This dad thought he was making a practical decision for his growing family—but it came at the cost of his son’s most cherished tradition.

For years, the two have visited the British Museum to honor the boy’s late mother, and it’s the one thing he looks forward to on his birthday.

When Dad announced the trip was off, the reaction wasn’t just disappointment…it was heartbreak.

AITA for making my son cry?

I (47M) have a son (14M) from a previous marriage to my late wife. She passed two years ago and for my son the wound is still very fresh.

My son and her were very close as they look exactly alike and had a lot of the same interest in reading, history, and art. Their favorite place in the world is the British Museum in London. Their passion project has been redrawing pieces from the museum for the last two years before .

For the last four years for my wife’s birthday in June and my son’s birthday in December we go to England for a week so they can spend time in the museum. However Since she died, my son and I have continued going for his birthday.

What a sweet way to honor her.

The problem is with my new wife (39F). She’s only been with us on this annual trip once last year and she complained the whole time.

Now however, we recently found out we are expecting a child together in May. She raised it to my attention that the money I’ve used for the trip could be better used to be saved for the baby and we could instead do something else for my son’s birthday. I thought about it and I agreed.

I was worried how he’d take it as this is the only thing he wants for his birthday. He doesn’t ask for gifts or cake, or a party. All he cares about is this museum.

Uh oh.

We broke the news to my son yesterday and he flipped out.

He was so upset and when my wife tried to tell him why we were saving the money and where the money was going to, he said he didn’t give a crap and we got into an argument about it.

He said he was upset because if he didn’t go this year he’d miss the new exhibit he’d been wanting to see, and he accused my wife of doing this on purpose because “she already doesn’t like me” he said.

Ouch.

I admit I yelled at him and he started crying and for the last 24 hours, he hasn’t spoken to me.

AITA?

Redditors felt the emotional weight of canceling a grief-heavy tradition should have been handled with far more care—and definitely without yelling.

It wasn’t just a vacation, it was the one place the kid still felt his mom, and losing it suddenly hit harder than Dad expected.

This person explains it to him simply.

This person also agrees he is the AH.

This person says not only is Dad the AH, but so is the new wife.

Sometimes the real artifact isn’t in a museum—it’s the grief a kid is still carrying that adults keep mishandling.

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