Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to be considering leaving my partner due to these issues

155 replies

Cherrycolacat · 30/11/2024 13:25

We have been together for two years but have known each other since we were 16 so a very long time.

He moved in with me and my 4.5 year old at the start of the year, and since then I’ve just struggled with his lack of effort around the house and lack of support towards living costs and his lack of ability to listen when I bring up any issues.

I do the substantial majority of the housework, I also work full time 45 hours a week from home so I am home all day but I’m still at work. He is between jobs and often on the sick, he struggles to motivate himself to go to work and ends up making excuses to be off. I find this obviously stressful as his income some months is drastically dropped and realistically there’s no reason for him to be off most of the time he is. He does help with the dishwasher and he will help if I go out of my way to ask, but if I don’t it just sits there. He will make a basic job like putting washing away take hours while I run around and do everything else.

An example of a recurring problem: I left the house in a hurry last week and didn’t have time to tidy that morning, I normally always tidy before I leave so that it’s nice for when I get home, I had had two hours sleep the night prior due to being poorly so it needed a good tidy. He was in all day, I came back at 2pm and not one thing had been done and he was asleep in bed. Mess on the kitchen counters, cat litter on the floor that the cats had scrapped out while I was away, food wrappers and dishes on the side from his dinner, floor needed hoovered.

Its came to a head this morning, my son has been having a bit of a difficult phase and being quite defiant, I was asking him to help me with some chores for chore week at his school and he was just saying no and it escalated into my son being upset and having a tantrum. My partner was saying he was being lazy, he wasn’t helping around the house, and raising his voice saying he won’t get any games anymore if he doesn’t start helping and that he needs to see a doctor.

Immediately this angered me because I don’t parent like that and he knows it, raising his voice only made it worse and also he has an absolute bloody cheek to say my four year old does nothing to help when he’s a grown man who does the bare minimum.

The issue is he seems to think he does help out. Ive mentioned this COUNTLESS times and im always met with ‘how am I meant to know if you don’t tell me’ or ‘just tell me if things need cleaned’ but it’s obvious. He also tells me ‘if you think I don’t do anything you’re lying to yourself’

We have had so many issues with money also as he never offers to do any food shops I do them all and pay for them all. He huffs and sighs if I ask him to come with us to the shops and hurries me and my son up so he can get back home quicker for no reason other than he doesn’t want to be there.

Im just utterly sick of it. He snatched a bar of soap off my son this morning because he was refusing to put it away, so I snapped and took it back off my partner and told him to not dare treat my son like that and have a hard think about how much he does around the house before taking it out on him.

He made a comment that he did plenty and to not speak to him if i really think he does nothing around here, and then stormed out the house. Its not the first time he has done this but it’s the first time he has done it in front of my son.

AIBU to not want him to come back? There’s so many other things too but if I ever try speak about any issues or anything he does that is hurtful he is extremely defensive and never apologise for his actions and just storms out rather than trying to resolve anything and he makes me feel like my expectations are unreasonable

OP posts:
rubyslippers · 30/11/2024 13:28

He sounds dreadful
you can end a relationship for any reason and you’ve listed plenty
he’s a lazy, jobless, irresponsible person who isn’t kind to you or your son
get him gone

Dotto · 30/11/2024 13:28

Chuck him out today. Change the locks. What a fucking tosspot waster.

Gymnopedie · 30/11/2024 13:29

Get rid of him. As fast as you can.

He can't have any good points that compensate for all of that.

He moved in with you because he saw an easy life for himself. He doesn't have to pay anything or do anything, he just gets to doss around. If he wasn't with you he'd have to work and shift his arse. It's called being a cocklodger.

MayaPinion · 30/11/2024 13:29

Bin him now. He’s not good for you and he’s definitely not good for your child. Hopefully he’s not on the feeds/tenancy agreement or mortgage, so you can just tell him to go.

ExcludedatfiveFML · 30/11/2024 13:30

Come on, you know the answer!

Freeloading knob who's unkind to your son.

Hmmm

Fooshufflewickjbannanapants · 30/11/2024 13:30

Change the locks, put his stuff in a bag and never let him back in.

LifeExperience · 30/11/2024 13:31

You need to be a good mum and get him away from your son.

Berthatydfil · 30/11/2024 13:31

You have got yourself a cocklodger. What exactly does he bring to the relationship? What do you get out of it that you wouldn't get living on your own or just dating someone?
The hypocrisy of an adult telling a child off for not doing chores when he himself doesn't is unbelievable.
The “You didn't tell me what needed doing” is a common excuse - does he not have eyes?
Dump him, your responsibility is to your child not a grown man, and exposing your child to this is a form of abuse.

pinkdelight · 30/11/2024 13:32

Classic cocklodger. You don't even need to list all these issues. They're all part of the package. Move in, don't work, don't contribute, create extra work and aggro and make the woman think it's somehow more complicated and they've got to put up with it. Stop putting up with it, boot him out and get your self esteem back up.

GirlfromIpanemagoestoGreenland · 30/11/2024 13:33

This will likely just get worse and worse.
You deserve better and I wouldn’t put up with him treating your child that way if I were you.

Charliecatpaws · 30/11/2024 13:34

Tell HIM to pack HIS bags and leave. He's adding nothing to your life.

Planesmistakenforstars · 30/11/2024 13:34

That's a lot of words to say he's a useless turd. He will NEVER change. End the relationship, give him until x time to move his stuff out (ideally 2pm today, but I understand other people have empathy,) change the locks, enjoy a turd-free life and allow your son to have a home without a wanker in it.

Dishwashersaurous · 30/11/2024 13:35

He isn't bringing anything positive into your life.

So remove him from your life

Margorett · 30/11/2024 13:35

Come on, what does this lazy man child bring into yours and your childs life? Absolutely nothing if your post is truthful. Get rid. Also you're son is 4 what chores do you want him to do, he is barely more than a baby for goodness sake!!

itsmylife7 · 30/11/2024 13:36

OP why did you allow him to move in with you and your son ?

Was he "different " before he moved in ?

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 30/11/2024 13:38

Oh dear OP, you've got yourself a cocklodger.

TallNeckedGiraffe · 30/11/2024 13:38

Why would you inflict this man on your small child??

NotbloodyGivingupYet · 30/11/2024 13:40

Out he goes OP. Well done for standing up for your son, but now you need to follow through and get that awful man out of your son's, and your, life.
He just seems to have made your life a whole lot worse. It's amazing how many men transform into complete arses the minute they get moved in.

Itiswhysofew · 30/11/2024 13:41

Send him packing today. He's an absolute waste of space. Doesn't even earn a decent wage, never mind anything else.

Your little one will have a dreadful life with him in it, and you'll be forever dissatisfied.

Bananalanacake · 30/11/2024 13:42

So you'd been in a relationship with him for about a year when he moved in? way too soon. I always say to give it 4 to 5 years before a partner moves in and then only if they have stable employment. Bet it was his idea so he could sponge off you. Please kick him out and don't worry if he's got nowhere to go, it's not your problem.

Cosyblankets · 30/11/2024 13:43

Where was he living before? What was it costing him?
He helps with the dishwasher.... just read that back to yourself! That's his contribution

scatters2004 · 30/11/2024 13:44

Get shot of - ASAP!

Circumferences · 30/11/2024 13:45

That all sounds utterly infuriating. I'm stressed out on your behalf!

ohyesido · 30/11/2024 13:46

This man is a lazy slob.

Your son is FOUR and he is expected to do chores? Pardon me if I misunderstood that.

Does this man have a particularly large trouser snake?

BryceQuinlan · 30/11/2024 13:48

You're a fool to be entertaining this and inflicting this on your son also.