Mom sparks family drama after taking ‘day off’ from parenting: ‘Take time for yourself’

A fed-up mother locked herself in her bedroom to play video games.

She went on Reddit’s “Am I the A******” forum to explain what happened between her and her husband. The couple has four children between the ages of 2 and 10. The mother takes care of the children, cooks every meal and does all the household chores. Her husband works from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and doesn’t help with anything.

“I’m 100 percent overwhelmed and 150 percent stressed to the max,” the mother wrote. “This finally came to a head this last Friday when my husband got upset with me for complaining that I was tired. I asked him what he did every day that he’s too tired to help out and maybe that’s why I am exhausted, that I do everything. I haven’t had a break since my 2-year-old was born. He told me I didn’t need a break, that it’s easy to do my job. I ended up screaming that the next day, he is tending to the house and kids and that I was locking myself in our room and playing video games all day.” 

The mother kept her word the next day. 

“I refused to unlock the door Saturday or do anything,” the user wrote. “My mother-in-law (MIL) called me pissed that I could do that to my family and that I was the a****** for ignoring my family to play games. I told her that maybe if she raised her son better, it wouldn’t have come to this. My husband is angry, my MIL is angry. […] I have tried to talk to him about this before and have laid out exactly what can be done to help me. I get ignored.”

Reddit users were on this mother’s side.

“If your husband thinks that caring for four kids is ‘not exhausting,’ he can take care of them and the house on his day off!” one user wrote

“Take time for yourself and do not feel guilty about it!” another said

“If the kids are at home, you have a full-time job,” someone else commented.

If you enjoyed this story, you might also like reading about how a 19-year-old made a viral TikTok song with his mom.

More from In The Know:

Meet the man on a mission to make 10,000 new friends

This $25 subscription box brings BIPOC-owned beauty brands to your door

6 Curated gift guides to help you shop for everyone on your list

These colorful silicone bags make being sustainable home easy

Listen to the latest episode of our pop culture podcast, We Should Talk: