While most parents wake up at the crack of dawn and begin the morning routine to send their kids off to school, one dad revealed he’s bucking the trend in order to enjoy more of a restful sleep .
America’s anonymous father told Am I the A****** on Reddit thread that he didn’t want to wake up earlier to help his “overwhelmed” wife by sharing parenting duties – but he insisted he was nonetheless “an engaged and active parent”.
The disgruntled father-of-three, 38, revealed he shares three children with his 37-year-old wife. The children are eight, 10 and 12 years old.
While he expressed his preference for sleeping in, the father said he and his wife recently came to blows after she asked him to wake up at 6:45 a.m. to get the kids ready for the school bus. 7:45 a.m. In response to her request, he claims that they are old enough to prepare themselves.
In response to his predicament, readers called him “lazy” and unwilling to help his wife – even though many agreed with him that his children should be able to prepare for school.
Most parents have to get up to send their kids to school – and that often means early in the morning – but one dad wasn’t so willing to give up his beauty sleep (stock image)
The man told Reddit’s Am I the A*shole thread that he didn’t bother saying goodbye to his little ones – but insisted he was ‘an engaged and active parent’ .
As it stands, the unnamed father refuses to help his children get ready for school in the morning, which means his wife has to get up early and help them.
He argues that she should do less for the children in order to encourage them to be independent – but in response, she berates him for his lack of involvement.
While complaining about his wife’s parenting techniques, the man added that he thought she was too strict when it came to screen time, explaining that she only allowed the children to watch screens only two hours per week.
He argued, “As long as the homework is done, why not (give them screen time) until bedtime?” »
He complained of his wife’s “constant state of overwhelm” which left her “very easily irritated”, but claimed the stress came from “self-created holes” which he was then asked to remedy.
He complained that when he suggested his children make their own breakfast because they know how to make cereal, his wife countered and argued that cereal is not “substantial” enough. » for breakfast.
Happy to do his “fair share for the kids or the house,” the husband feared it would never be enough “because his standards are too high.”
He asked people on Reddit if he was being unreasonable by encouraging his wife to do less around the house, for both his sake and hers.
In response, some people criticized the father of three for being “lazy” and urged him to “become a truly engaged parent like your wife is.”
One parent even chimed in to say she had completely changed her job “to take over running the school,” leading others to praise her for being a “loving and caring parent.”
Another said: ‘It makes me sad for the kids that OP can be a part of the morning and just chooses not to when so many parents don’t even have a choice.’
And one user mocked the father’s claims that he was an engaged and active parent, saying: “I want to sleep late so my eight year old can get up and get ready for school on his own.” They can also watch television all day.
Another Reddit user compared his own childhood experience to that of the father’s three children and said they were preparing for school from first grade. However, the person added that it wasn’t fair and that they had an “abusive mother.”
The person explained: “I would come home from school, make my own dinner, do my homework and go to bed.
“But that’s because I had an abusive mother who only wanted child support from me. So OP, think about what type of parent you want to be and adjust accordingly.
A more sympathetic user told him, “Cereal is a healthy breakfast if you buy the right cereal,” but still felt that “a parent needs to stand up.”
