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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

Am I being overdramatic, or is he lazy?

68 replies

2024NewyearNewme · 11/01/2024 10:41

This morning husband asks me to do DD1(age4) hair for school. I'm co sleeping with DD2(age1)just nursed her back to sleep. It's 8.20, latest time for us to leave to get to school. I creep away from DD2 find DD1 sitting on kitchen counter in her pjs brushing her teeth, full bowl of cereal on table.

I feel tricked straight away, I've heard them up a while, had a feeling they were running late, didn't think they'd only just got out of bed.

I dress her, ask him to wash a stain out of her jumper as he picked up yesterday's uniform, not a fresh ironed set hung out in her bedroom. I do her hair instead of breakfast as she is fussing over eating her cereal. I ask him his plan for her eating, he said she'll eat in car (I wondered how a bowl of cereal gets eaten in the car) suggested making toast and boiling egg. Coat on, shoes on, just breakfast left. For some reason I can't hold the bowl of cereal up, my arm is dropping in pain when I tried to spoon feed her. Now I'm frustrated.

So take her back to the kitchen set the bowl down, ask her to eat herself. No winning. Husband faffing about. I go collect the toast and egg plate left balancing on the sofa arm that he made. She's still not eating. It's nearly 8.45am. My dad is having his tea too he says something.

Husband declares he is taking her to school, I respond 'what hungry?' Im panicking now looking for orange juice/ milk/ something to get her some nutrition. Opening and closing fridge, cupboards, just confused.

I get mad and ask husband what he did yesterday, he said she didn't eat breakfast then either! I'm distrort.

My anxiety to her eating is linked to her being underweight, having nutritional drinks to supplement food. This is third day of school. I did first day, breakfast was eaten. I had her up at 7,730ish so we were relaxed and had time to eat. There was zero fuss.

I spend all the time after school pumping her up with meals successful. She's pooped 💩, drank, bedtime was delayed as husband faffed for 1 hour.

He claimed she woke at 4am for bathroom, so they were late.

Im fuming at him. I feel like I can do this better without him. He hinders with his help. We've spoken about this at length recently, put plans of actions in, but not followed through.

Is this reason enough to want to leave?

She's got 2 bad tooth, that I feel only happened cos he stopped brushing her teeth(claiming she can do it without him checking- prior I would let her do them, but noticed a spot she couldn't reach so I'd complete that off).
I had potty trained her fully for day time, night time needed to take her toilet when she fidgeted, he couldn't notice the fidgeting, had to clean up wet bed too often so put her back in Nappies.
The changes happened because DD2 had arrived(2yrs ago), I'd co sleep with both, baby in moses basket/ cot mainly, bed for feeds. PND hit about 3/4 months in and husband offered to help put DD1 to bed which in turn became him co sleeping with her and me with baby.

PND went nuclear, he promised to move closer to my parents, we are currently in the house move process, I eventually moved in with my parents for support, as had zero support from his family who we lived local to and he worked long hours.

I feel he takes advantage of the help and support my aging parents provide. He just doesn't seem to be kind or considerate anymore. He loves his new colleagues in his new job with his new 6 figure salary. My worst time with PND he was absorbed completely in his job, which he got when I was 7 months pregnant.
Now I'm on the mend, I see him using my illness to explain his late starts for school, work, time off work, currently his claimed family life is to tough and handed in resignation.
But reality is, his got an easier 6 figure job lined up, any time off he had only made my life harder with him insisting on daily days out with the kids I was nursing, changing poop explosions, potty training, managing eating issues in museums, farms, the car, service stations, airports, in the rain, snow heat waves. Just pushing and pushing me.
We got shouty, violent, aggressive. Ive asked him to leave which lasted under a week given im at my parents the pressure got to them and asked me to take him back. This was about 6 weeks ago.
And here I am again wishing for the same.

(DD1 DD2 both born in Jan so will turn 5 and 2 in days)

OP posts:
LaurieStrode · 11/01/2024 10:51

This reply has been deleted

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Ladyj84 · 11/01/2024 10:52

Tbh what you describe is our morning's occasionally, it just happens things don't go to plan or I've been up in the night with the twins. It doesn't hurt for things to slide because it's not the way you would have done them once in a while. He was still helping in his way we all fall short

catsnore · 11/01/2024 10:59

You need to let him fail. If you keep stepping in he won't learn what to do.

Snowydaysfaraway · 11/01/2024 11:03

Nursed back to sleep at 8.20 at nearly 2?

uhOhOP · 11/01/2024 11:03

He sounds incompetent. His kid is brushing her teeth on the kitchen counter? Seconds before eating breakfast cereal? He didn't know there was a clean uniform ready to wear so put on a stained set without removing the stain? Probably without even noticing the stain.

Why was he still in the house when he should have been on the way to school already? How did he think a four-year-old would eat a bowl of cereal in a car? And does he not have concerns about ensuring his underweight child eats breakfast? That she is taking nutrients drinks is a sign he should be concerned, I think, concerned enough to make sure she has time to eat her meals.

Does he take himself off to work late, OP, and eat his breakfast on the way while wearing a stained shirt from yesterday even though he has a clean and ironed shirt available?

Neodymium · 11/01/2024 11:03

Why did she not eat the egg and toast? You said she could eat that in the car. I’m not that fussed on breakfast, kids eat when they are hungry. Eating when not hungry is a bad habit. I understand what you said about being underweight, but is that just your opinion or is she under the care of a dietitian? Because if she is, (having had underweight toddlers myself after serious illness) cereal is the last thing they recommend eating. They told me to avoid carbs as much as possible and go for calorie dense food. Like full fat yoghurt, mixing lots of butter into their food, mixing heavy cream into food ect. Eggs, meat and fat. Pasta, cereal and bread doesn’t put weight on and fills up little tummies before they have consumed enough calories.

LaurieStrode · 11/01/2024 11:05

Snowydaysfaraway · 11/01/2024 11:03

Nursed back to sleep at 8.20 at nearly 2?

That caught my eye as well.

uhOhOP · 11/01/2024 11:07

catsnore · 11/01/2024 10:59

You need to let him fail. If you keep stepping in he won't learn what to do.

I don't think this is a strategy OP should use. He has been a parent for four years. Can he not just get with the programme?

Menomeno · 11/01/2024 11:07

I’d save ‘distraught’ for serious situations, not your kid skipping breakfast. Your DH does sound useless though.

Codlingmoths · 11/01/2024 11:09

He sounds incompetent and given the weight issue I understand your rage. But is it easier wihtout him since your parents seem to have felt it was pretty hard? I think for now the best approach is for you to get on top of things (I too am surprised at breastfeeding a 2yo back to sleep at past 8am?) and telling him. So waking up (to message him if you can’t get out of bed) to say at 7:20 you need to start her breakfast now so she is eating at 7:30 and has half an hour to eat breakfast. Remember breakfast is x and if you have to feed her then you have to feed her. Unfortunately it sounds like he needs just as much help with routine as she does.

aperolspritzbasicbitch · 11/01/2024 11:10

I'm really confused.

Mornings are a team effort here, well pre 7:30am when my partner leaves for work.

Why did your 1 year old need nursing back to sleep at 8:20 am?

EnjoyTheMushrooms · 11/01/2024 11:13

Your biggest mistake was getting out of bed.

"can you do DD's hair for school?"
"yeah, send her here with a bobble and hairbrush".

Tell DD to be as quiet as a mouse, do it from your bed, send back to Dad.

EnjoyTheMushrooms · 11/01/2024 11:15

Oh, now I've read it all properly.... 😳

Ohnoooooooo · 11/01/2024 11:17

I am so confused.
Do you work?
I am a SAHM with twins and the bit where you are nursing your 1yr old back to sleep at 8.20am has thrown me.

Hmindr68 · 11/01/2024 11:17

If he has a 6 figure salary… do you think you could pay for some domestic help?

fatandhappy47 · 11/01/2024 11:18

The whole things sounds awful
Why is your 2 year old still in bed at 8.20? And if you know your husband is an incompetent fool why are you not adjusting your morning routine so this doesn't happen?
Get you and both kids up at 7ish, plenty of time to get you all organised with no stress and hassle
You and the 2 year old can always go back to bed once the school run is done if you need to
Take control of your situation

uhOhOP · 11/01/2024 11:20

aperolspritzbasicbitch · 11/01/2024 11:10

I'm really confused.

Mornings are a team effort here, well pre 7:30am when my partner leaves for work.

Why did your 1 year old need nursing back to sleep at 8:20 am?

A team effort? There are two parents and two children. One child was with each parent. Is a team effort really required to feed and dress one small child? Can one adult not do that on their own, without instructions or assistance from another adult? Am I missing something?

I think those of you mentioning the nursing back to sleep at 08:20 are missing the point, which is that the other parent is useless. OP could have been nursing the kid back to sleep or she could have been practicing acrobatics. Does it even matter what she was doing, in this context?

aperolspritzbasicbitch · 11/01/2024 11:21

Having read the whole thread again, and actually taking in the aggression and violence, I would suggest it's time to end things.

The whole set up seems incredibly toxic, and doesn't paint either of you in a good light.

The next step would then be to move out of your elderly parents home, as they clearly don't agree with your sentiment that things would be easier without him, and crack on with things on your own.

uhOhOP · 11/01/2024 11:23

fatandhappy47 · 11/01/2024 11:18

The whole things sounds awful
Why is your 2 year old still in bed at 8.20? And if you know your husband is an incompetent fool why are you not adjusting your morning routine so this doesn't happen?
Get you and both kids up at 7ish, plenty of time to get you all organised with no stress and hassle
You and the 2 year old can always go back to bed once the school run is done if you need to
Take control of your situation

Yeah, OP, if your husband is an incompetent fool, why don't YOU do what YOU can do to avoid HIS failures and shortcomings? Sounds about right.

aperolspritzbasicbitch · 11/01/2024 11:24

@uhOhOP yeah, a team effort, where we are both caring for our children together. We are both more than capable of caring for both children alone, but neither of us would dream of leaving the other to deal with the morning rush whilst we were still lying in bed.

uhOhOP · 11/01/2024 11:28

aperolspritzbasicbitch · 11/01/2024 11:24

@uhOhOP yeah, a team effort, where we are both caring for our children together. We are both more than capable of caring for both children alone, but neither of us would dream of leaving the other to deal with the morning rush whilst we were still lying in bed.

Well, in the end it was a team effort, since OP noticed the stained uniform (and, let's be honest, probably was the one who laundered and hung up the clean uniform ready for this morning), and tried to make sure the child would go to school with some food inside her.

I know people say "if a child isn't hungry, they'll eat when they are", or whatever, but don't children do better in school and are better able to concentrate when they aren't hungry? So she might not be hungry at breakfast, but she'll probably get hungry before the next opportunity to eat, therefore she should eat at least something before going to school.

fatandhappy47 · 11/01/2024 11:28

@uhOhOP
But look how stressed she is. If she just does it herself in the 1st place it'd be less stressful for her

Also her laying in bed with a nearly 2 year old at 8.20 isn't normal

uhOhOP · 11/01/2024 11:29

fatandhappy47 · 11/01/2024 11:28

@uhOhOP
But look how stressed she is. If she just does it herself in the 1st place it'd be less stressful for her

Also her laying in bed with a nearly 2 year old at 8.20 isn't normal

Works well for a man practicing weaponized incompetence.

OrlandointheWilderness · 11/01/2024 11:30

Why aren't you up at 8.20!?!

aperolspritzbasicbitch · 11/01/2024 11:31

@uhOhOP it sounds like both of them need to get their shit together.