Dad Faces Backlash For Criticizing Wife's ‘Methods’ For Keeping Their Overly Clingy Kids In Line

“I just feel it’s a little too harsh!”

Jesse

• Published in Interesting
• April 21, 2024

Picture this: a bustling household of six, four kids bouncing off the walls, and a mom desperately seeking just a minute of peace. Such was the daily life of our narrator’s (Original Poster’s) wife. Saying she was at her wit’s end was a heavy understatement. 

OP and his wife were in the trenches of raising four incredible but oh-so-demanding kids: a pair of energetic 13-year-old twins, a bubbly 8-year-old, and their latest addition, a tiny 4-month-old bundle of joy. 

His wife’s 20hr remote work weeks meant she was constantly surrounded by the kids. Now, this wouldn’t have been so bad, but there were more than a few bumps in the way. 

In addition to her postpartum depression, her three older kids collectively decided that being attached to Mom's hip was the new cool thing. They needed Mom's attention for everything. 

From plugging in the microwave (yes, really!) to tying shoelaces, their outrageous demands began to make OP wonder if they were actually aging backward. In reality, it was all a ploy to steal a smidgen of the attention their baby sibling now basked in. 

Therapy didn’t bring much improvement, and OP’s wife was losing her mind. In a desperate attempt to reclaim some sanity, she laid down some new laws: no speaking to her during shower time or whenever she had headphones in. 

It was a fair ask. After all, even superheroes need a breather. But, kids being kids, it wasn’t long before they breached this peace treaty—and consequences followed.

All their electronics were confiscated, and they were grounded from everything for a week. OP personally believed she took the punishment too far, and this earned him a severe verbal lashing of his own.

Was he really the bad guy here?

Let’s dig into the details

OP’s kids have been overly clingy to their mom since the birth of their last child. This hasn’t gone down well with the couple as the kids keep intruding on their plans and leisure time

OP recently snapped at the kids and even came up with a rule that no one should talk to her when she’s taking a shower or using her headphones

OP’s wife recently grounded the kids and took away their gadgets for talking to her while she was in the shower. OP wasn’t happy with this, as he feels she becoming too harsh on the kids

We gathered some of the most upvoted comments from the Reddit community:

“5 times in 10 mins they deserve the punishment and your wife needs your support.”

“Her actions may have a negative effect on the kids -- but all she's trying to do is keep from drowning.”

“YTA because you offer zero solutions here, and just complain about the way your wife is handling the home.”

“YTA 4 kids and she’s still working with a baby? She’s so stressed she’s snapping at your children.”

“YTA. Your wife is at the end of her tether and she's crying out for help. Are you deaf??”

“She's asking for a 10 minute shower, you should be reinforcing that rule to your children who are absolutely old enough to respect it.”

“YTA. Your wife is crying for help and you offer zero solutions. I actually feel her frustration.”

Redditors were quick to point out how OP was fighting the wrong battle. With most teens their age already handling babysitting gigs, his teens' clinginess was a serious cause for alarm.

The advice was crystal clear: it's time for OP to step up, give his wife those essential breaks from childcare, and focus on nurturing independence in his kids. 

But in the meantime, he remained the a—hole in this case.

Do you agree with this verdict? Let’s get your thoughts in the comments.

Jesse