A mum-of-two says she can’t stop thinking about her husband’s harsh words, after she confided in him about her exhaustion and feeling overwhelmed.

The stay-at-home-mum has three children under the age of seven, including one with autism. At Christmas she told her husband she was ‘overwhelmed and exhausted’ because she was so behind with everything.

His response? “Why? You don’t have a job.”

“It’s now February and I’m still so upset by it and feel each thing I do during the day I’m building in my head of ‘and this is why it’s non stop busy all the time’,” she explained.

“My husband works away and was only home at weekends and it’s always been like that but now works abroad and only home here and there and it’s been like that for 1.5 years. We have no family help. Friends offer to help but I feel a burden accepting as my kids are very energetic and the autistic one has a lot of melt downs which are tough for anyone not used to it including my husband.

“As it’s always me they all get very upset being away from me too and play up for anyone looking after them as they are small and don’t vocalise feelings of missing me. The smallest always used to get upset stomachs if I left them.”

After she wasn’t able to forget about the comment, she confronted her husband, telling him how upset he’d made her.

“He replied he didn’t mean it like that and it’s more what am I doing for others that means I’m not finding time to clean the house, have time to myself etc. I do something one day a week for others that needs half a day prep the day before.

“But his comment defending himself made me feel even worse as he just can’t see how busy it is doing everything alone, all the club runs too for 3 kids. The autistic one cannot switch off at night and is normally still awake wanting me for reassurance until 9.30/10 if not later each night.”

On top of everything, her husband also wants his wife to return to the workforce.

“I just can’t see how I can cope. I guess I’ve always felt invisible as to what I do as when he used to come home at weekends he would sleep in both days as he was tired from work and not think how tired I was solo parenting during the week and being up so many times at night feeding babies etc.

“How do I go about being seen or am I best to just give myself a slap and carry on and realise it’s never going to change. Just feeling totally broken physically and mentally.”

What’s your advice for this exhausted mum? Share it in the comments below.