“My Husband’s Jaw Hit The Floor”: Wife Throws Rings In The Ocean After Husband’s Cruel ‘Prank’
Though jokes are meant to be funny, not all of them are; especially pranks, which tend to be based on playing with someone’s emotions.
For this redditor, it was her husband whose prank ended up hurting her feelings. Not only that, it led to quite a significant financial loss for the family, too, as her spouse’s jokes resulted in her getting rid of her rings worth roughly $10,000.
Pranks seem to be a controversial topic as they are not equally well-received by everyone
Image credits: LightFieldStudios / Envato (not the actual photo)
This woman’s husband pranked her by saying that he had an affair, neither one was laughing in the end
Image credits: LightFieldStudios / Envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Dry_Cellist2768
Some pranks resemble bullying more than anything else
Image credits: Kampus Production / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The husband’s prank based on him having an affair clearly hurt the OP, even if she only believed his confession for a second. That is a likely outcome in many similar scenarios, since, as fellow redditors in the comments pointed out, saying that it was all a joke does not eradicate the damage that has already been done.
A 3-year-long study on pranking and practical jokes found that there is an extremely strong link between a person enjoying planning and executing pranks on people and said people showing no trust in or affection for the jokester.
“People don’t react well to abject cruelty and psychological torture, even if you laugh maniacally immediately afterward and say you ‘got them so good’,” the lead researcher on the study, Dan Margera pointed out. “In fact, the laughter seems to make it worse, if anything.”
With pranks often balancing on the verge of bullying, it’s no surprise that they might not be well-received or even break someone’s trust. The only way for a joke to make relationships stronger instead of damaging them, according to child psychotherapist and spokesperson for the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP), Rachel Melville-Thomas, is to laugh together.
“What we want to do is laugh together – laughing together creates cohesion in social groups,” she told BBC, discussing the trend of cracking an egg on someone’s head. “If you’re the victim of a prank, [for it to be funny], you have to very quickly join in and go ‘Ah, that was such a clever prank’. It’s hard to see how that happens if you smack someone on the head.”
Some people are considered off-limits when it comes to pranks
Image credits: lil artsy / Pexels (not the actual photo)
While some people love pranking their loved ones all year round, there is one day when your chances of being pranked get x times bigger; that is, of course, April Fools Day. But even then, not everyone is equally amused by practical jokes.
Statistics reveal that when it comes to April Fools Day, people seem to be split more or less evenly into two camps—nearly the same number of them find the pranks annoying, as they do amusing. There are, however, some differences, depending on the age group the person belongs to.
For instance, among those 18 to 24 years of age, the two groups are divided nearly perfectly equally—39% vs 40%, the latter number representing those who find pranks annoying. Among those ages 25 to 34, the difference is more notable, with 52% being amused by practical jokes and only 33% being annoyed by them. Among 34-44 year olds, the majority seem to dislike pranks, resulting in 43% vs 47% on the polls.
People’s views on pranks tend to differ not only depending on their age; another factor to whether or not they would even consider pranking someone is the target themselves. Data from 2015 shows that the majority of people consider bosses, teachers, and children off-limits when it comes to April fools’ jokes, while the most likely targets are siblings, spouses, and best friends.
Needless to say, the OP didn’t find her spouse’s prank to be amusing, nor did the prankster himself when he saw what it resulted in. And while both blamed each other for being the jerk in the situation, fellow redditors didn’t reach a unanimous vote either.
The OP provided more details in the comments
Some netizens didn’t think the woman was a jerk, they put the fault on the husband
Others believed she didn’t have to throw away her rings
There were people who thought everyone was at fault in the situation
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"Throwing the rings" is actually a pretty normal response to the traumatic end of a relationship. He threw away their relationship, she threw away the rings. It's instinctive, and for those blaming her for throwing away expensive and sentimental rings: the rings are sentimental because of the relationship, if the relationship has just been trashed, that sentiment has been betrayed. Expensive? No one is thinking "This ring is $10k" when they toss it, anymore than she's going to say "how could you cheat? Our wedding dinner cost $120 a plate?". Throwing the rings in his face, out the window, on the ground, etc is normal, they just happened to be on a boat. She made an emotional response to severe emotional pain and shock. In retrospect, yeah, could have sold those. But she wasn't thinking about money, just that he had betrayed her and broken her heart. Doing that "as a joke" is psychological torture. Who deliberately inflicts that kind of pain on someone they claim to love?
Yeah they aren't that sentimental anymore if they come from a relationship that ended in an affair which is exactly what she thought.
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The idiots here that are calling the wife TA are probably men (or at least narcissistic b***ards! WIFE YOU ARE NOT TA HERE!!!!
I’d be willing to bet that most of the people naming her TA were men that have cheated on their partner. :p
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Mischievousness is one of my least favourite qualities in an adult. It's surprising how many men, even older ones, hold on to it as evidence of their youthful spirit, but it's just a way of upsetting people and getting attention without any consequences. Well, this time he got consequences.
I hate pranks and pranksters. They”re not funny at all. And to do it on a boat? I think tossing the rings is a pretty predictable outcome.
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Some things should never be joked about. She should have thrown him in after them.
You are married to an a*****e. Is that how you want to spend the rest of your life?
Dump him. That's not a "prank", that's mental abuse. [ ................. ] As for "pranks", if someone says "Never do that to me", DON'T DO IT.
This is second or third time this week there's bee a story of some idiot playing this same "joke". What the hell is wrong with people in their head that they think anyone would find it funny to be told they were being cheated on? How the hell do they find that to be a joke? smh
I'm wondering if some of these people are actually cheating and trying to gauge the spouse's reaction while pretending they're joking.
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What did he think was going to happen? He's lucky she didn't throw him overboard. How in the hell is she supposed to know it's a joke and keep her emotions in check? That's asinine. Jesus Christ people are absolutely idiotic. Also, the question of here who should replace the rings is equally stupid. They're f*****g married you dumbass, they probably will share the cost.
Notice that all the comments claiming YTA or ESH are blaming her for having emotions. Typical patriarchal bull***t: women should be meek, mild mannered and composed, while men toy with their emotions w***y-nilly. Dude did a horrible thing just to get her reaction & she reacted. Pretty mildly, if you ask me 🤷♀️ She didn't yell, didn't call him names or use violence, she just walked away and threw the symbol of what he just told her she lost - their marriage & love - to the water. And apparently to some it's still "too emotional" 🤦♀️
What part of " I had an affair " was meant to be " funny....?? " I mean, seriously, how did he expect his wife to react?? " Lol, you're so funny, I'm glad I married you....?? Her reaction was totally justified, you don't" joke " about having an affair, you just don't, all that " man " has managed to accomplish is; ruining his wife's life, making her lose those rings ( which HE is responsible for, she wouldn't have thrown them in a normal situation....) and ultimately, ending their marriage... Dumb fuc*....
If it's an open sloop, the rings into the water is pretty much inevitable and NAH at all. If she's standing indoors in say a sailboat (with sea level around waist) then yeah you had half a second to realize "he's ballast but these have a value"... yeah I think if you believe him at that moment you'd be so upset you don't think about cost, NAH at all. I don't understand how you can argue about this for days? It's an act that happened in a second, so any analysis that takes longer than 5sec to explain is just a lie --- you did what you did with the info available in that split second.
I think they argued about if it was a 'prank' or not. The man-child thinks saying "I didn't mean it," is a get out of consequences free card. Obviously any properly adjusted human above the age of10 knows that's not true.
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If your insurance rates increase due to your 5th grade-level spouse, make him pay for it out of his allowance. Or find an adult with whom to live.
Maybe they can find some divers with metal detectors that are willing to help. If the ocean isn't too stirred they might still be somewhere around there, and could be found if they are made of a magnetic material. Poor girl
They don't actually need to be magnetic for the metal detector to pick then up, in fact they won't always detect actual magnets, they have to be conductive so the detector can induce a current in the object which will generate an electromagnetic field that will induce a current in the detector changing the current in the inductor coil from what's expected.
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I whole heartedly think the people who said she was the a*****e are really ignorant and stupid...
I don't think it was a prank at all. As someone in the Reddit comments touched on, it sounds like he took a calm and serious moment to confess and then immediately backpedaled when she reacted so strongly. Now it's a real mess since he now claims it was a prank and he's in so deep the truth won't ever come to light. She'll never be able to trust him again.
He is abusive and manipulative. There are likely other red flags in their relationship. Neither of them seems to realize the extent of the damage he's done. Her gut reaction of throwing the rings says it all. Take the insurance money and run, or at least take a solo vacation. She needs time apart for clarity, and I'd bet her friends have opinions they've been too "polite" to share.
Said it before and I'll say it again: pranks are stupid, full stop. What about this was supposed to be funny? Was he going to laugh if she cried? Or if she had a panic attack? You can't always predict how someone will react to an emotional shock, nor how you yourself might react. Husband is an idiot, and so are the people calling the wife an AH.
Pranks are funny. This wasn't a prank, this was bullying. Changing the ringtone of your spouse to meowing or Rick Astley is a prank, and that's mildly annoying at worst and amusing at best. But this is just cruel and plain bullying, meant to hurt a person and laugh at their pain. This is not a prank. As soon as an action is meant to hurt someone it's bullying. Plain and simple.
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Why isn't he her ex husband yet? I would not put up with that kind of c**p. Intentionally causing pain to someone you claim to love, and who loves you, is an absolute trash way to honour them.
I specifically have a problem with the ESH responses... A) Everything she did was a response to his a*****e-y "joke." He's the instigator, here. B)There's a difference between dumb and cruel, and being dumb doesn't make you an a-hole: cruelty does. Tossing the rings was a stupid move, but not cruel. And C) there is never an excuse for a "joke" like that. Not ever.
"Throwing the rings" is actually a pretty normal response to the traumatic end of a relationship. He threw away their relationship, she threw away the rings. It's instinctive, and for those blaming her for throwing away expensive and sentimental rings: the rings are sentimental because of the relationship, if the relationship has just been trashed, that sentiment has been betrayed. Expensive? No one is thinking "This ring is $10k" when they toss it, anymore than she's going to say "how could you cheat? Our wedding dinner cost $120 a plate?". Throwing the rings in his face, out the window, on the ground, etc is normal, they just happened to be on a boat. She made an emotional response to severe emotional pain and shock. In retrospect, yeah, could have sold those. But she wasn't thinking about money, just that he had betrayed her and broken her heart. Doing that "as a joke" is psychological torture. Who deliberately inflicts that kind of pain on someone they claim to love?
Yeah they aren't that sentimental anymore if they come from a relationship that ended in an affair which is exactly what she thought.
Load More Replies... The idiots here that are calling the wife TA are probably men (or at least narcissistic b***ards! WIFE YOU ARE NOT TA HERE!!!!
I’d be willing to bet that most of the people naming her TA were men that have cheated on their partner. :p
Load More Replies... Mischievousness is one of my least favourite qualities in an adult. It's surprising how many men, even older ones, hold on to it as evidence of their youthful spirit, but it's just a way of upsetting people and getting attention without any consequences. Well, this time he got consequences.
I hate pranks and pranksters. They”re not funny at all. And to do it on a boat? I think tossing the rings is a pretty predictable outcome.
Load More Replies... Some things should never be joked about. She should have thrown him in after them.
You are married to an a*****e. Is that how you want to spend the rest of your life?
Dump him. That's not a "prank", that's mental abuse. [ ................. ] As for "pranks", if someone says "Never do that to me", DON'T DO IT.
This is second or third time this week there's bee a story of some idiot playing this same "joke". What the hell is wrong with people in their head that they think anyone would find it funny to be told they were being cheated on? How the hell do they find that to be a joke? smh
I'm wondering if some of these people are actually cheating and trying to gauge the spouse's reaction while pretending they're joking.
Load More Replies... What did he think was going to happen? He's lucky she didn't throw him overboard. How in the hell is she supposed to know it's a joke and keep her emotions in check? That's asinine. Jesus Christ people are absolutely idiotic. Also, the question of here who should replace the rings is equally stupid. They're f*****g married you dumbass, they probably will share the cost.
Notice that all the comments claiming YTA or ESH are blaming her for having emotions. Typical patriarchal bull***t: women should be meek, mild mannered and composed, while men toy with their emotions w***y-nilly. Dude did a horrible thing just to get her reaction & she reacted. Pretty mildly, if you ask me 🤷♀️ She didn't yell, didn't call him names or use violence, she just walked away and threw the symbol of what he just told her she lost - their marriage & love - to the water. And apparently to some it's still "too emotional" 🤦♀️
What part of " I had an affair " was meant to be " funny....?? " I mean, seriously, how did he expect his wife to react?? " Lol, you're so funny, I'm glad I married you....?? Her reaction was totally justified, you don't" joke " about having an affair, you just don't, all that " man " has managed to accomplish is; ruining his wife's life, making her lose those rings ( which HE is responsible for, she wouldn't have thrown them in a normal situation....) and ultimately, ending their marriage... Dumb fuc*....
If it's an open sloop, the rings into the water is pretty much inevitable and NAH at all. If she's standing indoors in say a sailboat (with sea level around waist) then yeah you had half a second to realize "he's ballast but these have a value"... yeah I think if you believe him at that moment you'd be so upset you don't think about cost, NAH at all. I don't understand how you can argue about this for days? It's an act that happened in a second, so any analysis that takes longer than 5sec to explain is just a lie --- you did what you did with the info available in that split second.
I think they argued about if it was a 'prank' or not. The man-child thinks saying "I didn't mean it," is a get out of consequences free card. Obviously any properly adjusted human above the age of10 knows that's not true.
Load More Replies... If your insurance rates increase due to your 5th grade-level spouse, make him pay for it out of his allowance. Or find an adult with whom to live.
Maybe they can find some divers with metal detectors that are willing to help. If the ocean isn't too stirred they might still be somewhere around there, and could be found if they are made of a magnetic material. Poor girl
They don't actually need to be magnetic for the metal detector to pick then up, in fact they won't always detect actual magnets, they have to be conductive so the detector can induce a current in the object which will generate an electromagnetic field that will induce a current in the detector changing the current in the inductor coil from what's expected.
Load More Replies... I whole heartedly think the people who said she was the a*****e are really ignorant and stupid...
I don't think it was a prank at all. As someone in the Reddit comments touched on, it sounds like he took a calm and serious moment to confess and then immediately backpedaled when she reacted so strongly. Now it's a real mess since he now claims it was a prank and he's in so deep the truth won't ever come to light. She'll never be able to trust him again.
He is abusive and manipulative. There are likely other red flags in their relationship. Neither of them seems to realize the extent of the damage he's done. Her gut reaction of throwing the rings says it all. Take the insurance money and run, or at least take a solo vacation. She needs time apart for clarity, and I'd bet her friends have opinions they've been too "polite" to share.
Said it before and I'll say it again: pranks are stupid, full stop. What about this was supposed to be funny? Was he going to laugh if she cried? Or if she had a panic attack? You can't always predict how someone will react to an emotional shock, nor how you yourself might react. Husband is an idiot, and so are the people calling the wife an AH.
Pranks are funny. This wasn't a prank, this was bullying. Changing the ringtone of your spouse to meowing or Rick Astley is a prank, and that's mildly annoying at worst and amusing at best. But this is just cruel and plain bullying, meant to hurt a person and laugh at their pain. This is not a prank. As soon as an action is meant to hurt someone it's bullying. Plain and simple.
Load More Replies... Why isn't he her ex husband yet? I would not put up with that kind of c**p. Intentionally causing pain to someone you claim to love, and who loves you, is an absolute trash way to honour them.
I specifically have a problem with the ESH responses... A) Everything she did was a response to his a*****e-y "joke." He's the instigator, here. B)There's a difference between dumb and cruel, and being dumb doesn't make you an a-hole: cruelty does. Tossing the rings was a stupid move, but not cruel. And C) there is never an excuse for a "joke" like that. Not ever.
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