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“He Acted Like I Didn’t Even Exist”: Husband Ignores Wife And Kids On Vacation, Faces Divorce
Wife with two young children looking at phone while husband with man-child behavior sits beside them on family vacation.
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“He Acted Like I Didn’t Even Exist”: Husband Ignores Wife And Kids On Vacation, Faces Divorce

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Family vacations can be challenging, especially when it’s a trip with small kids. Even the tiniest argument can blow up into a huge fight. In fact, as one study shows, 40% of couples expect at least one fight each day while on a family trip. What’s more, one in 10 couples even break up during a vacation.

A family trip became the tipping point for this couple, too. As the husband wouldn’t spend any time with family and couldn’t wait to go out, his wife soon had enough and simply left. The vacation triggered something in her: years of neglect and carrying the mental load left her feeling more like a maid than an equal partner.

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    A wife snapped when her husband ignored her and the kids during their family trip

    Family on beach during vacation, showing wife leaving man-child husband while spending time with children by the sea.

    Image credits: unsplash (not the actual photo)

    The guy would go out to spend time with friends, leaving his wife alone with a baby

    Text excerpt about a wife leaving family vacation due to man-child husband not including her in plans.

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    Wife expresses frustration over man-child husband ignoring her and excluding her during family vacation time together.

    Text excerpt reflecting family vacation conflict with man-child husband rushing and ignoring his wife’s needs during outing.

    Wife shares feelings about husband’s dismissive behavior and exclusion during family vacation with man-child husband.

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    Text excerpt showing frustration during a family vacation, highlighting issues with a man-child husband’s behavior.

    Text excerpt about a wife leaving her man-child husband during family vacation due to broken promises and lack of communication.

    Text excerpt from a wife explaining how her man-child husband never asked if she wanted to join during a family vacation.

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    Woman ignores upset child while looking at phone during family vacation with man-child husband in backseat of car.

    Image credits: unsplash (not the actual photo)

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    ALT text: Text describing emotional pain and being ignored by a man-child husband during a family vacation.

    Alt text: Text describing a wife feeling dismissed and tired of being treated like a maid by her man-child husband during family vacation.

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    Emotional wife describes feeling invisible and burdened during family vacation with man-child husband who never asked to join.

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    Reddit user asking if leaving early and going silent makes them the a******e during a family vacation with a man-child husband.

    “I do have an appointment with a divorce attorney,” the wife soon wrote in an update

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    Text update about overwhelming responses and a wife leaving man-child husband during family vacation after years of dealing.

    Text message expressing a wife’s decision to meet with a divorce attorney during a family vacation.

    Text about a wife facing issues with her man-child husband during a family vacation planning trip to Alaska.

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    Communication, alone time, preparation, and humor can make a couple’s or a family trip easier

    Image credits: unsplash (not the actual photo)

    A family trip with kids can be a great way for couples to de-stress and have some one-on-one time. On the other hand, it can also be a nightmare if one partner is left to do all the childcare and the other goes out to have fun every single night.

    That’s why it’s important to consider some things before going on that family trip. Here are the four most significant, according to The Travel Psychologist:

    • Communicate, communicate, communicate. Couples don’t have to agree on every single activity. In fact, partners can have different traveling styles, but it’s paramount to be flexible and compromise. If one partner wants to spend the afternoon sipping drinks by the pool and the other wants to see some sights, agree to do one thing today and the other tomorrow.
    • Spend some time without each other. There’s nothing wrong with having some “me time” during a family or a couple’s trip. “Remember that alone time is not rejection,” Lexx Brown-James, LMFT, told The Cut. “It’s a person’s way of taking care of themselves.”
    • Discuss points of conflict before the trip. If the couple often fights about spending, alcohol consumption, or sleeping in late during a vacation, it’s better to talk about it before the vacation starts. Experts advise telling your partner about your absolute worst trip imaginable to make the conversation more fun. At the same time, this might bring up some things and activities they’d want to avoid.
    • When in doubt, laugh. Lucky are the people who have never had any hiccups on trips; they’re simply unavoidable. The worst travel moments often become great stories in the future. “If you can both laugh together about your differences and quirks, then this can be a great way to connect and to bring a lightness to any differences between you,” The Travel Psychologist writes.

    Mothers and women are still dealing with a bigger portion of the mental load

    Image credits: pexels (not the actual photo)

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    Who wouldn’t want to be in a relationship where every responsibility is split 50/50? Such relationships, unfortunately, are still a distant dream, as women still tend to get the bigger share of the mental load on their shoulders, even in the big 25.

    A 2024 U.S. study found that mothers still take on seven out of 10 mental load tasks. The researchers found that mothers hold “the bulk of the core daily tasks related to family well-being,” and fathers hold “the episodic tasks related to maintenance and finances.”

    As life coach and educator Laura Danger explained to us in a previous interview, “the mental load is the decision-making, planning, and organizing that goes into keeping our lives together.”

    “For example, if you’re planning a meal for your family, you have to consider your family’s food preferences, allergies, schedules, dietary restrictions, and needs, and so much more,” Laura explained.

    “The mental load is making sure all of the boxes are checked off and also that each task interacts just the right way with all of the other tasks. Our lives are like big machines, and it takes mental labor to fit all of the gears together.”

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    The mental load more often falls on the shoulders of women because of gender roles and loud social messaging. “Men should define themselves through work and women should define themselves through care and domestic labor,” Laura explained the stereotypical social message.

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    “Why do you stay with this man?” people asked in the comments, wondering why she puts up with such a terrible husband

    Forum conversation discussing a wife leaving her man-child husband during a family vacation.

    Reddit comment discussing a wife leaving her man-child husband during a family vacation over feeling unpaid and unappreciated.

    Comment from kotibi discussing a wife leaving her man-child husband during a family vacation for neglecting to include her.

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    Comment discussing a wife leaving her man-child husband during a family vacation due to lack of effort and awareness.

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    Comment suggesting a wife consult a family law attorney after neglect by a man-child husband during a family vacation.

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    Screenshot of an online comment discussing feelings about a man-child husband during a family vacation conflict.

    Screenshot of a Reddit comment criticizing a man-child husband during a family vacation for lack of support and respect.

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    Reddit comment advising a wife to leave her man-child husband who disrespects and hurts her during family life.

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    Screenshot of a Reddit comment urging a wife to leave her man-child husband during a family vacation for better role modeling.

    Reddit comment advising divorce and child support for man-child husband during family vacation dispute.

    Screenshot of a forum comment about a wife leaving her man-child husband during a family vacation and relationship issues.

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    Screenshot of an online comment where a user discusses a wife leaving her man-child husband during a family vacation.

    Screenshot of an online comment about a wife leaving her man-child husband during a family vacation for lack of respect.

    Comment discussing a wife leaving her man-child husband during a family vacation due to lack of communication and respect.

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    Screenshot of an online comment discussing challenges of being a single parent with a man-child husband during family vacation.

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    Comment advising to consult a divorce attorney and encouraging self-respect for a wife leaving a man-child husband.

    Comment advising a wife to prepare personal documents and seek help due to a troubled relationship with a man-child husband during family vacation.

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    Comment explaining why canceling a family vacation is worth it to avoid stress with a man-child husband.

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    Kornelija Viečaitė

    Kornelija Viečaitė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Hi there, fellow pandas! As a person (over)educated both in social sciences and literature, I'm most interested in how we connect and behave online (and sometimes in real life too.) The human experience is weird, so I try my best to put its peculiarities in writing. As a person who grew up chronically online, I now try to marry two sides of myself: the one who knows too much about MySpace, and the one who can't settle and needs to see every corner of the world.

    Read less »
    Kornelija Viečaitė

    Kornelija Viečaitė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Hi there, fellow pandas! As a person (over)educated both in social sciences and literature, I'm most interested in how we connect and behave online (and sometimes in real life too.) The human experience is weird, so I try my best to put its peculiarities in writing. As a person who grew up chronically online, I now try to marry two sides of myself: the one who knows too much about MySpace, and the one who can't settle and needs to see every corner of the world.

    Rugilė Baltrunaitė

    Rugilė Baltrunaitė

    Author, Community member

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    This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

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    Rugilė Baltrunaitė

    Rugilė Baltrunaitė

    Author, Community member

    This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

    What do you think ?
    Gozer LeGozerian
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why the F do women keep having children with these immature man babies when they know EXACTLY how they behave

    Earonn -
    Community Member
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Because the man baby pretended to be a normal man before, until he thought he had "trapped" us with the child. We're not stupid, you know? And why is the question never "Why don't men get their sh/t together and start to grow up, either when they marry but at least when they become a father?" F**k your se/xism.

    Load More Replies...
    Tabitha
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Send husband to Alaska by himself—-he’ll probably think he’s hit the jackpot—-and quietly change the locks, put his s**t in garbage bags out on the lawn, get a restraining order, and file for divorce. Wonder if OP is a working mom or a SAHM? If not working, she needs to get a job and set up daycare for the kids. Does she have relatives or close friends nearby? Some kind of support system? If so, she needs to ask them for help or cash in any favors she’s done for them, because she needs their help now. It sounds so much like husband was enjoying the company of the “friends” so much, without his wife and kids being there, because he was hooking up with one of them. That’s how cheaters arrange things. Wife and kids securely at home, so he can play around without them knowing, then when the side piece starts asking for his commitment (like maybe she gets pregnant), he can tell her he’s going back to his wife and will not be divorcing her. He wants to play around until it gets too intense, then go running back home to hide out until the side piece gives up. He arranges it so he can have his cake and eat it too, without having to fully commit to either.

    XenoMurph
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's equally his house, he has equal rights to access. They are equally his kids, she cannot stop him seeing his kids. On what basis would she be applying for a restraining order? Is there any evidence of abuse? She wants a divorce to end a bad marriage. That does not remove all his rights. He sounds like a terrible person. But us not liking the guy does not remove his legal rights.

    Load More Replies...
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    Vee Lyons
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Imagine choosing to have children with such a man.

    Earonn -
    Community Member
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Same answer to you: because the man baby pretended to be a normal man before, until he thought he had "trapped" us with the child. We're not stupid, you know? And why is the question never "Why don't men get their sh/t together and start to grow up, either when they marry but at least when they become a father?" F**k your se/xism.

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    Gozer LeGozerian
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why the F do women keep having children with these immature man babies when they know EXACTLY how they behave

    Earonn -
    Community Member
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Because the man baby pretended to be a normal man before, until he thought he had "trapped" us with the child. We're not stupid, you know? And why is the question never "Why don't men get their sh/t together and start to grow up, either when they marry but at least when they become a father?" F**k your se/xism.

    Load More Replies...
    Tabitha
    Community Member
    4 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Send husband to Alaska by himself—-he’ll probably think he’s hit the jackpot—-and quietly change the locks, put his s**t in garbage bags out on the lawn, get a restraining order, and file for divorce. Wonder if OP is a working mom or a SAHM? If not working, she needs to get a job and set up daycare for the kids. Does she have relatives or close friends nearby? Some kind of support system? If so, she needs to ask them for help or cash in any favors she’s done for them, because she needs their help now. It sounds so much like husband was enjoying the company of the “friends” so much, without his wife and kids being there, because he was hooking up with one of them. That’s how cheaters arrange things. Wife and kids securely at home, so he can play around without them knowing, then when the side piece starts asking for his commitment (like maybe she gets pregnant), he can tell her he’s going back to his wife and will not be divorcing her. He wants to play around until it gets too intense, then go running back home to hide out until the side piece gives up. He arranges it so he can have his cake and eat it too, without having to fully commit to either.

    XenoMurph
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's equally his house, he has equal rights to access. They are equally his kids, she cannot stop him seeing his kids. On what basis would she be applying for a restraining order? Is there any evidence of abuse? She wants a divorce to end a bad marriage. That does not remove all his rights. He sounds like a terrible person. But us not liking the guy does not remove his legal rights.

    Load More Replies...
    ADVERTISEMENT
    Vee Lyons
    Community Member
    4 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Imagine choosing to have children with such a man.

    Earonn -
    Community Member
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Same answer to you: because the man baby pretended to be a normal man before, until he thought he had "trapped" us with the child. We're not stupid, you know? And why is the question never "Why don't men get their sh/t together and start to grow up, either when they marry but at least when they become a father?" F**k your se/xism.

    Load More Replies...
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