a firm backhand will do it.

When would you like to meet to be backhanded then

Yep, OP, I understand you work and come home, and unsure if you have to care for your parents daily/on-off or if they're IN your home! You and your wife need to sit down and talk, and perhaps give each other a break with child duties. Kids, especially younger kids, do not let up all day. The stay-at-home parent is the kids absolute norm and someday's they just walk all over you. There is no adult interaction during this stay at home order, there's no parks/daycare/grandparents/school/friends. The kids schedule and life is out of whack as much as it is for your wife. You are BOTH working all day. Again on the age of kids: me personally, I'm up 1-2 hours before my husband because of kids. He's asleep while I write this. He starts work in an hour. But he helps when he's 'Done' his job for 30m to an hour or so, and also puts them to bed a majority of the time. There's no off time for me, no 15 minute breaks or an hour lunch, no quiet time. So when he helps and takes over, I can sit for a bit, catch up on chores because I'm also now homeschooling, and it allows us to both END our day at the same time, together! Obviously this entire covid situation is a completely different issue, but just WORK with her. Explain your difficulties, listen to hers, pick days you can give each-other some time off. This is a very difficult time to fix things but it can be done!

I think we need to acknowledge that OPs wife is behaving in a really immature way. Yes, she is clearly not coping well with isolation. Yes, she clearly needs some help. But OP is an essential worker, as stated in the original post. Locking herself in her room and getting drunk, thereby forcing OP to stay home (away from his essential work) sounds like the equivalent of a tantrum. She seemed to want him to be "forced" into the same situation as her. To take away his "escape". This sort of manipulative behaviour is completely unacceptable. But again, she is clearly struggling. I also work in mental health, and these sorts of times really facilitate these struggles OPs wife is having. Nowhere to turn to. No way to escape. No real help. Either way, she handled it very poorly, selfishly, and immaturely.

Oh, well YES she's behaving very immaturely, of course! But sometimes people **** up and make bad decisions. Sometimes we have a lapse in judgement and do stupid things. There's obviously issues, but they need to work it out as she's really struggling!

nice inconsiderate novel. he is going to work where needed most in these times. as an essential worker my self. it is not escaping to work. there is just as much stress if not sometimes more stress on essential workers than those at home. seems to me that online help is what the spouse at home needs. not mouthing off uselessly without a solution.