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Grandparenting

Husband doesn't want me to look after grandchild once a week

(329 Posts)
Su51nan Mon 31-Jul-23 17:22:08

My husband and I both have children from previous relationships. He has 3 grandchildren which we see occasionally and my daughter had just had her first child, my first grandchild.
I retired early from my job 2 years ago and we have been working together for 2 years full time renovating properties.
I want to look after my grandchild once a week but he says this will affect our work and is not happy for me to do it despite me saying i will work an extra day at the weekend.
If I spend more than a few hours a week with my grandchild he says my life revolves around her but I just want to be close to her and want to help my daughter get back to work without it costing a fortune in childcare.
I don't want to have to choose between them but I'm feeling like it may come to that.

Callistemon21 Fri 04-Aug-23 10:45:53

What's wrong with compromise?

I kept asking that!

Love expands as your family expands. You don't stop loving your partner when you have children, so why should that be different when grandchildren arrive?
Precisely.

Lathyrus Fri 04-Aug-23 09:32:04

VioletSky

Are people still arguing over this one?

What's wrong with compromise?

Give husband a months notice to drop one day a week... OP isn't going to be working without a salary until the day she drops dead is she?

Aren't people meant to be able to drop working hours or even retire one day?

Shall we just chain her to her desk and explain how she has absolutely no power over decisions about her own life? Well at least it's a desk now with a chair and no longer the kitchen sink

Hmm it’s this very odd idea of what compromise is?

She tells her husband what she wants.

He says that’ll cause problems for the business and he’s not happy with what’s proposed.

She goes ahead and does what she wants anyway.

No wonder people have problems if they think that’s a compromise 🤔

Lathyrus Fri 04-Aug-23 09:23:21

She’s the one who said she’s going to leave. “Chose between them” Pretty sure what her choice would be.

She loves her grandchild more and will end her marriage if he’s unhappy about that. That’s the bottom line.

And actually I can’t see the difference between him spending a day with “mates” that he wants to be with and her spending a day with a member of the family that she wants to be with.
They’d both be spending a day how they wanted.

All these posts just confirms for me what I’ve seen so many times. People lose all sense and reason when it comes to grandchildren and they don’t know it.

Blondiescot Fri 04-Aug-23 07:44:57

0ddOne

Lathyrus

This relationship is doomed.

The OPs already moved on from her marriage to a new emotional relationship.
He knows it.

She's moved on from her husband to "a new emotional relationship"? Are you being serious!? So one can't love one's GC because one has a partner? Is that what you're saying? So how does that work with one's own children and partner? You do understand that as humans we have the capacity to love different people in different ways? Loving one's GC does not preclude loving one's partner.

Exactly. That is a ridiculous assumption. Love expands as your family expands. You don't stop loving your partner when you have children, so why should that be different when grandchildren arrive?

VioletSky Fri 04-Aug-23 01:02:29

Are people still arguing over this one?

What's wrong with compromise?

Give husband a months notice to drop one day a week... OP isn't going to be working without a salary until the day she drops dead is she?

Aren't people meant to be able to drop working hours or even retire one day?

Shall we just chain her to her desk and explain how she has absolutely no power over decisions about her own life? Well at least it's a desk now with a chair and no longer the kitchen sink

0ddOne Fri 04-Aug-23 00:59:59

Lathyrus

This relationship is doomed.

The OPs already moved on from her marriage to a new emotional relationship.
He knows it.

She's moved on from her husband to "a new emotional relationship"? Are you being serious!? So one can't love one's GC because one has a partner? Is that what you're saying? So how does that work with one's own children and partner? You do understand that as humans we have the capacity to love different people in different ways? Loving one's GC does not preclude loving one's partner.

0ddOne Fri 04-Aug-23 00:46:23

Lathyrus

They had a life together that suited them both. Working together during the week and presumably leisure time at the weekends, as there’s a day available then for working.

Now the OP wants a different life. To spend a day a week doing something else and to spend the weekend working.

That’s a fairly major change in a relationship instigated by just one of the couple.

I can’t help thinking that if it was a poster saying “my husband wants to spend a day a week with his mates and says he won’t be available to do things together at the weekend because he’ll have to catch up with work” the responses might be rather different 🤔

But she doesn't want to spend the day with "mates", she wants to spend it helping family. If the shoe were on the other foot, I'm sure she'd be OK with that. Wanting to spend time with a young GC is NOT the same as wanting to spend time with "mates"! That's a ridiculous comparison.

Lathyrus Thu 03-Aug-23 20:11:57

Callistemon21

Oh dear, now I know why people desert Gransnet in droves.

Me too.😬

Lathyrus Thu 03-Aug-23 20:11:11

This relationship is doomed.

The OPs already moved on from her marriage to a new emotional relationship.
He knows it.

Callistemon21 Thu 03-Aug-23 20:07:55

Oh dear, now I know why people desert Gransnet in droves.

Norah Thu 03-Aug-23 19:49:02

Callistemon21

^It’s the way they keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table Callistemon^

How do you know?

Has the OP stated that?

Most people work to put food on the table and a food over their head. Why would you assume otherwise? Nobody was proclaimed independently wealthy in this post (as I recall).

Delila Thu 03-Aug-23 19:28:37

Taking a day a week to spend time with a new grandchild hardly requires a lottery win.

Germanshepherdsmum Thu 03-Aug-23 15:54:13

It was his business, now she works with him after taking early retirement. Unless they‘ve won the lottery of course, but she didn’t mention that …

Grammy57 Thu 03-Aug-23 15:14:57

Realise I'm a little late, but this reminded me of my own situation. What I thought was my jealous, suffocating husband owning me, turned out to be early onset dementia, he was terrified to be on his own. I would recommend you tell him how much caring for GC means to you and how it doesn't diminish your feelings for him so he should not feel insecure. If he says he knows that, then ask him why, ask him to explain why you can't, then sit back and wait for the answer. That said, regardless of his reason you need to do what makes you happy too. I cared for my grand-daughter one day a week, she is now 16 and we could not be any closer. Be patient, be kind but be assertive you'll work it out I'm sure - please let us all know xx

Callistemon21 Thu 03-Aug-23 15:03:06

It’s the way they keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table Callistemon

How do you know?

Has the OP stated that?

Germanshepherdsmum Thu 03-Aug-23 14:50:59

It’s the way they keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table Callistemon. Nobody’s suggesting that they’re on the breadline but delay in completing and selling a property can make the difference between profit and loss.

Germanshepherdsmum Thu 03-Aug-23 14:48:42

Very privileged. I doubt the OP’s pension keeps them - they rely on the business. And the
anticipated income from the current project(s) and the timing of its realisation were predicated on both of them working full time.

Callistemon21 Thu 03-Aug-23 14:47:19

Indeed privileged thinking

I think buying, renovating and selling properties doesn't actually shout "Poverty"!

Norah Thu 03-Aug-23 14:36:19

icanhandthemback

^Would you get more pleasure from spending a day with your grandchild or working? .... that's your answer.^

Privileged thinking there. Not everybody has the luxury to just do as they want.

Indeed privileged thinking.

I'd say most people work to provide housing and food, working may not be a luxury for this couple. Age doesn't stop people from eating.

icanhandthemback Thu 03-Aug-23 11:16:07

Would you get more pleasure from spending a day with your grandchild or working? .... that's your answer.

Privileged thinking there. Not everybody has the luxury to just do as they want.

Missiseff Thu 03-Aug-23 07:28:42

Tell him to get a grip. Your daughter and your grandchild come first. Every time.

Mamasperspective Thu 03-Aug-23 00:24:19

Would you get more pleasure from spending a day with your grandchild or working? .... that's your answer.

Hubby is being selfish if this is something you actually WANT to do.

It sounds like he doesn't have the same connection with this grandchild as you have but it doesn't give him the right to deny you a chance to build memories with this child.

I think in this case you need to 'shine your spine' and get him told.

icanhandthemback Wed 02-Aug-23 20:30:23

Daisydaisydaisy

Hi
You don’t receive a salary ???Thats Your answer …He thinks he’s your boss and not Your Partner🙁

Maybe he doesn't receive one either but live on the profits after the properties are finished.

Daisydaisydaisy Wed 02-Aug-23 19:57:45

Hi
You don’t receive a salary ???Thats Your answer …He thinks he’s your boss and not Your Partner🙁

icanhandthemback Wed 02-Aug-23 17:36:13

I want to look after my grandchild once a week but he says this will affect our work and is not happy for me to do it despite me saying i will work an extra day at the weekend. was what the OP said. Unless he really is a controlling man, he must have his reasons for saying this but without detail, how could we know.

If I spend more than a few hours a week with my grandchild he says my life revolves around her

Yes, on the face of it, it sounds like jealousy. However, we don't know how often the OP is spending working time doing things related to her grandchild, like texting, looking at pictures, video's, etc so to her husband it might seem excessive when you put it altogether. My sister's couple of hours works on NHS time and is invariably far more so there may be a mismatch of stories. On the other hand, if it really is a couple of hours a week, that sounds quite reasonable to me.