A Fed-Up Mom Came Home to a Dirty Household & Her Response Has Reddit Applauding

One mom on Reddit is absolutely over having to tell her family again and again and (somehow!) again to do their damn chores. And so she got the best revenge and took her story to Reddit to find out if she took things too far.

This mom who originally posted (the “OP”) has 13-year-old twins, a 12-year-old, and an 8-month-old. She and her husband both work full-time jobs and she often has to work weekends.

She said she’s had a chore system in place since her kids were little. “But ever since I had the baby and since the kids are older, ALL of them have slacked off tremendously (including husband),” she lamented.

A Typical Day

Typically, OP picks up the baby from daycare around 5 p.m. When she gets home, she finds a messy house and her family relaxing.

“Honestly, the only issue I have is the dishes,” OP said. “I couldn’t give f*ck all about anything else (because the rest of the house generally isn’t dirty-dirty, just cluttered). But I have expressed several times that I am tired of having to wash all the dishes in order to cook.”

The Consequences

In the past, OP admits she has “lashed out in some not-so-nice ways” when her family doesn’t do their chores. She’s shut off the Internet and taken the cord with her to work so no one could use the WiFi or watch TV. She’s canceled family trips. She’s grounded the kids. And she’s gotten into big arguments with her husband.

“Things will change for a week to a month and then switch right back to them refusing to help,” she said.

What Happened This Time?

Over the weekend, OP went to work while her husband stayed home with the kids. Before she left, she reminded everyone to do their chores and was met with a chorus of “yes, ma’am.”

Around 4:30 p.m., she texted her husband to find out what everyone wanted for dinner and went shopping for the ingredients. And you probably know where this is going. She came home to find that “not a single dish” was washed and that at least 10 had been added to the pile. Additionally, only one load of laundry had been washed and was just sitting in the washer. (The clothes hadn’t even been moved to the dryer, so you just know they were in there developing that lovely sour smell!)

AITA for going out to eat without my husband/kids because they didn’t wash the dishes?
byu/CardiologistLeast404 inAITAH

OP then found her husband watching YouTube on the couch, her kids playing video games, and the baby in her walker. “So, I put the groceries on the table, packed a bag for the baby, and told my husband, ‘Have at it, I’m going to Applebee’s’ and left.”

Yes! She! Did!

What Next?

About 20 minutes later, OP got an apologetic (sorta) call from her husband saying he washed the dishes (whoa! It’s that quick and easy?!) and was “super tired” today. She told him that’s “zero excuse” and reminded them they have three t(w)eens who could have helped. “It’s pure laziness at this point.”

He proceeded to ask her to come home because he didn’t know how to make the dinner he requested. (YOU’RE JOKING, RIGHT?!) “I told him no, I’m sitting at Applebee’s and will be enjoying my steak and shrimp with the baby in peace and that he and the older kids can fend for themselves because apology or not, I’m not letting him off the hook here.”

“When I returned home the groceries had been put away and apparently they had grilled cheese and cereal for dinner,” OP said. “My husband and kids are still pissed at me. I told them this is how it will be every single time they don’t do chores from now on.”

So she wants to know, was she an a—hole?

Reddit’s Reaction

Reddit is giving this mom of four a round of applause for holding her ground and is giving this husband some serious side eye. He couldn’t wash the dishes? He couldn’t muster the energy to ask the kids to move the clothes to the dryer? He didn’t have the wherewithal to not ask his wife to make dinner and to just Google the recipe instead?”

“NTA! In fact, BRAVO!” one person said, garnering 6.6 thousand upvotes. “Your husband is the AH here. He’s the damn parent and for him to sit on his a** and wait for you to do everything is TFBS. Stand your ground! … Great post btw!”

“This is how you enforce a boundary in a healthy way to make sure you don’t get trampled on. NTA and good for you,” one user said.

Redditors are (rightfully) stuck on the fact that this dad is setting a terrible example by not doing his own chores and that it’s not fair to always make Mom look like the bad guy. They’re also curious as to why she took the baby with her. She could have had a night fully to herself. Then again…

“I couldn’t leave my baby with an incompetent gobshite like him tbh,” one Redditor said.

Some people said the dad and teens sound like toddlers, while others said their toddlers are way better than this. “My 2-year-old is more helpful … I go to put on a load of washing. He’s right there helping me load it. The groceries come he’s passing me items from the bag and telling me what they are.”

Ultimately, Redditors are so proud that OP ended up “eatin’ good in the neighborhood.”

“Good for you for standing your ground and keep up the good work. Too damned bad they’re pissed. They have nobody but their own lazy a**es to blame for that,” one person said, and the masses quickly agreed.