Man Says He Desperately Needs More ‘Me Time' — But Is Afraid to Ask His Wife Who Stays Home with the Kids All Day

Yahoo

2 days ago

The man said he is expected to entertain the kids once he returns home from 'stressful days' working in healthcareNEED TO KNOW
A man is struggling to balance his "stressful" healthcare job with fathering his three children
Venting on Reddit, he said his wife stays at home while he works six days a week and then expects him to entertain the kids once home
'AITAH [am I the a–-----] for wanting some me time when I get home?' he askedA man is unsure how to tell his wife that he needs time alone when he returns home from work before embracing his fatherly duties.
On Monday, Aug. 4, the man explained in a post on Reddit's AITAH forum that he has been working six days a week since he and his wife had their second child. He said they thought it would be best for him to be the provider and his wife to stay at home with their kids, who are ages nine, six and two, as it keeps childcare costs low.
'I work in healthcare, so I can have pretty full-on/stressful days and can often feel very emotionally as well as physically drained when I get home from work and have been feeling increasingly burnt out recently,' the OP (original poster) said.
'I find I can function at work to get the job done, but once I'm home, I've got nothing in the tank, which leads to having very little patience and really only being present in body only,' he added.
The man described his journey to and from work each day as being part of his daily 'me time.'
Once the children are sleeping, he is also able to doom scroll on his phone, game or watch TV on the couch.
The OP added that he goes for a run once a week.
Speaking about his wife, he said, 'There are days when I get home and am greeted with, 'Tag they're yours, I need a break,' which I can totally get after spending all day entertaining the kids and breaking fights up between them, but I also feel I've been at work all day and need some time before changing from work mode to dad mode."
'AITAH [am I the a–-----] for wanting some me time when I get home?' the man asked.
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Responses to the post attempted to give the man practical solutions, including hiring a babysitter and agreeing with his wife on a specific time frame to relax after work.
'Can you get a sitter or someone to watch the kids for 1-2 days a week?' one person suggested.
https://people-app.onelink.me/HNIa/kz7l4cuf
'I heard a marriage counsellor being interviewed on the radio a number of years ago,' another wrote. 'One of the stories she told was very similar to yours — the husband coming home overwhelmed with work to be greeted by a wife who was overwhelmed with childcare."
'The solution was for him to have 10-15 minutes decompression time when he got in from work. But once that time was up, he had to do whatever she needed him to do,' the same person said.
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