It’s honestly how many posts there are on Reddit where the crux of the problem is a simple communication issue – and how many people want to blow it way out of proportion.
OP and his wife were planning a baby shower and didn’t realize until too late that they had different ideas about the guest list.
Last Saturday, my wife had her baby shower, which turned out to be a very long event from midday until 10 pm. Prior to this, while we were planning the baby shower and sending out invites, I had initially intended to invite my entire family.
However, my wife informed me that the baby shower was going to be female-only, which confused me. In my family, I have attended baby showers for all my female relatives, so it felt like this was a cultural difference.
Unfortunately, this meant I had to embarrassingly uninvite people after already sending out invitations.
He wanted to come but she was firm on no men allowed.
Initially, I didn’t make a big deal out of it because it was my wife’s special day. However, later on, she told me that the “no men” rule extended to me as well.
I thought she was joking, but she was serious, explaining that it’s customary in her family to have a ladies-only baby shower.
At this point, I became upset. In a baby shower that I was paying for and planning, I was being excluded from my own wife’s event in my own home.
I found it absurd.
The party lasted for about 10 hours, and I was expected to leave my own house for the entire duration.
We argued back and forth about this issue. It just seemed ridiculous to me that as her husband, I was not allowed to attend my own wife’s baby shower.
Her sister overheard our argument and supported my wife’s stance, saying that men are typically not invited to baby showers and that my presence would ruin the atmosphere and “vibe.”
They went around and around about it.
This disagreement occurred three weeks before the actual baby shower, and even on the day before the event, I tried reasoning with my wife again to let me stay, but she still refused.
She also told some of her family members about our argument because I got an angry text from her mother telling me to just listen to what she says since the baby shower is for her not me and that she can decide whoever attends or doesn’t.
On the day, OP ended up staying home but in a different space.
I still refused to leave since it’s our home and I’m literally paying for the event.
I managed to compromise by just chilling in the backyard. Where everyone else was inside.
My wife still wasn’t happy about it though.
His wife still isn’t happy about it.
Does Reddit think there is a right and wrong party here? Let’s find out!
The top comment got hung up on who was paying for the shower.
While others couldn’t get past a 10-hour event.
People had more than a few questions.
Other commenters were leaning toward OP’s side.
And this person said they were both wrong…and right.
These two better work on getting on the same page.
They’ll have less time to make adjustments once the baby is here.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.