Stay-At-Home Mom Realizes She Married A Man-Child After He Had A Massive Tantrum Over A "Cheap" $180 Christmas Gift
The 33-year-old adult, father, and husband claimed it was the last and cheapest item on his Christmas wishlist.
Folks, remember when you were a child and looked forward to all the Christmas gifts you'd receive during the holidays? Well, as an adult, the gift-giving is even more anticipated—at least for this stay-at-home mom and her husband.
The 29-year-old took to Reddit to seek advice about a marital problem. Apparently, the OP's (original poster) husband is accusing her of ruining his Christmas by getting him the cheapest item on his wishlist.
OP used to work but is currently unable to due to unspecified medical issues. Her husband is the sole income earner in their family.
Due to significantly fewer funds, OP admits that she struggles with money and doesn't have what one would consider "fun money." Her husband gives her a stipend for groceries and other necessities, but she has to borrow from time to time when she has an immediate need for hygiene products.
Fast forward to Christmas, and her husband gifts her $600. OP was delighted, thinking she could finally buy him a much better Christmas gift to match the gift he had just given her.
OP went shopping and decided to buy him the least expensive item on his wishlist. The "cheapest" gift was a pair of $180 shoes in his favorite color.
She kept the gift a secret from him until it was time to open presents at his parents' home. OP thought she had bought him the perfect gift until she saw his reaction.
Her husband saw the $180 sneakers and looked extremely upset, which puzzled OP.
OP asked what was wrong, and he replied, "Why in the blue hell" would OP waste money on the sneakers, the cheapest thing on his wishlist? OP explained that they were the only gift she could afford.
He told her that was bullsh*t because he had given her $600. According to him, it was the perfect amount of money for a new gaming console, which was at the top of his wishlist.
This adult man-child tantrum was happening in front of his parents. OP felt horrible about the whole awkward situation, but she couldn't do anything except stand there and absorb it all.
OP said she was sorry, but she needed the rest of the money to buy other essentials. Her husband, of course, took this the wrong way, thinking OP was blaming him for not giving her enough money.
He said OP was irresponsible with cash and that they wouldn't be struggling so badly if she were just less wasteful. OP defended herself, stating that she doesn't have enough money because she medically can't work, not because she's bad with money.
Plus, she told him he could have bought the console himself if he really wanted to. The husband said he wouldn't do that even if he could because people would judge him for buying something for himself.
Fresh-Ad9433
Fresh-Ad9433
"I need essential stuff like hygiene products."
Fresh-Ad9433
Fresh-Ad9433
"I gave you $600"
Fresh-Ad9433
His parents tried to mediate, but OP's husband was having none of it.
He told her he was disappointed and that OP ruined his Christmas by buying him the $180 sneakers he wanted. He stormed off, went upstairs, and refused to talk to OP.
He only spoke to her when they got home, and the argument started all over again. He childishly repeated that OP ruined his Christmas and kept telling her she did a good job of screwing up.
Fresh-Ad9433
The 33-year-old man wants his wife to apologize for the "cheap" present she got him instead of the gaming console he secretly wanted her to buy.
Should OP apologize to the father of her children after he threw a fit over a Christmas present? Should OP reveal that Santa isn't real, or do you think she should wait until he's 50 years old before breaking this news?
Fresh-Ad9433
Hopeful that OP saw this top comment summarizing how she's being abused by her man-child of a husband.
kokihi_55
She can also use the comments on her Reddit post as an outsider's perspective.
jessicajeanapril
Nothing about his behavior and tantrum is acceptable.
GoodGirlsGrace
He's not giving her enough money, so OP has to borrow just to buy essential items! Then he belittles her efforts and role as a stay-at-home mom. This guy's a keeper.
GoodGirlsGrace
A gift isn't really a gift if you expect the person to spend it on you.
zachrg
He sounds like a stand-up guy!
MayorCleanPants
It is not OP's fault at all. Maybe this post will be her wake-up call to finally see what's been happening in front of her.
Laurelinn
His parents didn't try hard enough to stop their son from behaving like an absolute jerk.
Laurelinn
That $600 gift should have been OP's chance to splurge on herself after working so hard as a mom and keeping up with a moron like her husband.
runswithwands
It's going to take a long time before OP re-learns that she deserves better than this guy and how awful he has been to her.
notaverage256
Living with a man like OP's husband should be considered a toxic working environment.
Exact-Glove-5026
He gave her money to pamper herself, but he really wanted her to spend it on him so he wouldn't be judged for buying a console himself. What?
Fresh-Ad9433
It would take a lot of guts and hard work for OP to walk away from this relationship, but she really should.
Electrical-Date-3951
It feels like this one story is just the visible part of the iceberg. As some Redditors pointed out, the fact that OP is questioning whether she's an a**hole in this situation is worrisome.
This means that her husband has been undermining her long enough that she doesn't trust her own judgment. OP and her kids should run for the hills while wearing those $180 sneakers.
