When his wife asked him to decide between being there for his child’s birth and bidding his terminally sick mom a final farewell, the anonymous Reddit user was left with an agonizing choice. While the 70-year-old mother of the Original Poster (OP) fought stage 4 cancer with little hope of recovery because of poor therapies, the 36-year-old OP and his 33-year-old wife were expecting their first child.
The OP chose to be with his mother in her final moments since he valued her commitment to raising him following the death of his father when he was a small child. After a furious dispute over this decision, his wife finally said he wasn’t welcome at the birth.
His wife gave him the order to leave their house as hostilities got worse, which made the OP wonder if he made the correct choice. In the end, the OP agreed to tolerate not being there during the birth and the couple decided to pursue marriage therapy. Before the baby was born, he also promised to give his wife some space and promised to come home to take paternity leave. This narrative sparked a discussion on relationships and priorities in trying times.
Some Reddit users sympathized with the OP’s wife’s concerns and encouraged him to consider her viewpoint, while some others endorsed his choice. The narrative spurred a discussion on decisions and priorities in difficult relationship situations.