first dat of 'holiday' and not coping please help

[rdmommy]

my dh is off for a week and i already want him back at work because the kids behave dreadfully when he is around.

he works full time and i am a sahm mom. i have a really good routine and they are really happy kids but when dh is around they turn into whining, whinging attention seekers and i can't handle it.

I have made a conscious effort not to say ' they aren't normally like this' but i am at my wits end.

i have currently listening to them being bathed upstair and it is like so kind of crying circus! i offered to do it on my own but he wouldn't let me and wanted us to bath them together which is a nightmare in itself because we have a tiny bathroom and i also hate sitting there while he lets them eat toothpaste and soak the floor, which they don't do when i am bathing them.

they love their daddy so much i understand this but they do see him for about 30 in the morning and an 1hr at night and he is with us all weekend so what is the problem???!

i feel so stressed i could cry

they are 2.8 and 16 months by the way

I think you have to let this happen to be honest. He wants to use the time to build an even closer relationship with his kids and if you put up with it being difficult now it will get better the more he does it. It's really not the end of the world if your routine is put out for a week and the benefits for your DH and DC in spending that extra time together outweighs the negatives. Having said that, there's no harm in telling your DH that you normally have a really good routine which works well when he isn't there and that you will find it hard letting that go - just to help him understand your stress.

thank glass- my dh is really good with the routine and he prefers to stick to it, thats not the problem its their behaviour and continually whining that really gets us both down.

Would you consider going out and leaving him to it. Some of the whining may be from confusion / playing you off against each other.