Hi all, have NC for this as I'm terrified of outing myself! I've reached the end of my tether with DH's gaming and I would love your perspectives on the situation and how I can broach this in future without blowing up every time.
DH and I both work in the creative sphere and are self-employed. It's the kind of job where he gets far more opportunities fall into his lap than I do and doesn't have to seek much out, there is far more need for men in our profession, so I supplement my income doing another job too which I don't love but which is at least mostly WFH. DH doesn't, only does the creative profession.
However, despite this, DH never prepares adequately for his projects or spends time seeking more out, in fact, any time i go to find him while WFH, he is gaming. I will suggest he gets off his arse does something to prepare for xyz project coming up or xyz interview, and I get the 'in a bit, I just have to finish this game'. Left to his own devices, he could happily do it all day.
Essentially, he should get far more work than he does, but he spends no time 'hustling' for want of a better word, just games all day, and then will complain that our industry is unfair and nepotistic (which it is, but you could help yourself!) I actually set up for him to have another project this year, thinking he'd love the chance to step up, and he didn't prepare for it properly either. Was a bit of a mess and I was so disappointed.
This has led to me paying a weightier share of all our bills, sometimes the full thing depending on the month. I must stress I really don't make a huge amount in my other job. I am starting to get incredibly resentful about this, I would love the luxury of being able to do our career-job full time and get enough work to quit my side-job, but now it feels like I am hustling non-stop just to make sure we're OK and it feels like he's not trying at all. Offers will come in for him and he'll be picky and I start brimming with resentment and it becomes an argument - of course I think everyone should know their worth in the working world, but it feels infuriating that I work so much more, have this constant distraction from the job I actually want to be doing (in the form of my other job!) and constantly seeking more creative work, while he sits back being choosy and gaming most of the day. If he was making enough to provide for us and was this picky and spent so much time complaining, I wouldn't be so resentful (still wouldn't be the biggest fan of the gaming anyway tbh because it's a bit of an ick for me but I wouldn't feel so hard done by).
Every time I bring it up it becomes a massive argument, usually because he will become very teenage and monosyllabic and I will express my frustration that he's wasting his time and this is unfair, and will sometimes say things that aren't nice, like this wasn't what I agreed to on marrying him etc.
Would genuinely love your advice on how I can broach this situation calmly and not let my feelings of injustice make me boil over. I feel that once I've expressed rage about the situation it's very easy for him to switch off and ignore the truth of what I'm saying. That old 'you've displayed emotion so you've lost the argument' chestnut.
I'm aware this all might make him sound like a dickhead but in so many other ways he's a wonderful DH, very caring and nurturing and supportive of me, lovely personality, but I bloody need him to step up. There's something about bloody gaming that seems to turn him into a zombie, it's like a drug to him. We would both like to have DC but, disappointingly, I feel I can't consider it while so much of a burden is already on me, and can't trust that my life wouldnt become intolerable. Really don't want to blurt that out in a moment of anger.
Any advice on approaching this calmly would be so appreciated, I'm so sorry for the length and if this comes across very ranty and woe-is-me!