Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be angry my husband sleeps at his mums 3-5 nights at a time when he’s working?

104 replies

ladyrushford · 06/06/2025 21:11

Ok. I feel like I am being unreasonable but I guess I want an outside perspective too.

DH has been recently promoted at work (copper). I am very proud of him. It’s meant that our family life has had to change as he’s doing a combination of early shifts (7 am start), late (3pm start) and a set of nights every four weeks. He tends to work six days, three or four off.

We live in outside of London, where he works, and the trains don’t always run early enough for him to get to work in time so when he started I made the suggestion of him using his parents house in SE London as his emergency base, in case of cancelled trains etc. But since he’s started he’s actually spending long stretches there - not a night or two, but three or four days on the trot. May half he was there all week as he worked nights.

We have 3 kids, our eldest is disabled and attends specialist school. I was able to get transport over Easter so I wasn’t running three kids to three separate locations on my own (DH used to work from home three days a week in his old role). I also work full time but I work from home. I don’t have any network - I live far away from relatives, no siblings, and I’ve not made many friends around here since we moved 2 years ago. In short, when he’s not at home I have absolutely no back up, respite etc. It’s relentless.

So tonight I got annoyed when he announced he was going to stay at his parents for another four days because otherwise to get to work he’d have to be up at 4.30am to drive to a station to get his trains. The kids got upset so he’s staying but he’s furious with me and gone to bed without a word to anyone, reminding me that he has to be up in ‘a few hours.’

I feel terrible now. Why is this so hard for me? I’m trying to be supportive honestly but I just feel so alone and it’s making me irritable. So.., how I can STOP being unreasonable about this??

OP posts:
Summertimealready · 06/06/2025 21:16

He's opting out of family life OP.

No wonder you feel alone and unsupported.

This isn't sustainable.

DrJump · 06/06/2025 21:20

This sort of inconvenience to family life only works of the additional money can cover additional help to family plus extra money.

MummytoE · 06/06/2025 21:23

No amount of extra money on worth this, surely. How far away do you guys live from his parents?

ladyrushford · 06/06/2025 21:26

Summertimealready · 06/06/2025 21:16

He's opting out of family life OP.

No wonder you feel alone and unsupported.

This isn't sustainable.

I do feel a bit like that right now! He’s a very good dad and husband when he’s here - hands on, does loads, but since he started this job the dynamic has changed (which I knew it would) but I didn’t expect him to be gone this much so regularly.

OP posts:
Hankunamatata · 06/06/2025 21:27

When dh did nights it was easier when he slept at his mums. As he didn't get in until kids were heading to school then basically slept until it was time for work that evening. Then I had to creep around the house.

It really depends on his work pattern. If he's got to get up at 4.30am what time would he be home? As dh with that start time is in bed around 8.30pm

msbevvy · 06/06/2025 21:27

I grew up with a Dad that I hardly saw because he worked long hours in his high paid job.
No amount of extra money can make up for your DH not being there for you and the kids

ladyrushford · 06/06/2025 21:27

DrJump · 06/06/2025 21:20

This sort of inconvenience to family life only works of the additional money can cover additional help to family plus extra money.

Not quite enough to do that sadly. It’s only one rank up but it opens more pathways for him.

OP posts:
ladyrushford · 06/06/2025 21:29

Hankunamatata · 06/06/2025 21:27

When dh did nights it was easier when he slept at his mums. As he didn't get in until kids were heading to school then basically slept until it was time for work that evening. Then I had to creep around the house.

It really depends on his work pattern. If he's got to get up at 4.30am what time would he be home? As dh with that start time is in bed around 8.30pm

So he’d be home by 5.30 pm (finish at 4). But he can’t sleep past the early start and lack of trains. I only suggested staying at his mums for the nights and late finishes, not every week.

OP posts:
ladyrushford · 06/06/2025 21:30

MummytoE · 06/06/2025 21:23

No amount of extra money on worth this, surely. How far away do you guys live from his parents?

About an hour’s drive in good traffic.

OP posts:
Hankunamatata · 06/06/2025 21:32

With 4.30am start and home by 5.30pm then I'd expect him home. Dh does similar hours now, comes home, has dinner and takes kids to hobbies, home about 8pm then heads to bed. So yes o think your dh is unreasonable on those days not to come home

CountryQueen · 06/06/2025 21:33

Can you move close to his work? Sounds like you have no ties there anyway

LaurieFairyCake · 06/06/2025 21:34

Time to move to SE London. This is where the work is, plenty of great schools and housing stock.

ANiceBigCupOfTea · 06/06/2025 21:34

I think you need to speak to him and make it clear what you meant by emergency base in the same way you've explained to us.
He has to understand he's being a bit of a cheeky bugger by going and staying away for the early shifts when those are the days he really should be home to help sort dinner, homework and bedtimes.

ladyrushford · 06/06/2025 21:36

LaurieFairyCake · 06/06/2025 21:34

Time to move to SE London. This is where the work is, plenty of great schools and housing stock.

We moved from SE London after seventeen years to be closer to my oldest son’s specialist school. We won’t be returning. Also - I really hated it there!! We lived in Blackheath. Full of arseholes. We I like living in a village, with a duck pond. Downsides: husband is struggling to get into work at certain times of the week.

OP posts:
NoSoupForU · 06/06/2025 21:37

How far is it for him to drive to work, or to the train station, rather than his parents? I often start my day at 5.30am and finish my working day around 5pm. It isn't a big deal and shouldn't mean he needs to opt out of family life.

Comtesse · 06/06/2025 21:39

And this is why Met police officers really ought to live in London. This kind of travel is daft. YABU - he’s missing for so much of the week, this role doesn’t seem compatible with your family.

DonnyBurrito · 06/06/2025 21:39

Sounds like he wants to live there.

HeyWiggle · 06/06/2025 21:39

It’s only an hour each way, he should be home each night with the odd exception.

ladyrushford · 06/06/2025 21:41

So I should clarify that when trains are running he gets the 5.45 am train and is home with no dramas. But when he has to work late shifts / night shifts he can be at his parents in 40 minutes but it takes much longer to get back to our home, as the final train stops before he finishes. He can’t drive in as he’s not allowed to park at the station and he’s too cheap to pay for parking. So I suggested using his parents as the emergency stop - they are rarely there these days as they are living their best boomer life 😂 so it was just meant to be a place to crash. But he’s using it a lot and it’s only been a month!!

OP posts:
FedupofArsenalgame · 06/06/2025 21:42

Hankunamatata · 06/06/2025 21:32

With 4.30am start and home by 5.30pm then I'd expect him home. Dh does similar hours now, comes home, has dinner and takes kids to hobbies, home about 8pm then heads to bed. So yes o think your dh is unreasonable on those days not to come home

Edited

When is his chill out time?

Hankunamatata · 06/06/2025 21:46

FedupofArsenalgame · 06/06/2025 21:42

When is his chill out time?

He does hobby with kids 3 nights a week - his choice as he loves it

ladyrushford · 06/06/2025 21:46

Comtesse · 06/06/2025 21:39

And this is why Met police officers really ought to live in London. This kind of travel is daft. YABU - he’s missing for so much of the week, this role doesn’t seem compatible with your family.

No Met officer worth their salt lives in London. They all commute in. One for safety (obviously) and two - well. To get away from work!!

OP posts:
Reallyyyyyy · 06/06/2025 21:52

Is driving not an option or even just on certain shifts?

Scissor · 06/06/2025 21:53

You have lost all sympathy with your offensive statements regarding Met officers who live in London.
Your husband obviously is "not worth his salt" as an officer. He's actively choosing to live in London and not with you

BlackBean2023 · 06/06/2025 21:57

My DD is a lorry driver but also works shifts that involve early starts. He stays at work - sleeps in his lorry at the yard - on those nights so that he gets a few extra minutes sleep and doesn’t disturb me or the kids. He does come home for early dinner and family time though as it’s only 15 min drive away.