since we've been together that I asked him to sort the cards and gifts for his parents. I found a sealed Xmas card with MIL's name on it in the playroom when cleaning it out so clearly that didn't happen.

I feel like screaming.

OP posts:
LamonicBibber1 · 30/03/2024 22:29

.... And I just couldn't fuck a man who hoovers around a sock.

DumpsterBaby · 30/03/2024 22:35

Sounds like mine was. Adhd, holds down a decent job, acts like the money he earns is his and that he’s better than me, does half arsed job with everything.

Frankly, all you can do is LTB.

Renamed · 30/03/2024 22:40

I wonder where he works. It doesn’t sound like a business I’d like to use.

Iggityziggety · 30/03/2024 22:42

Urgh my ex was exactly like this but also couldn't bear to have it pointed out to him so if I dared suggest he could maybe move things to hoover under them I would get a torrent of gaslighting, verbally abusive crap about how he HAD done it, and I was being ridiculous/a cunt/hypocritical. He would swear blind a kitchen counter covered in crumbs had just been wiped by him. I felt like I was living in a parallel universe a lot of the time.
He went on about how he doesn't have a good memory, needs reminding about stuff, but then when I would check he had done something he had agreed to do, he would go berserk about how he had REMEMBERED thank you very much. I could never tell what he would remember so felt like I had to check with him all the time which made me anxious and stressed.
Him doing anything 'helpful' created extra work for me, he would clean then leave the cleaning stuff just sat in the middle of the bathroom floor. For hours. Until prompted to put it away or I just did it myself. He was meant to clean the kitchen every week to take that off my plate - this gradually reduced to wiping the counters and cleaning the sink. He then decided that because he was in charge of that job, he didn't need to wipe the counters during the week at all, and just left crumbs, spilled food, any old crap on them for me to deal with, or leave it to him at the weekend.
It is incredibly frustrating and misery inducing trying to co exist with someone like this.

HalfaJobHusband · 30/03/2024 22:46

I appreciate everyone's comments. It's at least reassuring to know its not just me / just him depending on how you look at it.

Sometimes I think very seriously about leaving, but he can lose his patience quickly with the DC and I don't want him to be in sole charge of them. God it sounds worse the more I write doesn't it.

OP posts:
Saintmariesleuth · 30/03/2024 22:52

It doesn't seem like he would want to go to the effort of having the children very much if you did separate

It sounds like you no longer love and respect him (and I don't blame you) - I'm not sure how a marriage can recover from that.

Pixiedust1234 · 30/03/2024 23:09

You have my STBXH. After thirty years of hell I've finally plucked up the courage and strength to leave. I strongly advise you to consider it too as this is the best you will ever get.

I myself have ADHD, and multiple chronic health issues
Stress, caused by anger and resentment, is starting to be understood as a catalyst for some peoples long term health, including several auto immune conditions. My health has imploded due to me living for years with a similar man as yours, and my life span is considerably reduced.

Saintmariesleuth · 30/03/2024 23:12

@Pixiedust1234 good on you for taking the plunge- I am sure a much brighter future awaits you

justasking111 · 30/03/2024 23:15

He can pay for a cleaner with his money to start with.

SwordToFlamethrower · 30/03/2024 23:19

He is lazy and selfish. He chooses to be incompetant at home but is fine at work.

He has no respect for you at all.

Stop doing anything for him. If he fails, he fails.

unsync · 30/03/2024 23:26

He sounds awful. Why exactly are you still with him? Fast forward ten years - what does that look like to you?

FoxyLoxyLoo · 30/03/2024 23:33

I’m sick to death of ADHD being used on here as an excuse for so many men who deem themselves incapable of adulting. It can also be called weaponised incompetence or, wait for it, utter laziness!

Tell him he has to pay for outside help to keep the house running all you want but that’s just making life easy for a lazy git.

If you don’t trust a parent to be left with your children that’s a serious issue.

HalfaJobHusband · 31/03/2024 09:46

unsync · 30/03/2024 23:26

He sounds awful. Why exactly are you still with him? Fast forward ten years - what does that look like to you?

I'm honestly not sure. When we got together we were in our early twenties and had similar interests, he was kind and appeared caring and compassionate about the world in general. In recent years I'm realising he is quite unkind, and can be really nasty- it seems like his true colours are showing now and I'm gutted i only realised this far along 😓

OP posts:
StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 31/03/2024 09:54

I once told DH that if he was like this at work and I were his boss I would have fired him. That genuinely seemed to shock him and he is better now.

ZigZagIntoTheBlue · 31/03/2024 10:05

@HalfaJobHusband I feel like I could've written your post and subsequent follow ups. I'm also ADHD, late diagnosis myself. He was less than helpful or interested in my diagnosis process and any of my hobbies or interests. I too thought he was laid back and caring but actually he's passive aggressive and needs constant monitoring which I just don't have the headspace for.

He is very short tempered with our ND children although my parents, my dad in particular thinks the sun shines out of his arse because he takes them out and does things with them. However, the things he does are questionable, bordering on stupid and irresponsible. Took the boys swimming, lovely - except youngest has an awful cough. Took them to London, lost one on the tube!! Luckily a nice woman (of course it was a woman) noticed my son upset, realised what had happened and took him off at the next stop to wait for H and other son to arrive. Funnily enough, I took both boys to London yesterday and didn't manage to lose either of them.
So, I've gone back to work full time, I'm trying to claw out of my overdraft and build some savings so I can rent somewhere for the boys and I by myself. We no longer sleep in the same room and haven't done for the last 18 months, nearly 2 years. It's ending, but not as quickly as I would like.

Gettingbysomehow · 31/03/2024 10:09

It's pointless saying why did Ozp have kids with z man like this because it's done and she can't go back.
I'll tell you what will happen OP. They never change. Not ever. He doesn't do the jobs properly because he doesn't want to.
After 10 or 20 years of this bullshit you will hate him and refuse to have sex with him anymore. This will trigger a divorce.
You will get more angry and frustrated as each year goes by and end up frustrated, angry and won't even be able to look at him.
You know none of the children will be safe with him so shared custody would be a big problem.
I was married to a manike this for 20 years. His incompetence nearly killed me. He was in charge of the motorbikes and car. His only job.
As we approached a very busy junction on our bikes my brakes failed and I ended up crushed under a car. It turned out he had never taken any of the vehicles for a service he just pretended he had and attempted to do the brakes himself.
That was it for me. We got divorced.
After he left I found the petrol he had drained out of his various bike projects and promised me he had disposed of.
It was stacked up in various containers up against the house between the wood store and the house. One spark could have destroyed the house.
An incompetent man is a dangerous man. Never leave your children with him.

HesterPrincess · 31/03/2024 10:30

The thing that saved our marriage was getting a cleaner and he pays for it. At least you're not writhing with resentment over toilets and sinks and the house stays a basic level of clean.

But I'm still the house adult. You know, the one who puts salt/rinse aid in the dishwasher; empties the dryer filters; unblogs the sink/plug holes; empties bathroom bins; empties the hoover and cleans the brush bar. It's tedious, and slowly but surely killing any ounce of affection that's left.

Createausername1970 · 31/03/2024 10:32

I think you have a

Notthatcatagain · 31/03/2024 10:36

I've got a vintage model, had him for 45 years now. No skills whatsoever, he can't cook, would be a cold day in hell if he noticed that any housework needed doing, utterly incompetent at DIY. I did do some training and if I want him to do something then I need to give him very specific instructions, no good saying will you clean the bathroom, it has to be broken down into individual elements, then he could do it. Never assume that he will retain the information for next time. The food shopping list is like writing a novel. He has improved over the years and when I was sick and unable to do anything he managed to keep me fed and in a reasonably sanitary house for 18 months so I did feel that I was winning. He now had some mild cognitive impairment so back to square 1. Fortunately he did manage to organise himself a decent pension so we have a cleaner and I can pay someone else to do decorating and DIY

Createausername1970 · 31/03/2024 10:41

Oops 😁

I think you have a choice - either put up with it, leave him or try to make changes to suit you.

Initially I would make changes to suit me. Which is leave everything to him that concerns him, and take control of everything that concerns you or the children.

You have started this by leaving him to sort out his own passport and family presents. Extend it by ensuring you have the food in the house you need, let him sort his own laundry out. Look after yourself. Either he will buck up or he won't.

whywonttheyeattheirfood · 31/03/2024 10:44

Men with ADHD - can't manage to do stuff. Flail around in squalor until a woman does it for them.

Women with ADHD - just have to get on with it otherwise the ship'd sink and everything would be neglected and filthy.

(I have ADHD, non medicated)

People with ADHD can do things if we force ourselves. Men just don't want to force themselves and know someone will do it for them.

AGodawfulsmallaffair · 31/03/2024 10:49

Aria999 · 30/03/2024 22:11

he wouldn't know when parents evening was if i tattooed the date onto his eyelids

This made me giggle. No advice OP but you sound way too good for him!

😆 I thought exactly the same, funny, and too good for him!

Wagonwheelforme · 31/03/2024 16:45

HalfaJobHusband · 30/03/2024 22:46

I appreciate everyone's comments. It's at least reassuring to know its not just me / just him depending on how you look at it.

Sometimes I think very seriously about leaving, but he can lose his patience quickly with the DC and I don't want him to be in sole charge of them. God it sounds worse the more I write doesn't it.

I went through exactly this issue.

he is still pretty shit with the kids and lazy. But they have a good relationship with him so can’t be too awful.

I’ve resigned myself to parallel parenting, but it means the kids prefer being with me because we do more fun stuff

HalfaJobHusband · 31/03/2024 20:28

I'm so grateful for all the posts - feeling less alone but definitely have so much to figure out.

OP posts:
rwalker · 31/03/2024 20:41

This doesn’t sound new I think this is just who he is

I have friends which are like him they just stumble through life in a loop of disorganised chaos

work with what you’ve got or leave. Changing people is rarely a success

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