DH ‘took the kids to the park’ (2 of 4, obviously)

[FrustratedMum2025]

Need to vent because I’m about 3 minutes from turning into a human scream. DH offered (big generous word, that) to “give me a break” and “take the kids to the park for a bit” this afternoon. Great, right?

Except… he took two of the four children. DS1 and DD2. The easy ones today. The ones who don’t throw a fit when you zip up their coat the wrong way or dissolve into a puddle because their banana snapped.
Guess who got left behind with DS2 (mid-sugar crash and refusing to nap) and DD1 (who is 12 going on 35 and in a mood because I wouldn’t let her buy £18 toner at Tesco)?

Meanwhile, DH is sending me pics from the park like he’s Father of the Year, with DS1 smiling on the swings and DD2 feeding ducks like something from a bloody Boden catalogue.

Back here? DS2 bit me (gently, but still) and DD1 just told me I “don’t get how hard it is to be a tween.” I am actively hiding in the downstairs loo with half a bag of Haribo DS1 left behind.

I love them. I do. But why do men get points for showing up late to a game we’ve been playing since dawn?

Please tell me I’m not the only one.

I mean, she can, but to what end? To prove some kind of point?

12 year olds don't need active supervision, so OP only really had the 3yo to worry about.

I think posters like you must be really sad and powerless in real life.
So you jump on here to let out your frustrations and bitterness.

Its quite pathetic really.

I was also wondering this, it sounds like if the youngest has naps and the oldest is 12, there was quite a long time in the middle to figure out that you didn't like parenting.

They certainly are!!

Poor OP was probably looking for a bit of solidarity not a good kicking!!

It's an absolute bitch fest on here some days!!

Yes.

I've only got up to this post so far, so you may have already said... but what on earth was his excuse for not taking a three year-old to the park???

Can you visit a friend or family member tomorrow?

I’d have a days break from them all.

I found one child harder to parent than two, so I'm not convinced parenting is always a numbers game.

There are many ways to be a good parent, and while I'm not criticising your parenting at all (how could I, I don't know anything about it?), it's not always the case that "more" is better.

I imagine some families struggle with two, while some families breeze through with four or five... and vice versa of course. It's all about the personalities involved, parents and children.

Definitely!!

Even at 6:15, pub garden is still lovely. I'm sitting in the Sun with Coffee as alcohol would be horrible with my medication & it feels a bit chilly to be drinking cold drinks, but it's still lovely!!

Tell him to go back out and get chips or you’ll feed him and his dinner to the ducks

Plenty I know

Depends how they're brought up, I suppose, they're not all on Snapchat Instagram, whatever the latest fad is 24/7.

Personally I think helicopter parenting sucks for the kids but you do you. I'm one of three and often thankful my parents had other kids to worry about and weren't on my case all day long.

She's 12, it's an old-fashioned statement, but one I still happily use!

You were being told not asked.

Exactly!!

He might find that a little bit difficult with the frying pan wrapped around his head!!

Noone needs any kids. Don't be a dick.

I was brought up without internet at all but still wouldn't have wanted to spend my Saturday afternoon at the park with my dad and little brothers.

At that age I'd have been left to my own devices most weekends though, no real input required.

A normal, human response!

I'm right there with you!!

I miss it so much, people were straight talking but not nasty for the sake of it & you could have a decent conversation!!

& it was brilliant knowing lots of posters & what they were likely to say on each red🤣🤣
Where you could totally disagree on one thread & start a fresh on another thread.

Such a brilliantly supportive place. I maintain it all went to shit with that stupid penis beaker thread & has Just continued to go downhill since.

There are still a lot of really lovely posters and a lot of support on other boards, specific boards for things, so we need to appreciate that while it lasts!!

Yeah, divide and conquer is one way of doing it, but that's not 'giving her a break' and then walking in and asking is dinner nearly ready🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

And also, the emotional toll of parenting doesn't work mathematically like that. I may have 3 kids but it doesn't feel like one child x 3. I'm an active, hands on parent and feel like I could happily manage 4. In fact, I felt more stressed when I had a baby and a two year old than I did when the third came along a few years later. My husband and I have no support, so we tag team quite a lot, but I can't imagine anyone I know being so mean spirited to suggest that we kind of deserve it for not stopping at 2, or 1, or whatever the arbitrary right number is (as many posters on this thread have implied to the OP).

No. I know. Please see my subsequent posts.

I know where there's a three year old that would love to go!!🤣🤣

Quite, and this is true also of the practical stuff. when I'm making a meal making it for three or four kids doesn't take twice as long as making a meal for two, for instance. When doing homework they'd all do it at the same time so it doesn't take double the time, though it may be a little more intense.

But I think some posters are too busy congratulating themselves on their amazing parenting to stop and think. Why offer advice when they can take a cheap shot at someone ?

Yep!!