Mom Uses Husband's Savings to Repurchase Their Daughter's Bicycle After He Sold It for Something 'Useful'

Most parents would be quick to say that their children are their whole world and that they would do literally anything they could to provide the best life for them.

Some of us grew up in toxic families; life was just a lot different 20+ years ago for many reasons. But those of us on the other side of those toxic relationships are now trying to navigate parenthood while avoiding the cycle of abuse and emotional trauma.

We want to be better and do better for ourselves and our children. Part of that is having a partner with the same goals and mindset as you.

What happens if you have children with someone whom you didn’t realize had toxic beliefs and no intention of growing away from them? What if you not only had children with them but married them as well, making separation much more difficult?

At what point do you take a serious evaluation of your life together and how their actions and beliefs will impact you and your children? A mom recently found herself in such a situation and turned to Reddit’s AITA community to get some fresh eyes on an interaction she was starting to doubt herself about.

Keep reading to see what happened and what other Redditors had to say.

A Truly Outrageous Story Once All Details Are Revealed

Bret Haskins

A Mother Shares a Jaw-Dropping Story About How Her Husband Returned Their Daughter's Bike Gifted by Her Uncle and Spent the Money on 'Something Useful.'

Redditor u/mammabearxx3 starts her story with some basic background: her brother bought her daughter a bicycle for her 11th birthday. This was a big-ticket item that she had been wanting for a while.

u/mammabearxx3

Things Quickly Took a Turn

After an unknown amount of time, OP finds out that her husband contacted her brother for the receipt for the bicycle and returned the gift while their daughter was at school. It turns out her husband kept the money for himself and had no plans to discuss this with anyone.

u/mammabearxx3

Obviously, Their Daughter Was Heartbroken

Her beloved gift was gone with no warning or reasonable justification. Of course, she would notice and be upset!

u/mammabearxx3

According to Her Husband, Their Child's Joy and Playtime Outside Was Just a 'Distraction'

Because 11-year-old kids no longer need to play, exercise, or spend time outside, right? Make them start earning their place. /sarcasm

u/mammabearxx3

Naturally, Like a Good Parent, OP Went Off on Her Husband

Pointing out the obvious, the bicycle wasn't his to touch, PERIOD. Her brother bought it for his niece, not for OP's husband to pocket the money.

u/mammabearxx3 u/mammabearxx3

She Calls It What It Is: Theft

And really, what kind of cold-hearted monster steals from their own child? When she demanded he hand over the money, he claimed it was already spent.

u/mammabearxx3

While Her Husband Played Dumb About Not Having Any Money Leftover from Returning the Bike, OP Knew Otherwise

Her husband kept money leftover from his paychecks for himself in their room. She took it upon herself to make things right and repurchased her daughter's bike using money he had squirreled away.

u/mammabearxx3

Missing the Irony, OP's Husband Lashed Out After Discovering She Took from His Stash

Thankfully, she stood her ground on the matter, pointing out that none of this would have happened if he hadn't been so selfish as to sell his daughter's bike.

u/mammabearxx3

He Claims That He Spent the Money on 'Necessities' for Their Home

Household necessities would be worthwhile to dip into your secret stash of funds, my dude.

u/mammabearxx3

He Steals from His Child to Afford 'Necessities' for the House, but Can Still Afford to Smoke?

u/mammabearxx3

The Explosive Fallout Had Negative Effects on Their Daughter

u/mammabearxx3 had to assure their daughter that she's doing nothing wrong by enjoying her bike. But being a child, it's easy to see why she would feel guilty about her bike now.

Her father is a ballistic narcissist who steals from his own children.

u/mammabearxx3

Her Husband Is Doing Everything He Can to Deflect Any Blame or Responsibility

He can't seriously believe she made him 'the bad guy' in this situation, right? Returning the bike and spending the money in the first place made him the bad guy.

u/mammabearxx3

The Amount of Gaslighting She's Faced from Her Husband Is Astounding

u/mammabearxx3 giphy

Redditors Were Quick to Point Out the Obvious: OP's Husband Is an Abusive AH

u/Dont-trust-it

Domestic Abuse Takes Many More Forms Than Physically Hurting Your Partner

u/keegeen

Truly, There Are So Many Red Flags OP Either Ignored or Missed Up Until This Point

u/PhillyMila215 giphy

Seriously, Smoking Is Not a Cheap Habit

u/Ribbon- giphy

OP and Her Daughter Deserve So Much Better.

u/Mobile-Feed-9928 giphy

Boo This Man

u/ToPiggyback giphy

Husband Is Definitely TA in This Situation

u/gw2kpro

Financial Abuse Is Still Abuse

u/Zorgas

Of course, this situation is more nuanced than can be covered in a few paragraphs on Reddit. It’s easy to sit behind a keyboard and tell them to take their daughter and leave their partner.

A lot of people in these situations are kept where they are due to finances, and reading through u/mammabearxx3’s post, it’s pretty clear they are just getting by with what they have. However, there are resources available.

If you or a loved one are in an abusive relationship, you can get help. For folks in the U.S., The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be a great resource. You can talk to someone via chat on their website, call, or text.

And for readers outside of the U.S., you can find a list of resources for your location HERE