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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not get up when my DSD wakes up?

218 replies

Frozened · 14/09/2025 09:10

I’ve been with my DH for 3 years, DSD is 6. I work full time in a hospital and it’s really full on. I have always loved sleep! I will sleep for hours and hours if I can.

DSD is with us half the week, and always at the weekend. Yesterday she was dropped off at 7am so I got up with DH and was with them all day.

today, DSD got up at 6am and DH got up with her. I’ve just woken up now, and I can sense DH is annoyed I didn’t get up too.

we don’t have any shared DCs atm, but we are trying to conceive in the new year.

aibu to sleep in and let DSD dad get up with her?

OP posts:
Idontgiveashitanymore · 21/09/2025 09:15

He is selfish, don’t have kids with this man !

cadburyegg · 21/09/2025 09:18

YANBU

No way would I get up at 6am routinely for a child that wasn’t mine.

I would reconsider having a baby with him whilst he has these expectations of you.

RedRec · 21/09/2025 09:29

AnneLovesGilbert · 21/09/2025 09:14

What have grandparents got to do with this? Do you have step children?

The many, many posts on here from people gnashing their teeth and wailing that their parents / inlaws only buy presents for their 'real' grandchildren and treat them differently, etc, etc. It starts here.
No, I don't have step children but feel for the ones that are treated as though they aren't a 'proper' part of the family. And that the load of parenting should fall solely on the biological parent.

Butterflyarms · 21/09/2025 09:31

He has poorly articulated feelings on the subject of division of labour. Now is a good time to raise how you will approach child care with a baby. If you're up for the baby are you taking care of his DC too? Are you swapping lie ins so you each get a break, or will you have the baby and he'll have his child? I think it would be better to use the situation with DC to set up the situation you want to have with your baby - which presumably is equal division - while being clear that that is exactly what it is and he can't ever just assume it all falls to you.

Butterflyarms · 21/09/2025 09:33

And just to be clear, I think that all children in the house get to be cared for by both parents, not treated as mine and yours. Where is the sense of family if you're attitude is 'not mine'.

AnneLovesGilbert · 21/09/2025 09:36

RedRec · 21/09/2025 09:29

The many, many posts on here from people gnashing their teeth and wailing that their parents / inlaws only buy presents for their 'real' grandchildren and treat them differently, etc, etc. It starts here.
No, I don't have step children but feel for the ones that are treated as though they aren't a 'proper' part of the family. And that the load of parenting should fall solely on the biological parent.

Hmmm, well everyone’s a perfect parent until they have children and it’s easy to be sure of how you’d be a step parent when you aren’t one.

You don’t explain why grandparents would or wouldn’t give a step child gifts is anything to do with why OP should have to get up every morning her SD is there when parents don't do that for their own kids if they live with the other parent. How OP’s parents feel about her SD is up to them, not her or anyone else.

I didn’t get up with my kids this morning, in fact I’m still in bed while they have a couple of hours with DH. If my step kids were here I wouldn’t be up with them either.

BustyLaRoux · 21/09/2025 09:40

Frozened · 14/09/2025 09:23

He keeps coming in and saying he is tired, that he didn’t sleep well. He has now left the door open to our room

Passive aggressive sulking. Hate! My DP used to do this when we lived together. Would make it very clear he was annoyed with me but wouldn’t come out and say why. Just frowning and not making eye contact and throwing out the odd passive aggressive comment. It’s fucking childish.

Do not pander to it. Do not be made to feel guilty. She is his child. You were up yesterday morning for her.

I would set some ground rules. He obviously assumed he would be sharing all the parenting of his child with you. Sorry but no. I know there are people who give step parents a horrible time on here: if you marry a man with kids you are taking them on too and should treat them as your own. Bullshit! If you marry a man with kids, then you marry a man with kids. They’re not your kids. Guaranteed the same people would be giving you a hard time if you told the child off one day, saying it wasn’t your place!

Having been a step parent myself, you’re damned whatever you do!

I don’t treat my DP’s DC as my own. They are his DC, not mine. He does the parenting of them and I support him, but there are not expectations that I behave like a parent. I will of course give them a lift somewhere, make them some breakfast, do their washing, play with them, take them out, but I’m doing those things as a favour. Not because I have to. When they were younger and woke in the night it was always DP’s job to deal with them, strip the bed (his DS was a bed wetter until he was about 12). Not my kids, not my job. I have my own DC and the same goes. I do 80% of things related to them and DP helps out with the other 20%.

It did work pretty well for a while. Until his DS started taking over the house (he is autistic and a bit of a bully and DP seemed to think everyone should pander to him all of the time). It was the cause of many arguments!

We decided to go our separate ways. I still see DP and his DD regularly comes to stay at my house. She does see me as her second mum. Ultimately DP and I have very different parenting styles and expectations. He is very strict whilst also believing DC should have complete autonomy, whereas I am much more lax (!!) and believe children should have a view but will ultimately be told things will be done in the way I see fit because I am the adult. anyway, our parenting styles were not well matched and ultimately it was one of the reasons we don’t live together.

I think you need a conversation about expectations. I wouldn’t be offering to take on 50% of the parenting for your DSD, as sure enough once you have your own DC with him, you’ll likely find out you’re doing 80% for both. Perhaps he sees you as someone to share the load with so he can sit back a bit. I’d be nipping that in the bud!

estrogone · 21/09/2025 09:43

Did you only get out of bed after 6pm?

That's a hell of a lie in 😁

Noname973 · 21/09/2025 10:08

Tackle this head on by asking him why he woke you up / left the door open / kept disturbing you etc. Then you can address it, because it’s not ok and doesn’t sound good for if you have kids together.

Even if DSD did want you up, it’s ok to explain that you will be having a lie in and will see her later. It’s also normal for her actual parent to take the lead on being responsive for her and you getting to enjoy more of a fun aunty role!

Nestingbirds · 21/09/2025 10:29

I don’t think it’s okay he left the door open snd woke you up, he is also manipulating you using his child to try and force you to be a primary parent. Could it be that he expected to pass on his parenting responsibility to you? I see that you work in a caring career too, so no doubt the perfect choice for someone wishing to unload the drudgery of parenting, so he can get on and enjoy his life.

Or it might be that he is upset with the child’s mother as he never gets a break, and he can’t have it out with her for whatever reason so the injustice is being deflected on to you? I don’t know the background.

But this would certainly make me think twice about having a child with him. As he is already avoiding looking after the child he already has.

Nanny0gg · 21/09/2025 10:31

Frozened · 14/09/2025 09:22

I suppose I feel a little guilty, as if DSD was my child, I would absolutely get up with her.

I love DSD, and we’ve got a lovely relationship. But I’m not her mum, she has a mummy who she loves a lot!

I think DHs expectation is that we are a family and we should do everything together. He says DSD wants me to be with her when she wakes up.

Why do people think that couples have to do everything together?

When there's two of you it's nice to be able to take turns

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 21/09/2025 10:31

Obviously you don’t have to get up at some unearthly hour like 6 am when the child in question is not yours, and her actual parent is there and available.

I would make this very clear to him. You’re around and happy to be a family during normal daytime hours, once you’re up and rested from your working week, but you need your rest and she is not your child. They don’t have to tiptoe around, but keeping your door closed should be a bare minimum.

Edit - and any sulking with have you rethinking the whole relationship.

I can’t imagine anyone would expect a step father to do what your DH expects - unless he was a natural early riser and liked to be up at that time anyway.

youve987456 · 21/09/2025 10:51

I think when there are early rising children, regardless of whether they are bio children or step children, unless they can't be managed by one person then why the hell would more than one adult get up at that time?

OnlyMabelInTheBuilding · 21/09/2025 10:56

Why is a whole household expected to get up when a 6yo wakes up? It’s not a small baby. ‘It’s too early to get up, go and lie in your room quietly for an hour’

If DH wants to get up with DSD, that’s up to him, but he shouldn’t be even mentioning it to you, let alone making you feel guilty.

Just another example of DSC being put at the centre of their world, if you have a baby, they’ll act out as they’re not longer the centre of everything, when no one should have been in the first place. A family has to all rub along together.

chunkybear · 21/09/2025 11:01

No! When we had kids it was almost always me who got up as I was an early riser, but often snoozed later in the day. He needs to be a dad and not expect to share the early mornings together

BernardButlersBra · 21/09/2025 17:16

Why do you both need to get up? He sounds like he's being a martyr and a pain. At the weekend my husband and l take it in turns to get up. Like you l work hard and need some down time at the weekend

To be honest l wouldn't be getting up every weekend for someone else's child

dilemma2516 · 21/09/2025 18:01

RedRec · 21/09/2025 09:29

The many, many posts on here from people gnashing their teeth and wailing that their parents / inlaws only buy presents for their 'real' grandchildren and treat them differently, etc, etc. It starts here.
No, I don't have step children but feel for the ones that are treated as though they aren't a 'proper' part of the family. And that the load of parenting should fall solely on the biological parent.

Your point is wholly irrelevant

BusWankers · 21/09/2025 18:31

RedRec · 21/09/2025 09:29

The many, many posts on here from people gnashing their teeth and wailing that their parents / inlaws only buy presents for their 'real' grandchildren and treat them differently, etc, etc. It starts here.
No, I don't have step children but feel for the ones that are treated as though they aren't a 'proper' part of the family. And that the load of parenting should fall solely on the biological parent.

You'd probably feel different if it was your Dad not bothering to get up with you and leaving you with your step Mum instead of prioritising the time he could spend with you.

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