I appreciate that everyone gets stressed sometimes - resulting in a grump or need for me-time. But my DH's occasional work-stress grump has now become a horrid every Sat morning and Sun evening thing.
He told me this morning in front of DC that he was "fed up of being stuck in the house with me after 2 yrs of pandemic" and I was a nag and he needed space (he was going to the shops and I asked him to get something for me). He sulked for 15 mins then sincerely apologised to us.
However in addition to being already stressed and tired from work and not sleeping well last week, he also tried to fit in a playdate for 5 friends' kids he invited over, offered to cook lunch for everyone (which burnt because there were so many small children and parents coming and going) and got in another grump because he was trying to find time for exercise and felt I needed to do more exercise. The visiting kids also argued and DD spent the playdate looking after the one who got sad. It is like DH is constantly over-delivering on everything and it is producing the opposite result to what he wants - so he just tries to do even more!
DD 8 said "daddy wasn't very nice to you was he?" in a very quiet voice that was so full of unspoken questions. I don't want to teach DCs that we all have to keep daddy happy when he's stressed or I'm a punch bag for their stress. Neither me or DH wants to live like this. But how do I get him to see that he needs to slow down, cut back and chill out for all our sakes?