A working mother took to Reddit recently to ask for opinions after she turned down a full-time work-from-home arrangement, prompting a fight with her husband. This is the full story.
They Have a Small Son
OP is a tech worker whose husband is an aspiring author. They have been married for five years and have a 1-year-old son.
When she was nearing delivery of their baby, OP negotiated a full year of maternity leave with her employer. She didn’t work at all the first month and just focused on the baby.
After that, OP started picking up small bits of work at her own pace, totaling about 15 hours a week. During this time, her husband was supposed to be the stay-at-home parent and handle most of the childcare duties.
Because he had had some success with his writing, OP’s husband was trying to make it his full-time career. He was already accustomed to working from home and could fit in his writing time around the baby duties.
He Wanted to Be an Author
But OP’s husband didn’t always take his responsibilities seriously and started ignoring the baby. Sometimes, he even told OP that the baby wanted her and that she would have to step in.
Needless to say, this caused OP a great deal of stress, and she threatened to hire a nanny if her husband didn’t get himself together. He improved some, but still didn’t take his responsibilities as seriously as OP would have liked.
As the year of maternity leave came to an end, OP’s employer approached her with some options.
They were impressed at the work she had been able to do from home, so they told her she could work remotely permanently if she wanted.
She Was Going Back to Work in the Office
But OP missed the office environment, and she missed face-to-face interactions with her coworkers.
Of course, OP’s husband wanted her to take the work-from-home offer, and he even went as far as to say that would mean she could take on more of the childcare duties.
That sealed the deal for OP, and she told her boss that she would prefer to come back to the office every day.
When he learned of her decision, OP’s husband was angry. He told her she was being cruel and abandoning her baby, who needed her there at home.
But She’d Work From Home if They Had a Nanny
So OP gave her husband another option. She told him that she would work from home if they could hire a nanny to take care of the baby since he didn’t seem to want that responsibility.
But to pay for the nanny, OP’s husband would have to get a job instead of waiting for his next book to make money.
As OP had expected, her husband didn’t like that idea.
Not long after their argument over OP’s work arrangements, the couple went to a family dinner. Her husband complained to his mom about the choice she had made, and the older lady said she was being selfish.
If He Wanted a Stay-At-Home Wife He Should Get a Job!
But OP’s father-in-law jumped to her defense, saying that if his son wanted a stay-at-home wife, he should get a job.
Most Reddit commenters support OP’s decision to return to the office, saying that her husband needs to stick to the agreement they made.
Some commenters note that OP gave her husband some options, but that he rejected them because they were uncomfortable for him.
Many say the husband should get a job, anyway, while he’s trying to make it as an author.
So, what do you think of this story? Should OP continue to work from home so she can help with the child care?
Or is she right for returning to the office, especially since she prefers that work environment?
And do you agree with OP’s father-in-law that her husband should get a job? Or should he continue to pursue his writing dream
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The post He Was Too Lazy Being an Aspiring Author to Take Care of Their Newborn Baby, so Instead of Working From Home, She Went Back to Work, Which Caused an Almighty Rift first appeared on The Net Worth Of.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / fizkes. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Reddit