To think he should come downstairs too

[Squiggletime]

Every weekend I am downstairs with the children while DH lies in bed awake. This morning DS is having a meltdown (he’s autistic) screaming, banging. DH is awake so will be able to hear yet is still just lying there. When I’ve brought it up before he says it’s because he gets up early in the week for work but I’m also up around half an hour after him with the kids. I think what’s not helping is that he’s going on a night out too tonight so I’ll have to deal with this all on my own again

I couldn’t imagine being as transactional as @ThisOldThang describes, or in fact even being able to stay in bed with a SENd child in the house.

My stepson is a horrendously early riser, on the rare occasion he does sleep through he wakes up between 3:30-4:30 currently. On the worst nights, that’s after 5/6 wake ups.

He is of course more attached to my partner, his dad, and when he wakes it’s him he wants - I wake up anyway, and when he gets up, we all get up. I can make breakfast, or much needed coffees, while my partner starts getting things sorted or dealing with the first meltdown of the day.

I know some people swap, take it in turns, but it would always be my partners turn because that’s who the kid wants, so we work as a team and I do the household stuff while he tends to his son.

It’s difficult, but it’s not rocket science.

I recently saw a Tweet from a woman who was praising her husband for looking after their son because she had a headache.

Naturally, she had lots of obvious (and true!) responses from women.

Christ almighty, the bar is incredibly low for men to get a pat on the back.