To be fuming DH left our 8yo to supervise the baby while he mowed the lawn??

[Erisheck]

So I popped to the shop earlier, only meant to be ten mins. Left DH at home with DCs.

Come back to find DH out the back mowing the lawn, all very pleased with himself. Meanwhile he had apparently told our 8yo DD to “keep an eye on” the baby while he did it. Baby is 16 months.

I walked in to find baby in the living room COVERED in biro scribbles. Face, arms, even a bit on her sleepsuit. DD said she was “playing schools” and DH thinks it is hilarious.

I do not. I am SO angry. Yes baby is fine but that is not the point. What if she had choked on a pen lid. What if she had fallen. An 8yo is a CHILD not a babysitter.

DH is saying I am overreacting and that it was “only 15 minutes.” I think he has lost his mind.

AIBU to be this furious?

And mowing the lawn can wait ten minutes

Yes, I agree. But OP seems to think mowing the lawn is borderline neglect whereas her disappearing for a shower is totally acceptable.

Either both are fine or neither are fine. But she can’t regularly leave her kids to shower and then complain when her husband leaves them to mow the lawn 🤷‍♀️

Mowing the lawn with hearing completely blocked, out of sight, is borderline neglect in my opinion.
Or stupidity?

Mowing the lawn loudly in the garden takes more than 15 mins! The point is that you asked him to supervise them and he immediately bowed out and delegated to the 8yo. It's not being able to trust your DH to follow through

In the shower with loud water falling around you, behind a shower curtain and in another room....

Not much difference imo

One is inside the house.
One is outside the house.

Quite a big difference

You people love to intellectualise foolishness 😂

op with all due respect how do you think single parents manage to do anything around the house/garden?
Your overreacting.

My twins are 7.5yrs olds, and I can't imagine leaving them with an 18 months old to go and do gardening – they are not responsible enough at all. But maybe people with sibling children of those ages have a different perspective on that.

I don't think anyone is blaming your 8yr old – of course she does not bear the responsibility of an adult. I think they are just pointing out it's a really odd thing for an 8yr old to do. Not even my 7yr old irresponsible twins would do that.

No way! I would be fuming too. I don’t understand why so many are saying this is okay.

No way I would leave my baby at that age without an adult. It only takes a second for something bad to happen to them and an 8 years old in an emergency situation wouldn’t necessarily act quickly or appropriately.

My 9 year kept an eye on her baby sibling for me to shower

I suppose it depends on if you can trust them

My 6 year old would know not to draw on a younger child. Your 8 year old as pointed out is the real issue here.

Not really.

Does your 8 year old have SEN? Because if they do then your husband was definitely unreasonable to leave them in charge of baby.

I’d be furious with the 8 year old - old enough to know better. DH however, did nothing wrong. He was in the back garden.

How many times have mums on here done the same thing while having a shower. Out of sight, hearing blocked by running water. The fact that it’s inside the house is irrelevant. It’s the same thing.

You don't think anyone is blaming the 8yr old?

She's been called an idiot, questioning if she has sen, and more.
It's been disgusting behaviour from women who seem to be mothers themselves.

Toxic people!!

Totally agree with you...

Your 8 year old was naughty. Your DH was in the garden and available if needed.

My 6 year old granddaughter would know better than to scribble over her baby sister.

FFS! Do you think us single parents never mow the lawn etc?

Of course your 8 year old should have been able to be left with their sibling for a couple of minutes without drawing all over themselves or their sibling!

Do you never do housework etc if alone with the children?

So she's expected to be parenting at 8 years old?
And now she's naughty?
Way to go for using kids and blaming them.

Crazy ideas on this thread. I fear for some children, I really do.

No you are not unreasonable. Its was irresponsible of him he wouldn't have heard screams or crys for help from the house from either of them utterly ridiculous of him. My toddler once sat on my lap flipped his head back into mine so hard it broke my nose I had instant black eyes streaming with tears. One once breathed a leaf in the got stuck in his throat we had to fish it out as he went blue. There is a reason we don't leave children alone. Id ne fuming

Why would your 8 year old draw on the baby, sounds like you have issues to deal with there, and you are angry because you left your baby, you could have taken the baby with you.