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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Or is DH? Stuck on holiday with him

304 replies

WITWHBIWAGT · 26/07/2024 19:55

Bought lunch in a small supermarket today as per agreement. We are on holiday and needed quick food. I got a shop bought meat sandwich and some bread and hummus. It was slim pickings.

So, DC decided they didn’t want the shop sandwich and I’m vegetarian. So I said to DH, ‘I am afraid it’s the shop bought sandwich for you.’ I said it in a kind of resigned, ‘bloody fussy kids’ kind of way - I thought.

He got cross and asked why does he have to eat it? I said you don’t but DC don’t want it and I don’t eat meat. ‘So why aren’t I allowed bread and hummus?’ - me ‘I’m not saying you are aren’t, I’m just saying no one else will eat that sandwich’ - he continues ranting. I say, ‘it’s fine, we can just chuck the sandwich away’.

Anyway he goes on being cross and telling me how awful I’m being. I get a bit tearful. Oldest DC comes and hugs me. DH storms off and slams the door. Then a bit later comes angrily out and angrily eats the bloody sandwich. I try and make conversation but I’m feeling a bit upset.

DC then go off somewhere so I calmly explain that I wasn’t dictating he should have the sandwich, more was commiserating. He sulkily says thank you for explaining and then says, ‘but can you see how I might think you were dictating what I eat’. I say no I don’t, because it seems obvious to me that I’m saying oh no, you poor thing, the DC are being fussy again and you are going to be stuck with that boring sandwich.

He launches into another tirade about how awful I’ve been (I got a bit irritated with him twice in the last week - I think most people would have but that’s another thread) - called me arrogant. Said my irritation with him was as unacceptable. I asked him if he thought it was ok to speak to me how he was. He didn’t answer. Carried on his tirade until I just sat quiet for long enough. I had a bit of a cry.

Was I being unreasonable and should he say sorry for getting so angry and storming off? To be clear, I stayed calm, didn’t once shout and didn’t call him any names or have a go at him but also didn’t just apologise because he’d completely misunderstood me for some reason.

I’ve got another week of holiday left. I just want to go home but have to play happy families for DC.

OP posts:
Lippylemon · 26/07/2024 19:57

i think your eldest coming to give you a hug is telling. How often does this kind of thing happen? He sounds like a dick

DoreenonTill8 · 26/07/2024 19:58

Was there nothing else? It sounds like he's heard 'heres a horrible sandwich that no one will want so you have to eat it'?

StormingNorman · 26/07/2024 19:59

It sounds like you’ve just had a bit too much time together. Why don’t you take a day, or even half a day, to yourself tomorrow?

Justrolledmyeyesoutloud · 26/07/2024 20:00

I am in holiday with my dh op and his mood swings are so fucking unpredictable l want to tell him to piss off but that would upset our dd so l won't but you have my sympathy.
Men can be such pricks sometimes

LibertyDuck · 26/07/2024 20:00

What an absolute twat.

cheddercherry · 26/07/2024 20:00

I think there’s no need playing happy families when your kids quite clearly see dad reduce their mum (probably) regularly to tears. They see quite clearly what’s going on. Most people would have taken it as a joke or simply said “nah I’ll have bread and hummus” not get irate like you’d physically shackled him to a sandwich. He sounds quite unhinged tbh.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 26/07/2024 20:01

DoreenonTill8 · 26/07/2024 19:58

Was there nothing else? It sounds like he's heard 'heres a horrible sandwich that no one will want so you have to eat it'?

That’s part of being a parent though.

WITWHBIWAGT · 26/07/2024 20:01

Justrolledmyeyesoutloud · 26/07/2024 20:00

I am in holiday with my dh op and his mood swings are so fucking unpredictable l want to tell him to piss off but that would upset our dd so l won't but you have my sympathy.
Men can be such pricks sometimes

Oh god. You too eh? I’ll meet you down the bar later!! 😂

OP posts:
WITWHBIWAGT · 26/07/2024 20:02

Lippylemon · 26/07/2024 19:57

i think your eldest coming to give you a hug is telling. How often does this kind of thing happen? He sounds like a dick

We are in couples counselling. This is a pattern.

OP posts:
owladventure · 26/07/2024 20:02

Is it even really a holiday if you haven't fallen out over something trivial because everyone's tired/hot/homesick/out of sorts?

(Unless he does this all the time, that's different.)

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 26/07/2024 20:02

Tell him to sort lunch out for the rest of the holiday.

WITWHBIWAGT · 26/07/2024 20:03

DoreenonTill8 · 26/07/2024 19:58

Was there nothing else? It sounds like he's heard 'heres a horrible sandwich that no one will want so you have to eat it'?

Bread and hummus. It was slim pickings. He didn’t have to have the sandwich but he wouldn’t want to waste it. I wouldn’t care.

OP posts:
gamerchick · 26/07/2024 20:03

Not really a happy families for the kids though is it?

Stop engaging with it. If he goes on a tirade then walk away, take the kids out somewhere. Let him tirade on his own. Or tell him to bugger off out for a bit.

Poor kids.

MiddleParking · 26/07/2024 20:04

Honestly I can see myself getting stressy with DH if I was hungry and he appeared to assign me a shit supermarket sandwich he’d bought on holiday. I wouldn’t keep it going like he did though.

HateThese4Leggedbeasts · 26/07/2024 20:04

I remember reading that the peak time for people to initiate divorces is after the summer holidays as people have spent lots of time with their grumpy other halves.

Sorry you are having a difficult time.

Crystalbabe · 26/07/2024 20:04

You said this is a pattern and you’re in couples counselling. Your eldest having to hug you is a big sign for me that it’s time to end things, sorry, for their sake

owladventure · 26/07/2024 20:05

Language is imprecise. Do you often communicate in ways where you say one thing but believe you're communicating a different message that he misses?

WITWHBIWAGT · 26/07/2024 20:06

StormingNorman · 26/07/2024 19:59

It sounds like you’ve just had a bit too much time together. Why don’t you take a day, or even half a day, to yourself tomorrow?

I think I need a year to be honest!

OP posts:
LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 26/07/2024 20:07

Sound like he overreacted but I can see where he’s coming from. I think I would have been annoyed with you in this situation

owladventure · 26/07/2024 20:07

I say no I don’t, because it seems obvious to me that I’m saying oh no, you poor thing, the DC are being fussy again and you are going to be stuck with that boring sandwich.

He does kind of have a point though because this isn't what you said at all. You said something totally different and hoped/assumed he'd read your mind to understand what you really meant.

SauviGone · 26/07/2024 20:08

Don't kid yourself that your DC think this is a happy family holiday.

Your eldest DC had to comfort you today then the kids deliberately made themselves scarce when dad stormed back in after storming out and proceeded to angrily eat a sandwich.

Memories to cherish.

WITWHBIWAGT · 26/07/2024 20:08

cheddercherry · 26/07/2024 20:00

I think there’s no need playing happy families when your kids quite clearly see dad reduce their mum (probably) regularly to tears. They see quite clearly what’s going on. Most people would have taken it as a joke or simply said “nah I’ll have bread and hummus” not get irate like you’d physically shackled him to a sandwich. He sounds quite unhinged tbh.

Edited

It’s my fault he got angry because I’ve been awful to him the past three days - I got a bit irritable twice for moments.

OP posts:
MiddleParking · 26/07/2024 20:09

Also, sorry OP, but even if it was ‘slim pickings’ I’d be really annoyed with a vegetarian buying a shit meat sandwich alongside something they acknowledged to be nicer, then saying the sandwich was for me.

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 26/07/2024 20:09

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 26/07/2024 20:01

That’s part of being a parent though.

But if you expect one of the parents to eat it if the children don’t want it then why choose something for the children that you can’t eat yourself .

MonsteraMama · 26/07/2024 20:09

Aww I'm sorry OP, I want to come and give you a hug now too, this made me feel so sad for you!

Your husband sounds like a childish, dramatic prick who was looking for something to have a fight about and chose this. There was no need at all to have a fucking all day tantrum over a sandwich and a misunderstanding.