Grrrrrr....

Is it just my husband? Are all men like this or is mine especially self-centered?

This is a conversation we had this morning:

Me: Just a reminder, my half-day vacations end today. We'll need you to bring Olivia to me next Thursday for gymnastics.

Him: What? I thought she was taking time off gymnastics until I'm up there full time.

Me (confused): No. You wanted her to take the month of October off so you could finish the remodel/cleaning of the house so it could get listed for sell. I rearranged my vacation schedule so she wouldn't have to do that.

Him (voice raised just a little): That's not how it was supposed to be. It doesn't make sense for me to drive 130 miles just for her to have 40 minutes of gymnastics.

Me (remaining calm, much to my amazement and amusement): I don't remember it that way. But I've already paid for this session so...

Him (annoyed): So I guess I'll just have to do it. But it's a waste of my time to do this. I guess I'll just have to plan for Thursdays to be our family visit day.

Me: Hey, I'm sorry I didn't understand that you wanted me to cancel her gymnastics indefinitely until you're up here full time.

Him (backtracking): I'm not mad. I just...I know it sounds selfish (You think?) but even though we'll be using that time as my time to see my family, because I want to see you, and so I have to see you, I think having it be scheduled makes it harder.


Whatever.

He's being a jerk as far as I'm concerned. He doesn't want to have to schedule and plan his time to 'visit his family.' To be honest, the fact that he's staying down there in that house 'until it sells' reeks of selfishness to me.

Sure, it makes it easier for him to show the house, but it also gives him limitless alone time, time to list his items on ebay without the distraction of a wife and two children who will make demands on his time and attention.

Just yesterday, I thanked him, THANKED HIM, for coming to see us on Tuesday. I know. It's insane. And during my show of appreciation, I told him we miss him. But I was careful to tell him that I wasn't trying to make him feel guilty.

And he replied..."Oh, don't worry. I don't feel any guilt."

No guilt over being away from his children for days at a time. NO GUILT over the fact that I do 100% of the parenting these days because he's NOT HERE.

Is it just my husband? Or would most men/fathers not feel guilty over this?

I go away one weekend a year. ONE. WEEKEND. A. YEAR. And I feel guilty. But I'm going to work on that. Because it's bullshit. It's ridiculous.

I'm not even angry at this point. I'm incredulous over the insanity of that conversation. And yeah, I might just 'forget' and pay for the next session just because I'm that kind of wife. Evil.