When Oliver handed me $100 and told me to make Christmas “work,” I decided enough was enough. After years of his selfishness and absurd demands, I came up with a plan to show him exactly what happens when you treat your wife like an afterthought. You don’t truly know someone until you’ve shared a life with them.
I thought I knew Oliver, my husband of ten years and the father of my three kids. But this Christmas, he managed to outdo himself in ways I never imagined. And this time, I wasn’t going to stay silent.
Raising three kids as a stay-at-home mom is no small feat.
My days are a whirlwind of breakfast chaos, school drop-offs, cleaning up endless messes, preparing three meals a day, and making sure homework is done before bedtime. By the time my head hits the pillow, I’m exhausted.
But it isn’t like I’m ungrateful. No.
I love looking after my family and being there for my kids, but what I crave the most is a supportive partner. I want someone who understands that even though I don’t bring home a paycheck, my contributions matter. Unfortunately, Oliver isn’t as supportive as I thought he’d be when we first got married.
In our early years, Oliver was the perfect husband. He’d surprise me with my favorite flowers, plan thoughtful date nights, and go out of his way to make me feel loved. Back then, I felt like I’d hit the jackpot.
But everything started to change after we had our first child, Ellie.
Suddenly, Oliver seemed to think all parental responsibilities were mine alone. I remember one afternoon, after our second baby, Liam, was born, I asked him to watch Ellie for a couple of hours so I could get some much-needed rest. “I can’t today,” he said, already grabbing his jacket.
“I promised the guys I’d meet them at the bar. It’s important. Paul’s going through a rough patch, and he needs us.”
“But Oliver,” I protested, cradling a crying Liam, “I haven’t slept more than two hours in days.
Can’t you stay just this once?”
He sighed. “Jess, I’ve had a long day too. I need this break.
You’ll be fine, okay?”
And just like that, he was out the door.
It wasn’t a one-time thing, either.
Oliver had a knack for prioritizing what he wanted over what the family needed. Once, he insisted on taking Ellie to a football game despite knowing she had a school project due the next day. “Ellie, this is a once-in-a-lifetime match!” he said, crouching down to her level.
“Your project can wait. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.”
When I tried to intervene, reminding him how stressed Ellie was about finishing her assignment, he waved me off. “It’s just a project, Jess,” he told me.
“She needs to live a little!”
Live a little? Sure! Don’t even ask me what happened next.
Ellie came home late that night and was too tired to finish her homework. As a result, she cried the next morning because she had nothing to submit. Watching her struggle broke my heart, but Oliver acted like it wasn’t a big deal.
“She’s a kid,” he said. “She’ll bounce back.”
Moments like these made me question whether Oliver truly understood what it meant to be a partner or a parent. His nature has always been a source of tension between us.
I hate arguing but his stubbornness leaves me no choice. It’s like he refuses to see how his actions affect the rest of us. As the years passed and our children grew, so did our expenses.
Meanwhile, Oliver’s pay didn’t increase much. Instead of cutting back on his personal spending, he tightened the belt on everything else. He’d still buy new gadgets or splurge on tickets to football games while asking me to “be more mindful” of the grocery budget.
It drove me crazy.
Once, I confronted him about it.
“Oliver, we need to talk about the budget. I need to buy new shoes for the kids, and Ellie’s school trip fees are due. We can’t keep putting these things off.”
“It’s not like I’m blowing money, Jess,” he argued.
“You know I work hard, and I deserve to treat myself once in a while.”
“Treat yourself?” I repeated. “You bought a $300 gaming headset last week! How much more do you need to treat yourself?”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“I’ll figure something out next paycheck.”
“Next paycheck?” I snapped. “By then, the trip deadline will have passed, and Ellie will be heartbroken.”
“Look,” he said, standing up and grabbing his keys, “I don’t have time for this right now. I’ll deal with it later, okay?”
“Later” never came.
Despite his excuses, I tried to make things work.
I budgeted, clipped coupons, and even picked up odd sewing and babysitting gigs to cover the gaps. But no matter how hard I tried, his unwillingness to prioritize our family over his hobbies and comforts made me feel like I was carrying the weight of our household alone. I craved a supportive partner.
Someone who would step up and say, “I’ve got your back.”
But Oliver? He was too busy chasing what made him happy. This Christmas, though, he crossed all limits.
A few weeks before the holiday, he announced his plans to travel abroad to watch a football match with his friends. I couldn’t believe my ears. “You’re joking, right?” I said, staring at him in disbelief.
“You’re really planning to leave us during the holidays to watch football?”
“Jess, it’s not just any match,” he replied, grinning like a kid in a candy store. “It’s the championship! I’ve been dreaming about this for years.”
“And what about us?” I asked.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
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