A pregnant woman has been urged ‘to walk away’ from her relationship after revealing her partner asked her to cook an elaborate Christmas dinner for his family without any help.
Writing on Mumsnet, the UK-based mother-to-be explained that she had never prepared a Christmas meal before and that she had been looking forward to a quiet festive period.
However, her partner who she says is ‘from another country’, asked her to make a traditional spread from his culture – prompting one user to tell her to ‘rethink’ her relationship unless she wants a ‘dog’s life’.
She explained that her partner’s cousin, her partner and his brother would be attending, and she would be expected to provide ‘a whole spread of their traditional Christmas dishes.’
The woman, who said she has never cooked any kind of Christmas dinner before, added that she had no ‘clue where to start’, not least because she hadn’t even managed to find recipes for the relevant dishes in English.
Worried that her food would be criticised and that she would be ‘overwhelmed’ by the enormous task, she voiced her reservations to her partner – but he reportedly branded her ‘miserable’.
What’s more, he didn’t show any willingness to help with the cooking, according to the woman.
While she said she understands her partner’s wish to have a Christmas in ‘his own culture’ after having always had a ‘British Christmas’ at her parents’ house, the Mumsnet user did not accept that she should be solely responsible for the cooking.
The anonymous woman said she hadn’t ever prepared a Christmas dinner before and had failed to find the recipes for her partner’s favoured dishes in English
The Mumsnet user explained that she was now ‘dreading’ Christmas after her partner’s demands
But, for the woman, the food was not the only problem when it came to having her partner’s family to stay for the festive period.
She added: ‘We’re trying to save for a house and I had already declined to go to my family for Christmas to take away pressure of buying presents.’
Hosting her partner’s relatives would undoubtedly be expensive while organising ‘sleeping spaces’ for everyone would leave her exhausted, she suggested.
Since posting about her predicament on Tuesday morning, the anonymous woman has been inundated with more than 600 angry messages, many urging her to leave her ‘selfish’ partner.
One person said: ‘I think you might have made a mistake with this man.’
Another added: ‘Is this how you want your future to be? Rethink your Christmas plans. Go to your folks’ and think about what you expect from your life.’
A third person didn’t hold back when they said of her partner: ‘He is showing you who he is. Selfish. Head off home to your family and leave him to cool. This is not normal behaviour. This is your future. Being made a complete fool of. Wake up.
‘Just noticed you’re pregnant. Oh dear OP. Rethink this. Go home to your parents. You have a dog’s life ahead of you. Good men don’t do this. Selfish a******** whose mask is slipping’.
Mumsnet users were quick to comment on the woman’s post, with many urging her to leave her partner
A fourth agreed: ‘He’s not the one OP [original poster]. Give yourself an early Christmas present and choose a better life for yourself.’
While a fifth added: ‘Oh girl, this is going to be your life. Never too late to walk away’.
A sixth person said: ‘This is madness. He wants you to cook because he doesn’t like cooking? But he’s invited people for dinner? Just go to your mother’s.’
A seventh blithely commented: ‘Tell you’re partner you’re not doing it and he can tell them they aren’t coming as you’ve got a prior engagement.’
And an eighth Mumsnet user was resolute when they said: ‘Tell him he can cook if he likes. I wouldn’t be stressing finding recipes, I’d go and visit your parents for the duration and leave him to enjoy his precious family time.’
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Pregnant woman is urged to leave her partner after he demands she cooks ‘a full foreign Christmas dinner’ for his family who she’s only met once – and he refuses to help
Dining and Cooking