When personal boundaries collide with good intentions, tensions can run high.

So, what would you do if your partner ignored your repeated requests for space while you were trying to focus, and then storms off when confronted? Would you hold firm? Or would you try to smooth things over?

In today’s story, a wife finds herself caught between her need for space in the kitchen and her husband’s unsolicited help.

Let’s see how it all unfolded.

AITA for telling my 33f husband 42m to back off when I’m cooking?

I cook most of the meals in our house and do most of the domestic chores in general.

I am also an anxious person, and I’ve told my husband so many times that when I’m cooking, I don’t want him watching over my shoulder. Number one, because it makes me flustered, and two, because it makes it harder to move around the kitchen.

Her husband can’t seem to take a hint.

Two nights ago, I was making Persian rice for us when he asked if I needed help.

I said no, thanks.

Then he came into the kitchen, and I told him to go away.

Then he came back in and was in my personal space, looking into the pan I was working on.

I told him to stop hovering.

Frustrated, he slammed the door and isn’t speaking to her now.

Then he said, “I’m just trying to help and make sure we have good tahdig.”

To which I said, “You’ve never even made tahdig from start to finish before.”

Then he said, “I’m not hungry,” and slammed his office door and blew off dinner.

It’s now been 2 days of not talking to me.

She wishes he would hang out without criticizing or leave her alone.

It feels unfair that I asked him to give me my space, and he wouldn’t back off.

I was trying to make dinner for us and wasn’t asking for much in return. And it feels like he’s really punishing me for being annoyed that he wouldn’t listen to me when I asked him to back off.

For context, I would also love it if he was just hanging out with me while I cook. The problem is that he doesn’t remove himself from his computer screen to come hang out with me; he only does it to check that I’m doing things his way.

AITA?

Yikes! That’s a tough situation.

Let’s see what type of advice the folks over at Reddit have to offer her.

His actions were a bit much for the situation.

It does seem like he disrespects her wishes repeatedly.

Yes, very toxic.

This person is not wrong.

The husband needs to grow up.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a guy who was forced to sleep on the couch at his wife’s family’s house, so he went to a hotel instead.