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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

WFH is ruining our relationship

100 replies

Pointlesspercy5 · 06/01/2022 07:53

I am in the wrong here, I know I am, I'm being unfair but I need a moan.
We have two kids at school, I'm a housewife partly through choice and partly through situation. Husband has a good job, earns enough that we are comfortable. He is senior management (similar to an operations manager). His work has always been different hours because the places are open 24 hours. He also has to work away for a few days here and there around the country. On top of this we have no family able to help with childcare so I don't work at the moment as its easier that way. I worked full time before the kids. Our life and relationship of 20 years was great!!!

Then covid came along. I accepted our new way of life abit like a prison sentence to get through . I was homeschooling the kids and husband was working from home. It was very very hard to get used to and there were alot of tears and arguments along the way. But I was able to cope with it because I knew it wouldn't be forever a d the good weather helped alot.
Time passed and the kids returned to school and husband was given the opportunity to basically do whatever he wanted. His work were not bothered if he went in or not. He goes in occasionally. Over the past month he has been in for one day.
Last night he told me due to omicron he will be working from home permanently for the foreseeable. He has also been applying for other jobs that are totally work from home aswell.
I don't blame him. He loves working from home. He isn't social at all and is very lazy. Now he doesn't have commute, doesn't have to get dressed, doesn't have to move from bed or sofa if he doesn't want to as long as he has his laptop!! Gets all his meals put in front of him.
He suffers from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and has for a long time and can't see the link that he almost never goes outside. The only time I can think of that he's left the house over the past month is for an hour on boxing day. He doesn't step outside. He's like a vampire. But anyway he's loving this new life.

But for me it has completely ruined our relationship. We are together almost 24/7. There is no difference between the weekdays and the weekends. It's groundhog day. We have nothing to say to each other because we are together all the time. We used to go for date nights, all that's stopped because we'd have nothing to say to each other. No time together feels special because we are together all the time. I can't bare it. I feel trapped, monitored, controlled.
He's never been controlling before and there are very subtle things that are driving me mad. He comments on everything I do. If I go out, where am I going, why, how long for? If I sit down for a cuppa after cleaning for hours he will come downstairs at that moment and comment I just sit down all day and he bets that's what I did all day when he was at work.
It is so so tough. The winter makes it worse because we are indoors. During the summer I'm outside gardening etc or we go on days out. At the moment I feel like a servant /cinderella.
It's got to the point where I am completely turned off from him, everything he says annoys me, I don't want sex with him, don't want to be around him. Ive found myself fantasising about me moving away for a life on my own, now or in the future. I've got it into my head as soon as the kids are old enough I'm going to seperate from him to live my own life. I never felt this way before.
And then to top it off, I've said ill go back to work now as he is at home to grab the kids from school and let the dog out for wees etc. He's flatly refused because "he may go back at some point' and" there's no way he's got time to let the dog out/get the kids. ". This is completely not true. He just wants this lazy life to continue!! This would be the answer for me because id feel like I have my own life, money, other adults to speak to. Currently the only time we are apart is if I go to tesco, take the dog out and the school run.
Some people would love to be together all the time but this is no life at all. It's unbearable.

OP posts:
A580Hojas · 06/01/2022 07:57

I don't blame you, sounds horriffic.

JustKeepSwimmingJust · 06/01/2022 08:00

Can you do more out of the house? If he’s wfh... could he do one of the school runs (ie morning every day) and free you up to do some employment out of the house?

Either it will give you some space and things to talk about... or it will give you the financial freedom to leave if things don’t improve. Or he won’t like having to pull more weight in the house and will decide to work from the office more.

JustKeepSwimmingJust · 06/01/2022 08:01

You can always get a dog Walker/childcare in if he does go back to the office once you have your own successful job.

AgathaMystery · 06/01/2022 08:02

I really sympathise with you. My DH now WFH permanently & I hate it. We have a little office which I set up for myself but he can use whenever he wants. He flatly refuses to use it and takes up the whole open plan living room all day which basically means the whole downstairs. I do some shift work so if I have a midweek day off my day feels like it’s monitored/controlled. It’s awful.

We definitely do not have enough time apart. You have my sympathies.

Pointlesspercy5 · 06/01/2022 08:04

If I did return to work it would be a minimum wage job so wouldnt earn much at all, it would just be to get out of the house. So I wouldn't be able to pay for childcare myself. When I've brought it up with him beorre He has refused to pay for childcare because, in his words, "you don't need to go to work. If you go to work and create these problems you will need to pay for the childcare." which I wouldn't be able to do.

OP posts:
Hungry625f · 06/01/2022 08:04

His life is too small, hence nit picking at home.

Does he not exercise? What happens at weekends?

Sounds horrible OP

WhatTheWhoTheWhatThe · 06/01/2022 08:05

To be honest I’d show him your post and let him decide to either change or accept that his wife will likely leave him at some point.

user1471462115 · 06/01/2022 08:08

He needs Vitamin D every day if he really does not go outside. And should improve his mood

And can you get a garden shed/office, then at least he is not in the house.

Total empathy, it sounds awful for you both , but more awful for you

welshmamofone · 06/01/2022 08:08

I definitely feel your pain. I work part time but am starting a new job next week that will mean I'm wfh a lot. My husband works full time wfh and hardly ever goes into work unless he really has too. He will also not get dressed or leave the living room and it drives me wild. Especially as I have a 2.5 year old and she constantly nags him (not her fault, she doesn't know he's working love her) so he gets annoyed with me for not keeping her away. I always say that we have an office upstairs he can use but he'd rather not move from the sofa. I feel the same I way about my husband (not interested in being intimate/ starting a conversation and also wonder if we'll end up staying together). My DH is also very emotionally unsupportive and detached so that makes it harder again as most of the time when I bring this up to him he can't fathom how I feel.
Sending lots of love x

moonlight1705 · 06/01/2022 08:08

Get a job and then book a dog walker to talk your dog out in the day.

Kids will just have to go to after school clubs like everyone else who have both parents working.

He is taking advantage as he thinks he has the power to dictate your life. Once the equality is back in balance then he might realise what an idiot he is being.

JustKeepSwimmingJust · 06/01/2022 08:08

Honestly, get a job while he’s around to do some pickups. Once the status quo is that you work it will be harder for him to make you quit.

If he doesn’t step up, hard conversations, marriage counselling etc are needed.

If DC are school aged then working all day for min wage and paying for wraparound should still put you ahead and give you some independence

jackiebenimble · 06/01/2022 08:08

Well this cannot continue.

It sounds very unbalanced. His way or the high way. What he says goes. He does not get to decide whether you work or not. How dare he!

He needs to realise just how unhappy you are and how high the stakes are. That this isn't just a 'moan'. That this is potentially relationship ending unless you 'both' make some changes.

thetinsoldier · 06/01/2022 08:09

I don't blame you either. His lifestyle sounds really unhealthy and means that everything falls to you! What a lazy, selfish man baby.

I'm not keen on all the intrusive, controlling, PA comments either...

Does he know how unhappy you are? You need to talk to him, show him how serious things are.

If you left, he couldn't lie in bed wfh all the time; he'd have to get up and do stuff.

Sparklfairy · 06/01/2022 08:09

When I've brought it up with him beorre He has refused to pay for childcare because, in his words, "you don't need to go to work. If you go to work and create these problems you will need to pay for the childcare." which I wouldn't be able to do.

That just isn't on. He contributed to making those children, and he doesn't have the right to keep you prisoner by refusing to pay for childcare. Thats called financial abuse.

rosesbythesea · 06/01/2022 08:09

Your problem is your dh. Since my dh started wfh I'm pretty sure he thought that I had nothing better to do but I have also put extra jobs on dh seeing as he no longer commutes everyday so if he's at home for example he does the school runs whenever he's about, he helps pack the bags etc and does breakfast. Gives me a massive break and since he's had these jobs bestowed upon him he's not said a word

The next step would be for you to say you're going get a job and ask him to sit down and go over how he's going to arrange his hours to help with the dc around you working. That normally gets them shrivelling back into the hole they're coming from.

thetinsoldier · 06/01/2022 08:10

@Pointlesspercy5

If I did return to work it would be a minimum wage job so wouldnt earn much at all, it would just be to get out of the house. So I wouldn't be able to pay for childcare myself. When I've brought it up with him beorre He has refused to pay for childcare because, in his words, "you don't need to go to work. If you go to work and create these problems you will need to pay for the childcare." which I wouldn't be able to do.
This is financial abuse. He's got things how he likes them and doesn't want change, but he's not in charge of you!
Bumpsadaisie · 06/01/2022 08:10

It sounds very difficult.

Have you told him all this and how you feel?

rosesbythesea · 06/01/2022 08:12

Just seen your last post. I'd also go over with him that you clearly do need to work because it would help him not worry so much about your whereabouts or what you're up to because he'll know you're at work. Get back at him OP. Minimum wage job is better than being treated like this as well!

camperqueen54 · 06/01/2022 08:13

Yes I've been working from home full time and it's bad enough when my husband is on holiday. You could go out to work now the kids are back at school. That may help?

ThoseFestiveLights · 06/01/2022 08:20

You need to work, because you need to fund a life on your own. I’m assuming he’s not so well off that he can support two houses.

Honestly, I would be planning to leave. A lot of couples are having to WFH together but need to acknowledge the strain this poses on a relationship, and compromise on other areas. Financial abuse is always unacceptable.

Pointlesspercy5 · 06/01/2022 08:22

The winter is making it all feel worse. Spring and summer are much more bearable. I do feel selfish moaning in this way because it's as if I'm saying everyone else has to go out to school and work and I can just stay at home, doing whatever I want to, and not contribute financially. That's how my husband sees it. He thinks I should be eternally grateful that I don't have to work. Other women would be insanely jealous of me!!
But the day to day realities of this is very different.
I have spoken to him about it many many times. People have told me before., just get a job etc, but it's not that easy when he is refusing to do anything. What about school holidays etc?
Weekends during the summer we do tend to go out. Winter time he doesn't want to do anything so we either just laze about or I take the kids to the park /relatives houses by myself whilst he stays home and plays a computer game.
He acts and makes out he is this amazing provider for us and we should be eternally grateful.

OP posts:
MrsWalrus · 06/01/2022 08:25

I really sympathise with you.

He sounds like a very unpleasant man, though. I have struggled with my DH working from home, partly because he doesn’t leave the house enough and has become lazy and also like yours he notices everything but he isn’t controlling about it. I just dislike it.

I don’t know that getting a job is the automatic solution unless posters mean so that you’re on a stronger position to leave.

Morgan12 · 06/01/2022 08:25

Are there any call centres near you? They usually do a 10-2 shift which us popular with mums. Would more than likely be on a team with women in the same position as you and would make friends.

He doesn't own you. He cannot make these decisions and that's that. There needs to be discussion. The kids aren't just yours. He really needs a reality check.

MajorCarolDanvers · 06/01/2022 08:26

I've said ill go back to work now as he is at home to grab the kids from school and let the dog out for wees etc. He's flatly refused because "he may go back at some point' and" there's no way he's got time to let the dog out/get the kids

This is the biggest issue because he is unwilling to compromise and thinks you are the housekeeper

crankysaurus · 06/01/2022 08:27

YANBU, and even after Omicron he may well be flexible working after that and keep wfh.

Why would you only be able to do minimum wage jobs (which he sees as a constraint on your working)?

If it's qualifications, could you study? Most classes courses run term time so you wouldn't need to factor in as much (expensive) school holiday cover. That would get you out of the house and also help set you up if your marriage goes pear shaped. If he's not worried about finances, after school clubs etc should hopefully be okay.

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