I broke my arm and asked my husband to help with our 5-month-old twins, but he refused, saying, « Moms don’t get days off. You wanted kids, so you take care of them » — so I gave him a lesson he would never forget.
A couple days earlier, I had fallen down our stairs and fractured my arm. The doctor put me in a cast and warned me not to lift anything heavy for several weeks.
With two 5-month-old babies, that sounded almost impossible.
I asked Derek if he could take an occasional day off, work from home sometimes, or even come home an hour earlier.
He rolled his eyes. « I have a job. I’m not sitting around with the kids. »
I stared at him. « Derek, my arm is BROKEN. I’m asking you to help me a little. »
He shrugged. « Sweetheart, you wanted kids. Moms don’t get sick days or days off. That’s not my problem. »
That sentence stayed with me.
I already handled the night feedings, diapers, doctor visits, walks, cooking, cleaning—almost everything. And Derek had wanted these babies just as much as I had.
Within days, exhaustion hit me so hard my mom started coming over to help.
Then one evening she couldn’t.
The babies needed baths, my cast was aching, and Derek had just walked through the door.
I broke my arm and asked my husband to help with our 5-month-old twins, but he refused, saying, « Moms don’t get days off. You wanted kids, so you take care of them » — so I gave him a lesson he would never forget.
