It’s important for parents to figure out how they’re going to balance work, household chores and parenting duties.

If you worked from home while caring for your kids, would you think it was reasonable to ask your partner to watch the kids while you make dinner?

A 30-year-old mother balances part-time remote work with caring for her one- and two-year-old children.

When her husband comes home from his job, she immediately starts dinner—while asking him to manage the kids for just 20–30 minutes to keep them safe and out of the kitchen.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t always go well.

Read on for the story.

AITAH for making my husband solo parent for 30 mins a day

I just want to preface that my husband is aware I’m making this post. We’re not at each others throats about this, but we’re definitely not in agreement.

So I’m 30F and he’s 34m, we have two kids, 1 and 2 years old. I work from home part time, 12pm-5:30pm Monday through Friday. I also watch our two kids.

In the morning they get all my attention, and it’s not too bad, but in the afternoons after their naps when I’m trying to work, keeps them entertained and taken care of it’s quite difficult.

Here’s how the evenings go.

We’re actively working on a different solution, but this is what we have to do now.

My husband comes home right around 5:30 when I get off, and I immediately start getting dinner ready.

I hate laundry and he hates cooking so we have an agreement that I do all the cooking and he does all the laundry and I don’t mind at all.

Oh brother.

The only thing I ask is for him to watch the kids and keep them out of the kitchen for 20-30 mins while I get dinner ready for us all.

It’s always a struggle for him, and I know he’s tired after working all day too, but I really need to be able keep them out so they’re safe and I can get it done.

He usually asks for help, when one is fussing or he has to go to the bathroom or whatever.

Surely, he can handle this.

Tonight, I was in the middle of cooking, hands dirty, stove and oven on, and he asked if I could help change one of the kids while he held the other cause he was being fussy.

I told him no, that I do this all day by myself AND work, and all I need is 20 minutes to cook for everyone.

He got really upset at this saying that’s not fair cause I am home now and I can stop for 5 minutes to help.

Sometimes it’s easier just to do something than to argue about it.

I finally caved and helped but I feel like it’s not that much to ask for 20-30 minutes to cook.

I want to add that any other time we’re both home we work together letting each other have breaks, time to relax, and both help play and take care of them, the care is very evenly split when we’re both home.

So AITAH for initially refusing to help my husband with our kids while trying to cook?

Reddit sided with her. After a full day of childcare and work, asking for half an hour to cook without interruptions is reasonable, not unfair!

This person has some suggestions.

This person completely ragged on him.

And this person is giving him a permanent eye roll.

Every parent deserves 20 minutes without a toddler tug-of-war!

If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.