Is it me?

In our family, someone would announce "I'm going for a bath; anyone need a pee first?"

In one ear out 'tuther' as my old gran would say.

DH does that thing of finishing the paragraph, putting his finger on to mark the place and then looking up

Mine has a Phd in buggerance.

Where do I start. Or worse, how is it going to end. Probably with me, a kitchen knife dripping in blood explaining that OH didn't answer when I asked him if he had any dark washing as I was about to load the washing machine.

When you first embark on that vessel, marriage, no one tells you that 40 years down the line you could cheerfully strangle your OH as you ask him to lift his legs while you hoover (I know, I know, ive let it get to this) and he lifts them......one at a time

Yes, it's you.
Why the need to tell someone, even your OH, of every move you make?
You told him where you'd be...and?

Before we changed the water system/boiler in our last house ReadyMeals we used to have the same problem re running the kitchen tap which affected the shower.

Whoever was going up for a shower used to put the dishcloth on top of the mixer tap in the kitchen as a reminder! Very effective.
?

When I suggest doing something my DH says ‘We can do!’. I know we can do but does he want to!

I might tell my partner I was going to have a bath... as I walked out the room... but where do you draw the line? Do you tell partner you are going to the loo? Perhaps just say ‘I might be gone for some time’. If he gives a toss he might say why? But either way you have told him all he needs to know.

Now see my husband would say 'ok' but then when I came back in the room a lot later he'd say 'where have you been?'. So he'd have answered but not listened ha,ha..

Oh mine's always been like that. He's perfectly nice and kind inside but these little social niceties seem to have passed him by. But I do tend to insist on an answer just to let me know he's heard - otherwise there is the risk he'll start running the hot water downstairs and I'll suddenly get a cold shower. He'd say "well I didn't hear you" and we'd end up arguing whether he'd heard or not.

Glad to know this is general male behaviour and not just specific to my man! Drives me crazy!

Men just often switch off to background talk as my very good male friend once told me. They don't feel every utterance warrants a response. It's not being rude, it's just a difference male to female. My ex-mother-in-law used to mentally exhaust me, as I responded to everything she rabbited on about. I once asked my husband how he had put up with her inane drivel over the years and he said, simple, I just carry on with what I am doing and ignore her. He says, less is always more. Dies your husband really need to know if you are going for a bath, and/or acknowledge that?

Sounds like my other half, has a nack of igmoring what he thinks are trivial comments but gets a tad upset if we ignore his. The fact the 6 year old has taken to filling in the blanks is quite humerous at times but clearly annoying.
I walk in a room and say "I'm just gonna stick the dinner on" expecting at least an acknowledgement. Even a smile would do, if he doesnt respond the 6year old will chip in "Thats fantatsic, I'll have chicken nuggets and chips" then OH complains when I cook the nuggets n chips because clearly he didn't seem as bothered about dinner as the 6year old.
"I wonder what we could do today?" I'll say, clearly looking for some nice suggestions for a trip out, even shopping would do. But alas silence until the 6 year old chips in and decides "We are gonna go to Legoland or the Park or Soft Play". Yet he has such a nerve to complain that the 6 year old has more say than him, maybe because he doesnt listen and the child does. I get better conversation from the bairn, and definately way more compliments wven if they are just "Your nuggets are better than Dads" or "Your music sounds really old but it does have good lyrics."

Same here; likewise with texts and voicemails! Absolute charmer to other people- ‘so helpful’, ‘kind’ they say! I used to be an SEND leader in a primary school and told him years ago I thought he was on the ASD spectrum. Very bright- and an engineer!

My husband says i did answer you i nodded my head . I told him i didn't know he was noddy and had a bell on his head .

This happens all the time to me but my husband is very deaf now. He has hearing aids but refuses to wear them as they make his ear hot! Also won’t wear varifocles long enough to get used to them! Very frustrating for me as I am continually repeating myself and having to read labels for him when we are shopping. Needless to say I wear my varifocles and love them!

GrandmaKT nice trick, might try that myself!

Yes, I have one of those husbands too. He's the same with text messages - our DC often text me asking me to tell DH something because they've tried but had no response and wonder whether he's seen the text.

Yes, of course he's seen the text. He just doesn't get that he needs to reply. "It wasn't a question, he/she was just telling me something!", he protests.

And he wonders why they send me pictures of the GC, and tell me about their day, but don't send them to him <eye roll>

Oh dear, this brought a chill to me. I remember my ex husband began to do this: I would repeat what I had said, and he would snap “ I heard you the first time!” And he would say “I answered you!” Once, my daughter was with us, and she challenged him: “dad, you didn’t answer.”

Try adding the words: "....because I want to be clean and beautiful for my 39 year old lover, who is calling for me in an hour's time....." And even : "So I may see you some time tomorrow.....if I have the strength....."

Mine is just the same, doesn't respond to comments. I've started doing the same with him, but it feels so rude.

So reassuring that it’s not just in this household!

Ladies, you are missing a trick here! My DH is exactly the same, never listens or acknowledges anything when I tell him. I therefore use it to my advantage, slip out to the shops/cinema/out with friends etc. If he ever queries it, I say "I told you, but you never listen!"

I have to say everything twice to my husband before he responds. Drives me crackers.
Is he hard of hearing? Yes.
Does he have hearing aids? Yes.
Will he wear them? NO

If DH does that it is because he has';t heard what I said. Does he have a hearing problem? He assures me that he doesn't.

I could understand it if they were reading or watching something !