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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

How can I get DH to do more housework?

11 replies

Juliecloud · 21/08/2021 10:13

DH and I have spoken repeatedly about housework. He doesn’t do it unless I tell him to. In my opinion, he is an adult and should be able to work out for himself that (for example) the bathroom needs cleaned on a regular basis.

How can I discuss this with him without it resulting in an argument? I need him to see that I am struggling with the mental load of everything. Anything related to the house or the kids falls to me. I can’t cope with it all any more. It’s too much.

OP posts:
IveGotASongThatllGetOnYNerves · 21/08/2021 10:18

What things can you stop doing that will impact him? I'd start there. It's not a problem to him because muggins does it. When he can't find X, y isn't clean, his dinner is still ingredients in the fridge etc etc then he might give a shit. You've tried the adult way of talking to him and he simply doesn't care how you feel enough to actually lower himself to participate in taking care of his home. It's time to go a step further.

SStopRaisingHim · 21/08/2021 12:43

If it’s just the cleaning, get a cleaner. Seriously. Some people just have much lower expectations of cleanliness & are blind to filth. They won’t change long term.

Although it sounds like this runs a bit deeper & you don’t feel supported more generally.

Timmymagical · 21/08/2021 12:47

We started to use a cleaning app which has helped organise the jobs that need doing. It's hard doing everything this has helped share the load.

MotionActivatedDog · 21/08/2021 12:51

He’s has no interest in cleaning. You do. He’s never going to take the initiative and clean without being asked. What things does he do in your house/family/life that don’t occur to you to do?

MotionActivatedDog · 21/08/2021 12:52

That doesn’t mean you have to carry on doing his cleaning though. He can sort his own laundry and ironing.

LannieDuck · 21/08/2021 12:53

You need to pass whole sets of jobs onto him, so he becomes responsible entirely for them. When they don't happen, he has to sort them out.

e.g. shopping and cooking. He does all the family's meals from now on.

MotionActivatedDog · 21/08/2021 12:56

@LannieDuck

You need to pass whole sets of jobs onto him, so he becomes responsible entirely for them. When they don't happen, he has to sort them out.

e.g. shopping and cooking. He does all the family's meals from now on.

Well you need to discuss it, not just give him these jobs. You aren’t his manager.
AperolWhore · 21/08/2021 13:10

Gosh these posts are frustrating, it’s not the 50’s and you don’t need to put up with this crap.

You have three options;

  1. Stop moaning and accept he’ll never change
  2. Get a dishwasher then book a weekly cleaner and ironing lady so neither of you have to do it
  3. leave as he’ll never change

I recommend option 2 btw

category12 · 21/08/2021 13:16

Not everyone can afford to outsource their cleaning and laundry.

updownroundandround · 21/08/2021 13:36

First, tell him that you'd like to have a 'wife' and get him to read this....

I Want a Wife

1- I belong to that classification of people known as wives. I am A Wife.
And, not altogether incidentally, I am a mother.

2- Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene fresh
from a recent divorce. He had one child, who is, of course, with his
ex-wife. He is looking for another wife. As I thought about him while I
was ironing one evening, it suddenly occurred to me that 1, too, would
like to have a wife. Why do I want a wife?

3- I would like to go back to school so that I can become economically
independent, support myself, and, if need be, support those dependent
upon me. I want a wife who will work and send me to school. And while I
am going to school, I want a wife to take care of my children. I want a
wife to keep track of the children's doctor and dentist appointments. And
to keep track of mine, too. I want a wife to make sure my children eat
properly and are kept clean. I want a wife who will wash the children's
clothes and keep them mended. I want a wife who is a good nurturant
attendant to my children, who arranges for their schooling, makes sure
that they have an adequate social life with their peers, takes them to
the park, the zoo, etc. I want a wife who takes care of the children when
they are sick, a wife who arranges to be around when the children need
special care, because, of course, I cannot miss classes at school. My
wife must arrange to lose time at work and not lose the job. It may mean
a small cut in my wife's income from time to time, but I guess I can
tolerate that. Needless to say, my wife will arrange and pay for the care
of the children while my wife is working.

4- I want a wife who will take care of my physical needs. I want a wife
who will keep my house clean. A wife who will pick up after my children,
a wife who will pick up after me. I want a wife who will keep my clothes
clean, ironed, mended, replaced when need be, and who will see to it that
my personal things are kept in their proper place so that I can find what
I need the minute I need it. I want a wife who cooks the meals, a wife
who is a good cook. I want a wife who will plan the menus, do the
necessary grocery shopping, prepare the meals, serve them pleasantly, and
then do the cleaning up while I do my studying. I want a wife who will
care for me when I am sick and sympathize with my pain and loss of time
from school. I want a wife to go along when our family takes a vacation
so that someone can continue to care for me and my children when I need a
rest and change of scene.

5- I want a wife who will not bother me with rambling complaints about a
wife's duties. But I want a wife who will listen to me when I feel the
need to explain a rather difficult point I have come across in my course
studies. And I want a wife who will type my papers for me when I have
written them.

6- I want a wife who will take care of the details of my social life.
When my wife and I are invited out by my friends, I want a wife who will
take care of the baby-sitting arrangements. When I meet people at school
that I like and want to entertain, I want a wife who will have the house
clean, will prepare a special meal, serve it to me and my friends, and
not interrupt when I talk about things that interest me and my friends. I
want a wife who will have arranged that the children are fed and ready
for bed before my guests arrive so that the children do not bother us. I
want a wife who takes care of the needs of my guests so that they feel
comfortable, who makes sure that they have an ashtray, that they are
passed the hors d'oeuvres, that they are offered a second helping of the
food, that their wine glasses are replenished when necessary, that their
coffee is served to them as they like it. And I want a wife who knows
that sometimes I need a night out by myself.

7- I want a wife who is sensitive to my sexual needs, a wife who makes
love passionately and eagerly when I feel like it, a wife who makes sure
that I am satisfied. And, of course, I want a wife who will not demand
sexual attention when I am not in the mood for it. I want a wife who
assumes the complete responsibility for birth control, because I do not
want more children. I want a wife who will remain sexually faithful to me
so that I do not have to clutter up my intellectual life with jealousies.
And I want a wife who understands that my sexual needs may entail more
than strict adherence to monogamy. I must, after all, be able to relate
to people as fully as possible.

8- If, by chance, I find another person more suitable as a wife than the
wife I already have, I want the liberty to replace my present wife with
another one. Naturally, I will expect a fresh, new life; my wife will
take the children and be solely responsible for them so that I am left free.

9- When I am through with school and have a job, I want my wife to quit
working and remain at home so that my wife can more fully and completely
take care of a wife's duties.

10- My God, who wouldn't want a wife?

Author: Judy Brady (Syfers)

Literature for Composition, (Third Edition)
Sylvan Barnet, Morton Berman, William Burto, Marcia Stubbs.
Copyright 1993
Publisher: HarperCollins Customs Books
Pages 775-776.

Second, tell him that actually, instead of a wife, you'd really prefer a partner instead of a child and get him to read this....

Why I Don't Help My Wife
Recently, I invited a friend over. Sipping coffee in my living room, the conversation turned from movies and sports to life. We are both about the same age, and both have been married for about the same amount of time. As we talked, I heard the loud clamoring of the dishwasher stop as it finished its final cycle. Excusing myself, I told my friend I must put away the dishes.My friend shot me a glance: a shock of disbelief, almost defensive in posture. He told me that it's great that I help out my wife, but that he doesn't bother. “Every time I do chores,” he said, “she doesn't have an ounce of gratitude. If she's not gonna thank me for helping her out, why should I even bother?” This startled me. I'm normally not a confrontational kind of guy. I don't like to talk about politics, and I usually keep my comments to myself. But this was too much. I couldn't contain myself.“Look man, I said, I'm not 'helping her out. My wife doesn't need 'help.' She needs a partner. The two of us are a team.” He started to reply, trying to explain what he meant by the comment, but I stopped him, continuing:I don't “help” my wife clean the house. We keep our house clean because we both live here and want the house to be clean. I clean the house because it's where I live, and my wife isn't a maid, but a partner.I don't “help” my wife cook because it's not her job to cook and my job to eat. We both live here, we both need to eat, and in order for us to eat, the cooking needs to be done.I don't “help” my wife do the dishes because they're my dishes, too. I eat off them, just like her, and it's in both of our interests to have them be cleaned.I don't “help” my wife with her children because they're my children, too. They need a mother and they need a father, and raising them is both of our jobs.I don't “help” my wife clean, fold clothes, do laundry, or any other chores because they aren't only “hers,” but mine.I'm not only a “help,” a hired hand that helps my wife out on occasion in exchange for a “thank you,” a kiss, or sex. I am a part of the house.Then, I turned back to my friend, his face tense with embarrassment. I was now in my full preacher mode, and it was time to charge my audience with conviction. I asked him “do you thank your wife every time she cleans the house?” He clamored to defend himself, but I continued: “I'm not talking about a half-baked “thanks” that you mutter from across the room, but actually looking her in her eye and saying that you appreciate that she worked all day to help you take care of your home!” “Do you look her in the eye and tell her she's fantastic, beautiful, the best thing that ever happened to you and that she means the world to you?” “Do you tell her how much you love that she keeps your house clean?”You should not “help” your wife with the chores in exchange for some kind of prize. What prize does she get for helping you out? You need to get out of this “Leave it to Beaver” mentality, step out of TV Land, and step up and be a real husband.My friend stood speechless, flabbergasted, fumbling to find an excuse. I shrunk in slight embarrassment for a moment, even though I knew it had to be said.I spoke again to break the silence: “I'm just saying man, your wife doesn't owe you anything. She's not your “help,” and you should treat her like an equal partner.”Many of us were raised in home with mothers who waited on us hand in foot. We took their help for granted, because they had to raise us and take care of us. But your wife is not your mother. She's not raising you, and you're not a child. Marriage is an equal partnership. Your wife is not your mother, and she's not there to take care of you.You are there to take care of each other, to have a house together, raise children together, and form an equal partnership. That means each of you carrying your share of the load, and thanking each other for help. Macho culture would make you think that everything is your wife's job, but there's nothing macho about this. It's the behavior of a child who needs to be taken care of, not an adult who can provide in a partnership.Imagine a child who constantly demands help from his mother, constantly makes messes, and never thanks her for anything. That's basically how you act towards your wife. That might be acceptable for a young infant, but not for an adult. So thank your wife for what she does, and make sure that you carry an equal share of the load, helping her in any way possible.When you make a mess, you shouldn't expect your wife to clean it up. It's your job to clean up your own messes. You both live there, you're not “helping” her with anything because it's your home.Likewise, it's not her job to constantly cook. In my home, I always do the cooking, because I'm good at it.These “traditional” roles were sold to us by fictional television. They say nothing about the reality of marriage. If you step all over your wife like Homer Simpson, you are on a one-way street to a divorce.So to everyone out there who is concerned about their own masculinity, if you want to be a macho man, stop acting like a child and making your wife do all the work and chores. Thank her, and do your part to contribute.

Thirdly, ask him if he realizes that him behaving like a child and treating you as if you are his mother is seriously affecting how you view him sexually Hmm. After all, it's not normal to want to have sex with a child, is it ? Hmm

And if he still doesn't ''get it'', then play this for him.....

www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=SqQgDwA0BNU

And if he still won't see the error of his ways, then stick some bloody dynamite up his arse while his head is still ''sticking in the sand'' and divorce the lazy bastard ! Grin

LannieDuck · 21/08/2021 13:42

@MotionActivatedDog Well you need to discuss it, not just give him these jobs. You aren’t his manager.

Yes, agreed.

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