Parenting is challenging and can highlight conflicts in romantic relationships. It is essential that couples keep the lines of communication open in their efforts to be good parents. Couples counseling is popular in Oregon and other states to help families get through these rough patches.
Of course, not every squabble turns into divorce. Take this man on Reddit who is having a conflict with his spouse over who should “babysit” their children.
According to “Rick,” he and his spouse, “Lisa,” share housework and child care. While she is a SAHM, he participates and does half of the work when he is home.
He goes on to say that his wife is somewhat of a social butterfly who enjoys taking trips away with her girlfriends several times each year. According to Rick, he is “happy to babysit the kids full time in her absence.”
While several sharp Redditors already spotted major issues, Rick had yet to present the problem he wrote in about. According to him, he had been working on a big project at work for a few months.
When the project due date came near, he told his wife he was taking one day free from household responsibilities as the 60-hour work weeks had really worn him down. He reminded her three days before and was upset that she was not sticking to the agreement when the day rolled around.
The typical situations arose that occur when you have small children: spilled milk, math homework, and dishes. Lisa asked for help, and Rick got angry and left the house for several hours, saying “it’s her job to babysit the kids on this day.”
Needless to say, Lisa was angry when he returned. His sister told him that parenting is a full-time job and took Lisa’s side in the situation. Now Rick is wondering whether or not he was a jerk.
One of the first things that many people noticed was his use of the word “babysit” to talk about parenting the kids. Already shows an unhealthy attitude toward the family structure.
Some say that Rick deserved a break because he had been working so hard. One even went so far as to suggest that he deserved some time away in a motel by himself.
In general, people felt that his attitude toward housework and childcare needed improvement. Also, the household appears to have poor communication. Perhaps therapy would help to sort out some of those problems.
Couples across the nation report that conflicts in parenting are one of the main reasons for divorce. In Oregon, more than 11K couples called it quits in 2022. Therapy might be a solution to keep Rick and Lisa from becoming one of these statistics.
What do you think? Have you ever been in a similar situation? Should he have left the house, or do you have a different solution altogether? Also, was he a jerk for being upset and leaving? I can’t wait to read your responses!
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