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

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If weaponized incompetence were an Olympic sport, some folks would get a gold medal without even trying

Man lounging on sofa with a vacuum cleaner, demonstrating weaponized incompetence in a living room setting.

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

Man lying in bed, appearing frustrated, illustrating weaponized incompetence in relationships.

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

Doctor examining young girl’s ear with otoscope in a medical setting.

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 herhusbandto handle the drop-off duties. Easy, right? Wrong.

The husband claimed he was toosickto 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 wenthome, expecting to find her husband pitifully bedridden. But instead, he was casually at the grocery store, having miraculously recovered enough to goshoppingand 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 soloparentthan 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.

Upset woman with hand on forehead, symbolizing frustration over husband’s weaponized incompetence at home.

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?”

But that’s not how a marriage works, now is it?Marriageshould 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 toend 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.

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

Reddit comment discussing handling children’s daycare responsibilities with a man-child husband.

Reddit comment discussing weaponized incompetence in marriage dynamics.

Text comment about partner’s lack of basic responsibility and its impact on family dynamics.

Screenshot of a comment discussing weaponized incompetence in a relationship.

Text screenshot about husband using weaponized incompetence in a relationship discussion.

Comment discussing free time gained from leaving a man-child husband.

Text on image discussing humor in a child’s quick recovery, referencing weaponized incompetence in relationships.

Reddit comment discussing husband’s weaponized incompetence and lack of improvement.

Text exchange discussing divorce due to weaponized incompetence, highlighting marital struggles.

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