You know those people who suddenly become hopelessly bad at something just when it’s their turn to do it? It’s like watching someone “forget” how a dishwasher works or act like boiling some pasta requires a master’s degree. Convenient, right? It’s a clever little trick to dodge responsibility and make sure someone else picks up the slack.
One mom took to Reddit to spill some piping hot tea about her husband’s creative approach to avoid responsibility. And let’s just say, if weaponized incompetence were an Olympic sport, this guy might be going for gold.
More info: Reddit
If weaponized incompetence were an Olympic sport, some folks would get a gold medal without even trying
Image credits: RDNE Stock project / Pexels (not the actual photo)
One woman considers divorcing her husband after he pretends to be very sick just so he doesn’t have to take the kids to daycare
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The woman wakes up early for work and asks her husband to take the kids to the doctor and daycare, but he says he is very sick and can’t get out of bed
Image credits: uprevich / Freepik (not the actual photo)
When she returns from work, the woman finds the house spotless and freshly-cleaned, but her husband is not sick in bed, he is out shopping
Image credits: Electrical_Cat_131
Fed up with her husband’s weaponized incompetence, which is actually a repetitive pattern, the woman considers leaving him because of it
The OP (original poster) started her day at 6 a.m., as most moms do, waking up ready to tackle her shift at work. With her toddler’s audiology appointment scheduled for 8 a.m., she’d passed the baton to her husband to handle the drop-off duties. Easy, right? Wrong.
The husband claimed he was too sick to function, complete with sweating, a sore ear, and what sounded like a PhD-level case of “man flu.” Our supermom suggested he handle the morning duties anyway and then spend the rest of the day recovering in bed.
But nope, this dude flat-out refused, leaving her scrambling to take the kids to daycare and to the doctor, then get to work, running late because of his sudden, but very convenient “illness.”
At the end of the day, our mom went home, expecting to find her husband pitifully bedridden. But instead, he was casually at the grocery store, having miraculously recovered enough to go shopping and clean the house until it was spotless. I don’t know which miracle pill he took, but I sure would love to know the name of it.
The OP confesses that this behavior is part of a pattern, leaving her feeling more like a solo parent than an equal partner. And honestly, it’s no wonder she’s contemplating pulling the plug on the relationship. After all, there’s only so much weaponized incompetence a wife can take.
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
So, what is weaponized incompetence? It’s when someone deliberately performs a task poorly, or pretends they can’t do it at all, to avoid responsibility. Think: “Oops, I can’t fold the laundry right!” or “I burnt the meat last time, are you sure you want me to cook dinner?”
The pros say that this manipulation technique is especially harmful for the kids, as it teaches them toxic behavior by showing them that one parent has no responsibility. The result? The other partner picks up the slack, creating an unequal dynamic that just breeds resentment.
But that’s not how a marriage works, now is it? Marriage should be a team effort, not a solo act. In other words, Supermom isn’t a nag—she’s just burned out, and understandably so. After all, when you start to feel like you’re parenting your partner, it might be time to reconsider things. And our OP did too, considering leaving her husband for his attitude.
When it’s time to end a marriage, there are a few signs that are hard to ignore. If every conversation turns into a fight, you feel more like roommates than partners, or your mental health is taking a hit, it might be time to reassess.
Sure, all relationships take work, but they shouldn’t feel like a full-time job with overtime. If your partner consistently makes you feel undervalued, unsupported, or downright miserable, it’s worth considering whether staying together is doing more harm than good. After all, life’s too short to spend it picking up someone else’s slack.
What’s your take on this story? Share your comments below!
Netizens say the man is a jerk for pretending to be sick to get out of parenting duties, encouraging the woman to stop enabling him
