Even the most capable people need a moment to catch their breath.

One woman dealt with the stress of managing her deceased mother’s estate, all while juggling being a stay-at-home-mom. So when she let her husband know she needed a moment to rest and recharge, his unexpected reaction made her feel quite unsupported.

Read on for the full story!

AITA for taking a preemptive night alone?

My husband (50M) is leaving for a four-day work trip. He just got back from another work event that was five days out of town.

We have two kids, 14 and 6, and they’re on summer break.

This stay-at-home-mom has been dealing with a heavy load recently.

I (45F) WFH and am handling the estate of my mother who died without a will, which is a little soul-crushing every day. (Imagine having to recount the worst day of your life over and over again to insurance adjusters, lawyers, etc.)

So when her husband planned to leave down again, she knew she was in for even more responsibilities.

When my husband let me know he was going out of town again for a work event, I planned a night to take a bath, read my book, and have some wine.

I’m going to be Mom and Dad for the next four days while WFH, and I know I’ll be in a better place if I can front-load some alone time.

Her husband, however, wasn’t supportive at all.

Husband is ticked. “It’s not a vacation, it’s work!”

But this isn’t how she sees it at all.

I never said it’s a vacation. But working full-time here and managing two kids while your spouse is out of town is a lot. I’m already stretched thin with my own work, the kids, and my mom’s estate, and I’m exhausted.

I was just trying to build reserves so I wasn’t fried while he was gone.

AITA?

Balancing work, grief, and parenting is hard enough without feeling guilty for needing rest.

What did Reddit make of all this?

This husband doesn’t seem to fully understand what being a SAHM entails.

This user thinks she should dig deeper into her husband’s reaction.

Her husband does get plenty of rest that he doesn’t seem to be acknowledging.

Maybe she really just needs to spell it out for her husband.

Her husband should be supportive of her taking care of herself, not critical of it.

She shouldn’t need her husband’s permission to care for herself.

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.