Wife Expects Her Temporarily Unemployed Husband To Play 1950s Housewife, He Says No

"I told her if she didn't sit in bed watching TikTok or Facebook, she would be on time."

Filip

• Published in Interesting
• February 6, 2024

Expectations from your significant other can be excessive, especially when you are married. Therefore, a couple needs to discuss even the tiniest details and sort some things out before misunderstandings happen and ruin their relationship.

The OP had such a misunderstanding and shared it online, looking for unbiased advice on the matter. The OP explained he is currently unemployed, so he spends his days at home with his 4-year-old son while his wife works.

The wife has to be at her job by 8 am, but she has developed a habit of waking up at 6:45 am and spending about 10 to 15 minutes in bed watching TikTok videos or browsing Facebook. After this, she takes time for her shower, hair, makeup, and dressing.

During this time, the OP takes on the morning duties, which include feeding their son, letting the dog out (noting the dog's tendency to escape their fenced yard), and feeding the dog. This particular morning, the wife expressed frustration upon discovering that her coffee wasn't prepared, lunch wasn't packed, work items weren't organized and taken to her car, and the car wasn't warmed up.

In response, the OP said that it wasn't his responsibility to organize her things and suggested that she could either wake up earlier or prepare her lunch and organize her work items the night before. The wife opposed this by stating that the issue was about partnership and support by ensuring she got to work on time.

The OP responded that she wouldn't be late if she hadn't spent time in bed on TikTok and Facebook. Following this discussion, the wife disagreed and got upset, so the OP is now questioning whether his response was inappropriate.

Here is the OP's issue:

The OP explained his wife's morning routine:

Then, he described his morning routine and explained what caused the argument:

But the OP believes it wasn't his responsibility to help her get ready for work:

The wife disagreed, so he wanted to know if he was in the wrong:

A Redditor agreed that it's the wife's responsibility to get ready for her work

Another one said that the wife's expectations are unreasonable

The wife has unrealistic expectations from the OP

The OP added:

She can't expect him to do things they didn't agree on

A Reddit user was curious why she would expect the OP to do such things

The OP explained:

The OP also added:

A Redditor asked the vital question:

The OP added an edit and explained he doesn't mind helping her, but her irresponsibility

The OP's wife clearly has unrealistic expectations from the OP, concluded Redditors. Although the OP had sometimes helped her to get ready for work, they never discussed it would be his responsibility.

Therefore, she shouldn't expect him to do these things regularly. She can try to organize her things the night before work, that way, she would not be late for her work in the morning.

Filip