An expectant father asked Redditors for their opinions after he agreed to extend a work trip even though it meant he might miss the birth of his child. Here is the full story.
Expecting and Arguing
OP is a 40-year-old man, married to a 38-year-old woman.
They lived in New York City and were expecting their first baby when tensions rose between them.
His Job Is a Drag
The problems stemmed from OP’s job and the pressure that uncertainty in his company is putting on him.
He Has to Prove Himself
OP works as an external auditor and frequently travels overseas for his job.
Because he is older and lacks the credentials of his junior coworkers, he tries really hard to prove himself as a dependable worker.
The Future Is Uncertain
There have been whispers about possible layoffs, and OP is doing everything he can to make sure his position is secure.
She Has to Work, Too
Although OP’s job offers great perks like business class travel and nice dinners, those benefits can only be enjoyed during work-related trips.
The salary is low enough that OP’s wife has to work at least part-time to support their living expenses.
They Struggle to Pay the Bills
The problem is, OP’s wife is currently unemployed, and they feel financially vulnerable.
They’re concerned they won’t be able to meet their mortgage payments with just one paycheck, and the baby will only add to their expenses.
Different Career Ambitions
OP’s wife has come to accept the challenges mothers face in her field and is content with staying at a junior level.
But OP feels the need to climb the corporate ladder and prove that he is indispensable.
He’d Be Gone a Long Time
OP had planned to take a week and a half off from work after an upcoming business trip to Europe.
But then his mentor, who he admires greatly, requested his assistance for an additional five business days.
He Might Get a Bonus
The mentor emphasized his gratitude and promised to advocate for OP to get a boost in his year-end bonus in return for the extra time and help.
She Wanted Him to Stay Home
OP wanted to seize the opportunity to gain some ground at work and make some extra money, but he knew breaking the news to his wife would be difficult.
When he told her about the extension, she became furious, considering the company’s lack of family-friendliness and her upcoming due date.
There Would Be Money for College
OP tried to smooth things over, even mentioning that they would put the extra bonus money into a college account for their child. She was not moved by that prospect and remained red-hot angry.
He Didn’t Understand
OP then offered to try and negotiate with his mentor to shorten the trip, but his wife yelled that she could go into labor any day and accused him of not understanding the gravity of the situation.
He Might Lose Out
At this point OP believes extending the trip is necessary for his career and securing their financial future.
He fears that one of his co-workers could impress their superiors and get an edge while he’s at home with his wife.
But He Doesn’t Want to Miss the Birth
But OP also understands his wife’s point of view, and he really doesn’t want to miss the birth of their child.
He’s really torn but thinks he doesn’t have much of a choice if he wants to keep his job and advance in his career.
Redditors overwhelmingly came down hard on OP, with most telling him that no job can measure up to the experience of witnessing his first child being born.
Some of them point out that he’s still going to be replaceable, no matter how much blood and sweat he invests into his job. That’s just a reality of the modern workplace.
And others say that waving a few dollars of potential college fund money in front of his wife is nothing short of an insult.
Bottom line, they say, is that he needs to be with her and his baby, no matter what.
What do you think of this story?
Is OP right for trying to protect his job and maybe move up the ladder, even if it’s at the expense of missing out on the birth of his child?
Or should he just stand up to his mentor and make it clear that family comes first, no matter what?
The post He’s Going to Miss the Birth of His First Child So He Can Extend His Next Business Trip first appeared on The Networth Of.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Roman Samborskyi. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not those featured in the story.
Source: Reddit