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 live 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 faced by mothers 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.
Bottom line, they say, is that he needs to be with her and his baby, no matter what.
He Was Named After a God
Recently, a Reddit user shared a story where he legally changed his name, and as a result, his father threatened him. Here’s the full story. His Father Gave Him a Name That Resulted in Him Being Bullied, He Legally Changed It, and Now His Father Is Demanding He Change It Back
He’s a Family Man
Reddit has again provided a source of entertaining reading. Recently on a subthread, a happily married man told the story about a recent visit to the gym. He Went to the Gym for a Work-Out and Took off His Wedding Ring, She Saw Him, Assumed He Fancied Her and Has a Meltdown
Trashy Habits
In a neighborhood plagued by inconsiderate neighbors, one woman took matters into her own hands – or rather, paws. Her Neighbors Were Abusive to Her Dog, so She Decided to Give Them a Taste of His Fur!
Bucky’s Parking Predicament
In this encounter, Bucky, a veteran visiting a hardware store, finds himself in a parking dispute with a self-proclaimed Captain America. Let’s find out how this entertaining showdown unfolds in the battle for parking supremacy. A Guy Tried to Shame This Veteran Out of His Parking Space, so He Got Some Revenge
The post He’s Going to Miss the Birth of His First Child So He Can Extend His Next Business Trip first appeared on Career Step Up.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Roman Samborskyi. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Reddit
