"Am I The Jerk For Leaving My Wife With 3 Kids For 2 Days For A Work-Related Trip?”

Just imagine how great and convenient it would be if our lives were like movies or a TV series! A loud laugh track would tell us we’d done or said something wrong, and loud, ominous music would swell every time a storm cloud gathered overhead. But no, we always have to figure everything out ourselves…

Today, we’re about to tell you the story of how a man who always did his best to help his wife with the kids and around the house was one day confronted with her strange reaction to a seemingly long-agreed upon question. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.

More info: Reddit

Our life is, alas, not as simple as it looks in some movies, so we often have to guess the reasons why our close ones have their mood worsened literally out of the blue

Man sits on suitcase looking thoughtful in a home setting, illustrating dad leaving for work for 48 hours concept.

Image credits: benzoix / Freepik (not the actual photo)

The author of the post is a dad of 3, and he works at home, so he usually does his best to help his wife around the house and with the kids

Dad leaves for work 48 hours, wife managing home with 3 kids treating it like a solo vacation adventure.

Wife managing home and three kids alone while dad leaves for work for 48 hours, treating it like a solo vacation

Text excerpt about dad leaving for work 48 hours while wife handles 3 kids, highlighting solo vacation reaction and family dynamics.

Tired mom with three kids managing work and home alone while dad is away for 48 hours.

Image credits: massonstock / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Recently, the man got an invitation to an important work conference in another city, and his wife supported his idea to go

Text excerpt about a wife managing 3 kids alone while dad is away for work, treating it like a solo vacay.

Text excerpt showing a dad debating cancelling a trip due to a threat from wife leaving with kids for 48 hours.

Text excerpt discussing a dad’s work trip and wife managing home with 3 kids like a solo vacation.

Wife talks animatedly to husband in kitchen as dad prepares to leave for work, managing kids solo for 48 hours.

Image credits: dikushin / Freepik (not the actual photo)

However, close to the departure, the woman’s mood only started getting worse and worse

Text on a white background reading: AITA for going to the conference and leave my SAHM wife alone for 2 nights with the kids.

Text excerpt showing an update on ongoing arguments and emotional support during a difficult time.

Text excerpt about a dad leaving for work for 48 hours and wife managing home with three kids like a solo vacation.

Image credits: anonymous

The woman literally accused the husband of abandoning her and the kids, but rejected his idea of skipping the trip

So, the original poster (OP) and his wife have three kids, ages 2 to 7, and their mom stays at home with them. The author also works from home, so he always tries to help his wife around the house and with the kids as much as he can. He helps with cleaning, laundry, cooking, and taking the older kid to school – in short, he has every reason to consider himself a decent dad and spouse.

Recently, the original poster was invited to a work conference in another city. Attending this conference would be important for both for career and professional growth, so he agreed, and his wife readily supported him. Our hero had to spend a total of two nights away from home.

But as the departure date approached, his wife’s mood grew worse and worse. They got to talking, and the woman cited the main reason for her bad mood as the husband having to miss the anniversary of her mother’s passing, which had happened seven years ago. The OP suggested canceling the trip, but his wife said, “No way!”

However, our hero is now beginning to suspect that it’s not even his mother-in-law’s memory that’s the issue – she’s now started accusing him of not being supportive enough during the emotionally hard season. So the baffled man decided to just take it online, seeking support and probably some wise advice from netizens.

Three businesspeople with luggage walking outside an office building, depicting work travel and solo vacay concept.

Image credits: pch.vector / Freepik (not the actual photo)

“Apparently, it’s not just some rational arguments on the wife’s part, but something subconscious is at play here,” says Irina Matveeva, a psychologist and certified NLP specialist, whom Bored Panda asked for a comment here. “Because if this man’s words are completely truthful and he’s not embellishing, then he truly is a supportive spouse and parent.”

According to the expert, if the trip was already planned, and the wife supported the idea, understanding that its success would impact her husband’s work, then canceling at the last minute would be, at the very least, strange. The expert is sure that the wife herself realizes this, but at the same time, she experiences something akin to an emotional rollercoaster.

“The changing emotional triggers for criticizing her husband, the worsening mood as his departure approaches – all of this is a reason to seek proper therapy. To understand the real reasons why she acts and speaks the way she does – and to try to find a solution that will suit both of them and be beneficial for the entire family,” Irina Matveeva sums up.

The overwhelming majority of people in the comments under the original post also expressed their solidarity with the author. Some responders also shared that they are SAHMs too, and that a supportive husband working from home would be a true blessing from above for any of them.

In any case, many of the commenters sincerely wished the author and his wife a speedy resolution to this problem. So what do you, our dear readers, think about this particular story? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

People in the comments almost unanimously sided with the author, claiming that they really need therapy to solve the tension between the two of them

Advice on dad leaving for work 48 hours while wife solo handles three kids, treating it like a solo vacation.

Text from a Reddit post discussing a dad leaving for work and wife managing solo parenting with three kids.

Screenshot of an online comment discussing a work-related trip and parenting responsibilities with three kids at home.

Comment discussing a dad leaving for work and the wife managing three kids alone like a solo vacation.

Wife managing home with 3 kids while dad leaves for work, treating the time like a solo vacation.

Wife managing home solo with 3 kids while dad leaves for work, treating it like a solo vacation getaway.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing a wife handling dad leaving for work 48 hours while managing three kids.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing the wife treating dad's 48-hour work absence like a solo vacay with three kids at home.

Wife managing solo parenting with 3 kids while dad leaves for work, treating the time like a solo vacation.

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