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Husband thinks he does the same amount of 'work' as me. It's driving me INSANE!

44 replies

Reginaldina · 03/04/2022 22:42

Been married 8 years. Got a 6 year old and 3 year old girls. My husband and I both work from home, him 4 days a week and me - I have 1 full day a week and 3 x 5.5 hour days available for work as an illustrator. One day a week I have my youngest at home. Since the children were born I have done all of day care and all of the night feeds (I used to sleep in the spare room with the monitor so as not to disturb him), all of maternity leave care. I now do the school run 4 days a week (he does this on his one day a week that he is 'off'), all of washing, drying, cooking, and childcare from 3 pm 4 days of the week. He sees the 4 days of the week as my days (when he does little or no childcare/no schools runs or cooking, he often works late in his office too so the children only see him at bedtime), when I get the kids up, dressed and ready, do most of the tidying, get bedrooms sorted, uniforms sorted and ready, change the bedding, do all of the homeschooling during closures, do addition homeschooling for eldest who has sight problems so needs quite lot of additional support at home, all doctors, eye hospital and school appointments, do childcare and organise days out etc., during all of the school holidays, (when I cannot usually work because, at best and under pressure, he might only book a few days off, because he just doesn't see it as his duty) I research and book most holidays. You know, all of that other sh*t that we just DO, and have to think about and plan, like buying clothes, making sure coats are washed, practice for the spelling test is done, swimming and PE kits, after school clubs, constant worrying about it all. He thinks, because he goes to his desk and works intensely at his high pressured job for 4 days a week, takes the bins out and cooks/does childcare and school runs on his one day 'off' from work a week that we do the same amount of work. At weekends, he cooks, not because we have agreed this but becuase I just make sure I'm nowhere near the kitchen at meal times so he has to do it. We do lots of active stuff with the girls as a family at weekends, so I very little time off. We have this circular argument, every few years when my resentment reaches saturation point, whereby I lose my temper and we have a shouting match about how I think he's not helping enough with the children, he gets really angry, he strongly believes we do the same amount of work of equal value, he also thinks that I've got plenty of time to gets loads of paid work done, between getting back from the school run 4 days a week at 9.15am and when I have to leave at 2.45pm to go collect the children again, and implies that, because he can just switch off and go to his desk, and block all other things out, that I should too and that I've got a time management problem. I disagree, we never resolve it, sulking takes place usually for a number of days, when he acts wounded because I've dared to suggest he's not pulling his weight and I am tired, so tired of the treadmill of it all. I have tried to accept this is what it's like, that he will never budge from his position that he thinks he does enough and I don't accept that he does, and well, I cannot seem to keep my mouth shut lol and accept it. Gosh that was a rant. I love my kids, they are my life. Divorce not an option, I want stability for them. My friend says go away on my own for a week, so he gets a shock and sees what it's like and how much work's involved. I did that once for a few days and he didn't even open any of the curtains for the whole time I was away! An elderly neighbour knocked because she thought there'd been a bereavement! Any advice on how to resolve? Anyone else in a similar situation that they've managed to resolve successfully without violence or divorce lol?

OP posts:
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WTF475878237NC · 03/04/2022 22:45

I don't know how to make a man respect you if he just doesn't!

Quartz2208 · 03/04/2022 22:49

What strikes me from this is he doesnt think he does. He knows full well he doesnt - he just doesnt want it to change.

All his reactions show that he is wanting to maintain the status quo of it all because it suits him and his narrative

Ivyonafence · 03/04/2022 22:49

Yes to going away for a week.

Don't prepare a thing before you do. No grocery shop, no meal planning. Let him work between 9:15 and 2:45 in addition to running a home and see how his time management skills are.

My DH useD to be like this but he eventually listened to me and it is better (not perfect) now.

Interested in this thread?

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lemongreentea · 03/04/2022 22:50

Stop doing any of his laundry, tidying up his side of the room or any cards/presents fpr his family. You said you dont cook on weekends, extend that to weekdays too. No shopping for food either. He can organise that. If you book his dentist/opticians stop doing that. Oh and stop sleeping with him. That might work?

VariationsonaTheme · 03/04/2022 22:53

Going away for a week won’t resolve it because he just won’t do all the things you do, he’ll do the bare minimum needed to get through the week. Maybe you should both make lists of everything you do during a typical week and see which is longest.

Reginaldina · 03/04/2022 23:09

@WTF475878237NC

I don't know how to make a man respect you if he just doesn't!
Eek, fair point. He would never admit it's anything to do with lack of respect but, I suppose it is, plus a whole load of stubbornness.
OP posts:
Snooptheboot · 03/04/2022 23:12

Maybe these would help? If you’re on Facebook there’s an excellent group called bridging the gap that I’d recommend.

www.coventrygears.co.uk/product/059323166X/

Reginaldina · 03/04/2022 23:16

@Quartz2208

What strikes me from this is he doesnt think he does. He knows full well he doesnt - he just doesnt want it to change.

All his reactions show that he is wanting to maintain the status quo of it all because it suits him and his narrative

He just said this to me actually, during our latest argument about it, that I don't want anything to change and have just painted him as the bad guy in my mind. I am open to this suggestion, as I do have a tendency to hold on and ruminate on past hurts, but... He does benefit massively from this set up and his life has hardly changed at all since we've had the children. Thank you for your response.
OP posts:
timeisnotaline · 03/04/2022 23:19

Hmmm. For a start, I’d say he isn’t coming on any more holidays if he isn’t pulling his weight organising them. I did this years ago-we had two holidays planned and I said he was organising them or I was cancelling them, they had to be properly organised, from travel plan, flights and accom booked, decent research re activities and where to stay, taxis to the airport booked, packing and that I would cancel if this wasn’t done and if that was 5 minutes before the taxi arrived then so be it. I meant every word and he knew it!
For the rest, I’m not sure but I wouldn’t do everything on his work days. Plenty of men have to get home in time, why is he working late? Crappy time management? He will have to fix that then so he can be home for his family. You don’t get to miss the school pick up, after all.

Reginaldina · 03/04/2022 23:21

@lemongreentea

Stop doing any of his laundry, tidying up his side of the room or any cards/presents fpr his family. You said you dont cook on weekends, extend that to weekdays too. No shopping for food either. He can organise that. If you book his dentist/opticians stop doing that. Oh and stop sleeping with him. That might work?
Good idea. I will stop with the cards to his family (it's huge, tonnes of nieces and nephews, wtaf was a thinking starting that?!), I currently dump ALL of the washed clothes in a massive pile right outside our bedroom door so he has no choice to ignore and not sort through it (I do sometimes sort it though), I will stop. Don't book his dental/doc appoints anyway. Sleeping together- well I did stay in the spare room for ages longer than necessary. Currently the rumpy pumpy business is sporadic at best anyway. Too tired for that malarkey!
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LittleOwl153 · 03/04/2022 23:24

For a week write a diary. Times and tasks all through the day. If you can do the same for him. Make him sit down and discuss after the kids are in bed. Give him his first - ask if its accurate. Then give him yours. If he anything other than embarrassed/apologetic then you have your answer. I doubt he'll change.

Reginaldina · 03/04/2022 23:42

@LittleOwl153

For a week write a diary. Times and tasks all through the day. If you can do the same for him. Make him sit down and discuss after the kids are in bed. Give him his first - ask if its accurate. Then give him yours. If he anything other than embarrassed/apologetic then you have your answer. I doubt he'll change.
Thank you, I will suggest the diary when things have calmed down. I doubt he'll change either, I think it will only get better, for me, when the children get older and need less.
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dipdye · 03/04/2022 23:51

No point writing lists etc, he knows all this already.

He just does not see it as important. That's the difference! He didn't open the curtains all week? So he obviously doesn't see it as important.

BlooberryBiskits · 03/04/2022 23:53

@VariationsonaTheme

Going away for a week won’t resolve it because he just won’t do all the things you do, he’ll do the bare minimum needed to get through the week. Maybe you should both make lists of everything you do during a typical week and see which is longest.
Agree. Develop an incapacitating condition instead (sciatica?)

Half joking Grin

This is really common unfortunately: women are expected to go the wife work & mum work…. You do actually need to get him to do it so he understands what is involved

Reginaldina · 04/04/2022 00:00

@dipdye

No point writing lists etc, he knows all this already.

He just does not see it as important. That's the difference! He didn't open the curtains all week? So he obviously doesn't see it as important.

I agree, he doesn't. When I was listing some of the other things I had to deal with or plan daily, he said they are just distractions. To him they are irrelevant as he is either unaware of them, because these things, such as having a clean uniform or clothes that fit, just don't cross his mind or he knows I will deal with it. I'm not sure if this matters, but I should probably have said in my original post that he was horribly neglected by his parents as a child, in terms of care, pretty much dragged himself and his sisters up, so maybe he is just blind to a lot of the jobs that need doing? Feel like I'm straying in the territory of looking for excuses for him now. I will stop that straight away, he is a grown man. Re; not opening the curtains, he actually said to me at the time that it wasn't important. My poor neighbour thought I was dead!
OP posts:
Reginaldina · 04/04/2022 00:03

[quote Snooptheboot]Maybe these would help? If you’re on Facebook there’s an excellent group called bridging the gap that I’d recommend.

www.coventrygears.co.uk/product/059323166X/[/quote]
I'll have a look at that group, thank you.

OP posts:
Sprucewillis · 04/04/2022 00:05

He knows. They all know.

Saltyquiche · 04/04/2022 00:22

Just allocate him an area, all the laundry, cooking on x days and bathrooms. Then leave him to those tasks and don’t step in

TerraNovaTwo · 04/04/2022 05:50

So glad I made the decision to be divorced and single. It's threads like this that reaffirm that life choice.

tootiredtobother · 04/04/2022 06:00

this is about money.
if he earns more regardless of the amount of time he takes to make it, he will assume he has worked harder than you.
Men rarely understand how much 'invisible' work there is in running a family and home.
wife work has not fiscal amount attached to it.

PermanentTemporary · 04/04/2022 06:02

It is true that a lot of the things we do for our children are a choice, they could survive in clothes that don't fit, rubbish food, no presents bought for friends' parties, no calls supported between them and grandparents, no effort put into the local network or school. It's just that most of us see those choices as important, as the difference between just about adequate parenting and good parenting and we care about doing a decent job at them.

He makes choices too, like working late. I'm a terror for this myself and it is undoubtedly a choice in many cases.

I don't think him having had a crappy childhood is irrelevant, but a lot of parents on here who were neglected as children have a white hot determination to give their children what they never had. Why doesn't he?

I'd work out what would make a difference to you and demand that. It sounds like simply respecting your work as a parent would go a long way, but what would that look like? Him committing to finish on time 4 days a week and pitch into parenting with you? Something like that?

sashh · 04/04/2022 07:10

You have girls.

It is so important that they do not grow up thinking they will be a man's servant if they marry (obv they may not or they may marry a woman)

I agree to going away for a week, visit a relative or something.

Or just go on strike, do your work, possibly out of the house in a café or library if you can.

Loopytiles · 04/04/2022 07:25

‘Divorce is not an option’.

So you’d prefer to role model marriage and parenting where the woman does it all and the man does fuck all?

He knows he does too little. and doesn’t respect you. Sexist behaviour.

In short term, agree with stopping everything you do for him: washing, shopping, meals. All of it. Only do stuff that affects you and the DC.

You could try couple’s counselling, but everything hinges on his attitude. If he thinks you won’t consider divorce and/or in that event would only want every other weekend and one eve a week contact, he might well choose to continue to behave like this.

If your work isn’t well paid, would seek to do something else that earns more. You can’t rely on a man like this so need the best possible personal income.

Loopytiles · 04/04/2022 07:29

It sounds like part of the problem is that you’re not using any paid childcare Mon to Fri or school holidays. That doesn’t work workwise, particularly in the holidays. If your earnings are too low to justify the household paying for childcare, would look at other options.

YRGAM · 04/04/2022 07:30

Count your free (as in, no work chores or childcare) hours in a week, and ask him to do the same. Then compare the numbers. That will make him understand

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