Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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

Husband's work taking over family life.

256 replies

Nextquestionplease · 01/01/2022 20:52

Husband is a high earner, who takes on additional work to the extent that our younger child wants to cut the computer in half, to stop him working and spend time with us going out or in the house.
He helps get them ready for school and bed, but it's like he's part-time help for an hour in the morning and two hours at night.
There's no companionship.
He takes work on holiday (one holiday a year), works the day before we go and goes back the following morning.
He sleeps separately so he can wake up early to work before going to work, or stays up late working.
He's angry if I challenge him and walked out when I got angry about the amount of work he's doing. I'm terrified he'll disappear if/when I I challenge him again.
He wants to be in charge.
I want to have a life.

OP posts:
Nextquestionplease · 03/01/2022 13:54

Marsha- I dont know what's in our marriage for me.
Money helps but is it enough?
I need to think.

OP posts:
eagerlywaitingfor · 03/01/2022 14:03

Money helps but is it enough? No, it isn't. Money doesn't buy happiness.

You don't have to be poor to be miserable in a relationship. He sounds like an absolute bastard to me, sorry. And as for you getting a job and who would look after the children in the school holidays if you split up - well he'd have to do half of it, whether he liked it or not.

Itshothothot · 03/01/2022 14:09

Pros and cons of leaving…

Pros: ….

  • you may find someone who loves spending time with you and likes family life.
  • you wont feel resentful that hes in the office ignoring the kids
  • you may get time away from the kids in the evenings if he has the kids (i wouldnt bank on him seeing them alot though)

Cons:…..

  • much less money
  • no money for a cleaner
  • will have to get a job
  • will have to work plus do all the cleaning
  • hardly any money to take the kids anywhere
Itshothothot · 03/01/2022 14:11

He doesn't have to have the kids whether he likes it or not!

Unfortunately its ok in the uk to only financially provide for the kids, there is no law that says he has to have them or even see them

Itshothothot · 03/01/2022 14:14

And no money doesn't buy happiness, but it buys a hell of alot of other things.

It also buys choices which is something you don't have on a low income.

Itshothothot · 03/01/2022 14:21

My husband is a very high earner (im a SAHM).

I do complain and feel miserable at times about how little we spend together as a family. He runs a 24/7 emergency service and it ruins every social occasion.

Hes never bathed the kids, very rarely done a food shop etc.

He works every bloody day!!

Dh never wants to be in a position were he is skint and struggling for money.

Hes always looking into ways to expand his company etc.

Although it can be very lonely just me and the kids at the weekend, school hols etc i do think i have it better than if i was to become a single mum.

yikesanotherbooboo · 03/01/2022 14:42

Generally speaking people who earn a lot of money work very hard and are the types of people who are conscientious about work. You made a choice to marry this man , to have DC with him and not to have a career yourself. I hear what you are saying and maybe this isn't the marriage for you but I can't help thinking that you are being a little unreasonable. You could work, that would give you a life outside the home, it might mean that all your income goes on childcare but once the DC are at senior school you will start to see the financial benefit. You can't change your DH but you could discuss with him maximising the time when he isn't working . This might mean more getaways penned into the diary or a commitment from him to take DC swimming or to mini rugby or whatever.
Your expectations of your relationship sound a little idealistic to me but maybe that is because I am older and work in an industry and a social circle where your DH's work ethic is 'normal'.( possible excepting separate bedrooms).
You do sound lonely on your marriage and of course that needs addressing .

M4857493 · 03/01/2022 14:44

@Itshothothot the problem is though that the OP (and you) are quite vulnerable. It's all very well choosing a miserable marriage for a comfortable life, but what happens when the husband doesn't choose that anymore? As someone else has pointed out when the brunt of the child rearing is done and there is less in it for the fella, that's when many leave their wives high and dry. By taking control now and choosing to leave a miserable marriage and support yourselves, albeit less financially off, you aren't waiting for something to happen to you. It seems inevitable these marriages are going to end in disaster for the women.

PersonaNonGarter · 03/01/2022 14:45

Why does he think you stay with him?

Blendiful · 03/01/2022 14:46

I think this is kind of the way it is with a high earner, nature of the jobs mean they can never really switch off.

Whether it’s what you want is a different question.

My DP is self employed and not a high earner but is trying to be so puts a lot of hours in. He does spend family time and will take time off to do things, but then other weeks he can be working late and all weekend etc.

He knows it would be a deal breaker for me if he could never take a break and switch off, so he does but I have to take the rough with the smooth. I also work full time though.

I think if you are a SAHM past the kids starting school, with a high earner this is often the trade off. Do you have people you see and things you do in the day outside of the home? I think you have to build your own life and take what you can from him in terms of time he can give. Or you have a chat with him that things need to change and see what he can do.

StepawayfromtheBiscuittin · 03/01/2022 14:49

@Nextquestionplease
I was going to make some suggestions to try and work on a better balance as I've been through some of this with my DH
But, the financial secrecy would be a total dealbreaker for me. Your DH sees it as his money, his right to dictate how you all live around him and how he shares his largesse. I don't know if that's fixable.

Mine roll their eyes now when they work out that their dad is missing from something they want him to do but I am happy that we've got a better balance than we used to. Covid knocking travel on the head forced the conversation in our house - I was at breaking point before then.

aloris · 03/01/2022 14:51

He sounds like a workaholic but I think also lots of high-earning jobs come with the expectation that the person will work all the time and be accessible at all times of day. That's how you win the competition for those high-earning jobs.

I think an hour of help from your husband in the morning and two at night is actually quite good. I went through about a decade with my husband, when my children were younger, where they were lucky if they got 20 minutes a day of time with him. Even on the "best" holidays, he would maybe spend an hour or two per day with them (doing Disney things), and the rest of the time he would either be doing his own hobbies on his own, or he would be working on his laptop.

Everything is a lot better now (my dh in his 50s): he doesn't work as much because he is more secure in his career. He helps with the kids (teenagers) and house a LOT: cooks dinners, cleans the kitchen, we go on holidays together, etc. I think it is easier for him to spend time with them now because they are doing more adult-like activities that he enjoys. He still works a lot but not the same insane amount as when he was younger.

If it's possible, I would just take the kids for fun activities on weekends yourself. Don't wait for your husband. If you divorce, you'll be doing activities alone with the children anyway.

I think you have to find out whether your husband is truly committed to the marriage or whether he is just using you as a wife appliance until you stop being beautiful and he can find a younger model of wife appliance. I think the first thing you need to do is to protect yourself financially. Is he actually "hiding" his income from you, or is he just too work-focused to take time out to ensure you know where all the accounts are? Are the accounts, the house, in both of your names, or just his name? Do you have life insurance for him, of which you are the beneficiary, so that if something happens to him, you and the kids are taken care of? I wouldn't hold it against him that he doesn't get these financial chores done himself, but if he won't allow you sufficient access to get them done for him, then that's a red flag, IMHO. A forensic accountant might be useful to you, but do you have access to money that your husband doesn't control, so that you can hire one? If you don't, then you first need to solve that problem, before you can even make any moves to protect yourself and the kids financially.

If he's committed to you, but just a "garden variety" workaholic, then I think that is manageable. If he is not committed to you, but just going along until he no longer needs you, then that is a whole different level of problem. The fact he wishes to sleep in separate bedrooms signals the latter, IMHO, but you know your marriage best.

bg21 · 03/01/2022 14:52

@dreamsarefree

So he's facilitating a life for you that you can't have alone, he's helping with the DC but it's not enough, you can't work because of the school holidays that plenty of working mums manage to navigate and you're on here complaining? I see why he is spending all his time working. Probably best to leave him and get your own life, I expect you'll be happy to take his £££
spot on !
bg21 · 03/01/2022 14:54

@Nextquestionplease

Sorry, I meant 2 weeks of summer leave plus weekends. He booked himself in for meetings during his time off, so he had to prepare for them which takes time.

He's not self-employed so gets paid holiday.

I'm not some selfish pampered lazy woman. He can only work cos I run the house and do the schoolruns - over 2 hours a day cos local schools aren't great. I can't go out to work as what I earn would go out in childcare.

he can only work because you run the house and do the school runs ? erm that's what a stay at home mum does lol and plenty of us manage to do that while holding down our own jobs jobs earning our own money
RantyAunty · 03/01/2022 15:16

How old are your children?

Soggymarshmellows · 03/01/2022 15:26

I've not read the full thread and we are 8 pages in. I don't know if you'll see this OP.
This was my life. It isn't now.
My soon to be ex DH is Autistic, but only diagnosed 5 years ago following work stress. Work is an obsession. These things are related. I'm not bashing the Autism before anyone says I am. It is very very lonely being in this situation. No one understands how lonely. No one in my life understands at all. They see my ex working hard . My ex did help before and after school too but emotionally is not there at all. And no fun. Never switches off. This isn't normal. And it is a form of emotional abuse even if not deliberate.
I'm getting divorced now and feel so much lighter.
It is unlikely your husband will ever change. He is controlling you even though it might not seem so. You will be poorer and have to work if you leave him, but you will be entitled to assets and support. Better than you think. Better this than many many more years of misery.
If you have a SEN child (I do too) then this is an indicator that he may be too btw. He's not going to become the husband you need based on what you said. It took me 2 years to finally realise this (5 from when I first thought it). Its difficult to leave when there isn't a 'serious' reason. But being treated 2nd place and never prioritised is a good enough reason. Healthy relationships are not like this and not the future I wanted for me and my DC.
And you being a SAHM has nothing to do with it. He has not facilitated you to work but he couldnt work without you doing what you do. He chose to have children too. My ex could not get their head around this though. It took a relate counsellor 3 occasions before he even tried to understand. He may well throw that at you. It's part of the control (or need for control).
Those of you saying you can work. I work.. BUT being the default parent on top has been exhausting. I've been at breaking point. Being single parent is a doddle as one less man-child to accommodate. A person who is this controlling makes family life tough. I imagine you have to ask for everything he does which he'll begrudge and don't get any thanks for your contribution. He probably doesn't even value what you do. So it's not that simple. The only way to get him to realise is to stop doing it. Working all hours is not worthy of some special prize. So you're not 2nd place. Good luck!

Nextquestionplease · 03/01/2022 15:28

What I mean is, is that he doesn't understand that how much I do.
He's worked yesterday, today boxing day and all days in between.
I'm on my own with SEN children and I'm on my knees

OP posts:
NutCheeseBag · 03/01/2022 15:33

@douliket

My DH is a nurse and is gone before the children wake and doesn't get home untill an hour after they have all gone to bed. He is certainly not a high earner. In his rare days off it is spent catching up on essential household chores like grocery shopping, household bills, diy jobs etc.. I also work full time. 3 hours to spend with the children each day is huge. I think you are being very unreasonable. For days on end our children dont see their fathers while he earns a low but much needed wage and the days they do see him, there wouldnt be enough hours in the day for their father to spend 3 of them with them. I think you are being selfish and your poor husband must be exhausted and not getting much appreciation. It's fine to say that your child wants to cut his computer in half, but am not sure how your child would feel when holidays are skipped and treats are no longer
Exactly
Soggymarshmellows · 03/01/2022 15:35

@Nextquestionplease as I said above.. he won't see as he doesn't understand how much you do, or value it.

JSL52 · 03/01/2022 15:36

@Nextquestionplease

All he does is work We didn't even go out for a day trip in 6 weeks of summer hols cos he wanted to work till at least 1 pm, by which point its lunchtime and half the days gone!
So you go on your own.
Soggymarshmellows · 03/01/2022 15:40

Those of you sticking the knife in have husbands that appreciate you AND want to be with their children.. but can't as they need to work. This isn't the same situation at all. This is some one putting their own needs first. He is working as an obsession. It's not based on him needing to. He may be fearful he'll lose his job, but that's quite likely not reality (but might be his perception). It could also be escape so he doesn't have to do family life.

Soggymarshmellows · 03/01/2022 15:43

I did most things alone before I separated... so that's why separation isn't a shock.... maybe start there. I wouldn't be sitting around waiting for him to decide if he's coming or not. My SEN child behaves better without their moody man-child dad dragging around and complaining too.
If he's controlling your access to money though then you've got a bigger problem. You need to contact women's Aid.

Nextquestionplease · 03/01/2022 15:56

Soggy - yes! Rings so many bells.
JSP - going out on our own without him is lonely and upsetting cos they want to share their life with their dad.

I don't feel appreciated and he doesn't demonstrate he wants time with us
He goes to bed leaving younger one playing on their devices while I spend time with older one.

OP posts:
Soggymarshmellows · 03/01/2022 16:06

You can't protect them from the truth. He doesn't WANT to spend time with them.
All of the excuses in the world don't hide that. Better they realise. They will eventually. They probably already do. That's why they don't go to him for anything. Mine didn't either. Its totally his loss. You can't make him the perfect dad. Better to focus on giving them a good life yourself and stop draining your energy on him.

teezletangler · 03/01/2022 16:07

He pulls faces and complains its cost him £x cos he's not working.

I'm confused, I thought he was salaried? If so it doesn't cost him anything to take a day off. Did you say he takes on more work on the side, on top of the salary? If so, that might be the major problem.

How high a salary are we actually talking? Is it so high that you would get a substantial amount of child/spousal maintenance?

It's the financial secrecy that is really worrying. Totally not on.

Swipe left for the next trending thread