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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

Communication problems with dh

11 replies

OMeOMy · 09/08/2024 21:22

Any advice on how I can communicate better with my DH? He's in most ways a devoted family man to me and our children, he genuinely does so much for us all, but I'm really struggling with a lack of communication and not feeling that we're on the same team. I think he may have undiagnosed ADHD. We have three young DC so life is very full on. I feel like I end up as the default parent a lot of the time when things get tough, especially bedtime, which is an absolute stressful nightmare most nights. He's very distractible and has the tendency to wander off and just go and go do something else/have a lie down in the middle of bedtime when the kids don't listen to him, so it often falls to me to do mostly solo. I'll go and find him and ask him to help (often several times in the same evening) which tbh just feels like me 'nagging' eventually. He'll do a bit (eg clean one child's teeth) but then wander off again and lie down and scroll on Facebook. I find it really frustrating as my feeling is that we should be working as a team to tackle bedtime together and then we can both sit down and chill out together in peace afterwards. Tonight I'm ashamed to say that after a few evenings of this having asked nicely lots of times and with building resentment on my part I snapped and got angry with him about this in front of the kids. The littlest is in the process of dropping her nap and hadn't slept today (which was stressful as she was v grumpy all afternoon!) but the silver lining I hoped was that she'd have an early night and we could have a relaxing evening. I put the littlest to bed and beforehand has said that i'd really appreciate him putting the bigger two kids to bed at the same time and relatively early (730ish) so we could spend some quality time together. 30 minutes later, and after 8, when I emerged from the little ones room, the big two were still dressed and not yet washed/teeth cleaned, and all the toys were still out upstairs. He was downstairs with the TV on watching the olympics. By this point as well as having put the littlest to bed I'd already cooked and washed up solo and to be honest I'd just had a enough - i was fully prepared to do the last bits of bedtime (stories etc) but not the while lot. I absolutely shouldn't have shouted in front of the children and I'm so disappointed in myself. But I just feel so unheard having repeatedly asked politely for more help/engagement at bedtime that the resentment built to the point that I exploded. How do I communicate better to avoid this again? Should I just accept that he wants to do things on his own timescale with lots of breaks etc, and that a later bedtime is fine? Am I being too controlling (which is what he said to tonight)? How do I communicate this better to him to avoid arguments in front of the kids future? I've tried to talk to him tonight after the kids are in bed but he's just said I want him to do everything my way and nothing's been resolved. Thanks for anybody who has got this far!

OP posts:
OMeOMy · 09/08/2024 21:31

Just to add he's genuinely not 'lazy' which is perhaps how my earlier message reads, he does an awful lot to contribute towards the shared load, but when it comes to kids' behaviour management he seems to find this part in particular v stressful (I assume) and then wanders off. But to be honest it's all guesswork as he really struggles to communicate when he finds things are hard. Should I just back off and resign myself to solo bedtimes??

OP posts:
unlikelychump · 09/08/2024 21:35

Yes, I'd say neurodiverse. My dh is like this 💯 he cares a lot but is bloody useless. Our kids are older than yours 8-12 one with autism. It hasn't got any easier and I have got very resentful.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

unlikelychump · 09/08/2024 21:36

Ps. It is not you. You are just trying to keep the show on the road with a saboteur in the ranks.

XChrome · 09/08/2024 21:37

The issue is not one of communication. You have already asked for help multiple times and he didn't care. There is no way to phrase it so that he will care. I think ADHD is a very generous supposition, because he sounds like he's really just lazy and entitled. You see it as him being distracted, but it actually sounds like he opts out because he can't be bothered.

The only thing that might work is an ultimatum that you will leave him if he doesn't start pulling his weight as a parent, but even that would probably only be a short term solution. He'd likely gradually fall back into his lazy ways over time. Then he'd take note of the fact that you didn't actually leave and he would feel it gives him carte blanche to be an irresponsible, shiftless arse forever.
Sorry to tell you there is no permanent solution to dealing with an entitled, selfish man. The solution is not to deal with him at all. So I'm afraid it's another LTB situation.
It may be worth a try to give him an ultimatum though. There's a vague possibility that it would be a genuine wake up call. However, you have to be prepared to actually leave him if he doesn't start doing his part.

XChrome · 09/08/2024 21:40

OMeOMy · 09/08/2024 21:31

Just to add he's genuinely not 'lazy' which is perhaps how my earlier message reads, he does an awful lot to contribute towards the shared load, but when it comes to kids' behaviour management he seems to find this part in particular v stressful (I assume) and then wanders off. But to be honest it's all guesswork as he really struggles to communicate when he finds things are hard. Should I just back off and resign myself to solo bedtimes??

If he doesn't do his share with the kids, there is no way he is doing 50% of the housework. Any less than that is not doing a lot. You are probably being overly generous in your estimation of his contribution.

OMeOMy · 09/08/2024 21:50

XChrome · 09/08/2024 21:40

If he doesn't do his share with the kids, there is no way he is doing 50% of the housework. Any less than that is not doing a lot. You are probably being overly generous in your estimation of his contribution.

He's the only driver of the two of us so does lots of running kids about, including at times during his working day which I'm very grateful for. He also does lots of the typical mental load stuff- all kids of kid admin, bills etc. I do most of the cooking and cleaning. He does lots of the bigger jobs like diy (big house renovation ongoing). I think we're pretty evenly matched in the whole. He never goes out or does anything for himself (neither do I, we're both always busy with the kids and house). Perhaps that's part of the problem?

OP posts:
XChrome · 09/08/2024 21:55

OMeOMy · 09/08/2024 21:50

He's the only driver of the two of us so does lots of running kids about, including at times during his working day which I'm very grateful for. He also does lots of the typical mental load stuff- all kids of kid admin, bills etc. I do most of the cooking and cleaning. He does lots of the bigger jobs like diy (big house renovation ongoing). I think we're pretty evenly matched in the whole. He never goes out or does anything for himself (neither do I, we're both always busy with the kids and house). Perhaps that's part of the problem?

Love, you don't need to be grateful that he does his job as a parent in certain areas.
Maybe the two of you do need some alone time without the kids. It sounds like you both may be a bit burned out. It happens. Can you schedule some date nights? Also, you both need a social life separate from each other. He needs to see his friends and you need to see yours. That will bring more balance to your lives. It's worth a try.

OMeOMy · 09/08/2024 21:56

XChrome · 09/08/2024 21:37

The issue is not one of communication. You have already asked for help multiple times and he didn't care. There is no way to phrase it so that he will care. I think ADHD is a very generous supposition, because he sounds like he's really just lazy and entitled. You see it as him being distracted, but it actually sounds like he opts out because he can't be bothered.

The only thing that might work is an ultimatum that you will leave him if he doesn't start pulling his weight as a parent, but even that would probably only be a short term solution. He'd likely gradually fall back into his lazy ways over time. Then he'd take note of the fact that you didn't actually leave and he would feel it gives him carte blanche to be an irresponsible, shiftless arse forever.
Sorry to tell you there is no permanent solution to dealing with an entitled, selfish man. The solution is not to deal with him at all. So I'm afraid it's another LTB situation.
It may be worth a try to give him an ultimatum though. There's a vague possibility that it would be a genuine wake up call. However, you have to be prepared to actually leave him if he doesn't start doing his part.

I really hope it's something like ADHD as the alternative just feels like cold indifference. That's what I said to him tonight. I just feel so frustrated/voiceless. Neurodiversity plus some reflection on his part/willingness to compromise feels like the best possible scenario. I do think he displays a number of traits in addition to some possibly also of ASD. To be fair I am quite rigid and inflexible I suspect, and so I'm that sense we're are a bit of a nightmare combination personality-wise 😬

OP posts:
SonicTheHodgeheg · 09/08/2024 21:58

If he has ADHD maybe he can’t see that getting bedtime done quickly = more adult time with you.

Are your children ND? I would imagine that bedtime is a lot harder (even though you probably do it regularly)

Do you think that the kids might be more difficult to manage because dad rarely does bedtime ?

Are the kids old enough to do some of the bedtime routine on their own ? Eg getting changed

Does he remember later that he was mid task ? I have a 17 year old son with ADHD and sometimes I will finish off a task for him eg he washed his favourite hoodie last night to wear today but forgot to put it in the dryer. When he got ready to go out, he saw that the hoodie was dry and washed so thanked me tor drying his hoodie. He genuinely forgot and luckily for him I spotted the washing machine on last night so could help him out.

OMeOMy · 09/08/2024 22:09

SonicTheHodgeheg · 09/08/2024 21:58

If he has ADHD maybe he can’t see that getting bedtime done quickly = more adult time with you.

Are your children ND? I would imagine that bedtime is a lot harder (even though you probably do it regularly)

Do you think that the kids might be more difficult to manage because dad rarely does bedtime ?

Are the kids old enough to do some of the bedtime routine on their own ? Eg getting changed

Does he remember later that he was mid task ? I have a 17 year old son with ADHD and sometimes I will finish off a task for him eg he washed his favourite hoodie last night to wear today but forgot to put it in the dryer. When he got ready to go out, he saw that the hoodie was dry and washed so thanked me tor drying his hoodie. He genuinely forgot and luckily for him I spotted the washing machine on last night so could help him out.

Yes it definitely doesn't seem obvious to him that a faster bedtime will be positive for us both. To me that's a bit of a no brainer!! I do wonder whether the kids demonstrate some neurodiverse trait. The general consensus amongst family members is that they are not 'easy' kids😬 (big emotions, difficulties with transitions etc). I definitely think they play up for him more at bedtime than for me.

I'm not sure how much insight he has in terms of realizing that he's stopped something mid task. He definitely does that...e.g. will offer you a cup of tea that never materializes, then you find the half made tea on the side an hour later. 🤣 But if I point it out he can get defensive.

OP posts:
Psychoticbreak · 09/08/2024 22:44

Your husband just sounds like a lazy selfish manchild to be honest. Whether he does or does not have ADHD is not the point and totally nothing to do with him being selfish and lazy. I have adhd and have none of the horrible characteristics your dh seems to have, nor do most people I know with adhd or asd. It is not something to blame and fall back on blaming when a person is a dickhead.

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