“I Sent My Lazy Wife Back to Work: Now I’m Stuck Raising Our Son Alone”

I always thought my wife, Emily, was a hardworking woman. We both had demanding jobs, and we managed to keep our household running smoothly. But everything changed when she took her maternity leave after our son, Jake, was born. At first, I was supportive and understanding. After all, taking care of a newborn is no small feat. But as the months went by, I began to notice a disturbing pattern: Emily seemed to be doing less and less around the house.

While I was juggling my full-time job and household chores, Emily spent most of her days lounging around. She claimed she was exhausted from taking care of Jake, but I couldn’t help but feel she was taking advantage of the situation. I was the one waking up at night to soothe our crying baby, cooking meals, and cleaning up after everyone. It felt like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders.

One evening, after a particularly grueling day at work, I came home to find the house in complete disarray. Dishes were piled up in the sink, laundry was scattered everywhere, and Emily was on the couch watching TV. Jake was in his playpen, crying for attention. That was the breaking point for me.

“Emily, this can’t go on,” I said, trying to keep my frustration in check. “You need to go back to work. I can’t do this alone.”

She looked at me with a mixture of surprise and anger. “You think it’s easy taking care of a baby all day? You have no idea how hard it is!”

“Maybe I don’t,” I admitted. “But I can’t keep doing everything by myself. We need to share the responsibilities.”

Reluctantly, Emily agreed to return to work. We found a daycare for Jake, and she resumed her job. I thought things would get better, but I was wrong. Instead of feeling relieved, I felt overwhelmed. Balancing my job with taking care of Jake in the evenings and weekends was more challenging than I had anticipated.

Emily’s return to work didn’t improve her attitude either. She came home tired and irritable, often snapping at me for no reason. Our relationship grew strained, and we started arguing more frequently. The stress of our situation was taking a toll on both of us.

One night, after another heated argument, Emily packed her bags and left. She said she needed some time away to clear her head. I was left alone with Jake, feeling abandoned and helpless.

Raising Jake on my own has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Every day is a struggle to keep up with his needs while managing my job and household chores. I’ve had to make sacrifices, like cutting back on work hours and relying on friends and family for support.

I never imagined my life would turn out this way. I thought sending Emily back to work would solve our problems, but it only made things worse. Now, I’m left to pick up the pieces and figure out how to move forward.

As I sit here writing this, Jake is finally asleep in his crib. The house is quiet, but my mind is racing with thoughts of what went wrong and how I can make things right. I don’t have all the answers, but one thing is clear: raising a child is a team effort, and without Emily by my side, it’s an uphill battle.