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“[Am I The Jerk] For Calling My Wife A Jerk After She Bailed Off A Family Trip”
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“[Am I The Jerk] For Calling My Wife A Jerk After She Bailed Off A Family Trip”

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Last-minute cancellations do suck. It is not the best feeling to make plans, only to have them canceled, especially if you were really looking forward to the occasion. The worst part comes when you don’t receive a valid reason for the cancellation. This poster, unfortunately, is no stranger to this trend. After having his wife cancel plans not once but twice, it has caused a rift in their household.

More info: Reddit

Camping with family is not just a vacation, it’s an opportunity to disconnect from the chaos of everyday life

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

The author and his daughter went on a camping trip which his wife was unable to attend

Image credits: Ketut Subiyanto (not the actual photo)

Upon returning back from the trip, she was disappointed she couldn’t go and insisted he book another camping trip

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Image credits: Scott Goodwill (not the actual photo)

She decided she was not going again because she had cleaning and organizing to do around the house

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Image credits: Alex Green (not the actual photo)

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Image credits: Only_Till8916

The author was very displeased and went off on her

A planned family camping trip this weekend took a turn for the worse when a last-minute cancellation left one feeling frustrated and another misunderstood. The poster had planned a return trip to a campsite he and his daughter had previously enjoyed together. His wife, who had missed the previous trip due to her period, expressed a desire to experience the outing and participated in the planning process.

However, as the family was preparing to depart, the wife decided against joining the trip, citing a desire to continue cleaning and organizing the house. This decision, made close to the departure time, reportedly caused significant frustration for the husband, who had invested time and effort in preparing for the trip.

The situation escalated into an argument, with both spouses expressing their feelings. The husband criticized his wife for canceling at the last minute and not communicating her change of heart earlier. Conversely, the wife felt her husband lacked understanding and empathy for her desire to prioritize household chores.

The poster provided an update to the situation. Apparently, things took a further turn when the wife arrived at the campsite as a surprise, seeking to mend fences and join the family outing. While the initial reunion was positive, a disagreement arose regarding a comment made by the husband, leading the wife to feel unheard and dismissed.

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Despite attempts at reconciliation, the wife ultimately decided to leave the campsite, joined by their daughter who wished to return home with her mother. This unexpected turn of events left the father alone at the campsite, seeking solace in nature despite the initial disappointment.

Image credits: Ron Lach (not the actual photo)

Relationship expert and bestselling author Susan Winter, in an article on Elite Daily, states that the primary reasons why it’s so frustrating when your partner cancels plans are because it feels disrespectful and implies you’re not a priority.

“Your time is valuable… When a partner cancels plans, you’re inconvenienced by the fact that you could have done something else had you known in advance.” The poster’s wife had made plans, which she opted out of. He even planned it a second time and she bailed again. This obviously took a lot of time, planning, and effort to do, which the author’s wife failed to regard, hurting his feelings.

“A flaky partner can create just as much tension and uncertainty in long-term relationships, especially if you have an established routine of going out on the weekends,” says Sarah-Rose Marcus, Ph.D. candidate at Rutgers School of Communication and Information, in an article on Elite Daily. It can be a total bummer when a friend cancels on you, but we tend to respond with a little less animosity because of the understanding we have of our friends’ priorities.

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The best way to communicate with your partner when they bail is to calmly approach the subject the day after, when you can take that time to consider your strategy in a clear, level-headed way, Dr. Marcus advises.

So, what do you guys think about this whole situation? Do you think the poster handled the situation well or overreacted? Share your thoughts below!

Redditors in the comment section unilaterally agreed the poster was not the jerk

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Obinna Mbajunwa

Obinna Mbajunwa

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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My name is Obinna often shortened to Obi (like Kenobi without the Ken) and I am a writer here at Bored Panda. As a kid, I always wanted to tell stories which led to my interest in writing and now I get to do it for a living. I have a background in advertising where I also get to tell brand stories. When I am not telling these stories, I am watching stories and probably ransacking my brain on how to write more stories or I am gisting with friends.

Read less »
Obinna Mbajunwa

Obinna Mbajunwa

Writer, BoredPanda staff

My name is Obinna often shortened to Obi (like Kenobi without the Ken) and I am a writer here at Bored Panda. As a kid, I always wanted to tell stories which led to my interest in writing and now I get to do it for a living. I have a background in advertising where I also get to tell brand stories. When I am not telling these stories, I am watching stories and probably ransacking my brain on how to write more stories or I am gisting with friends.

Denis Krotovas

Denis Krotovas

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. While studying at Vilnius Tech University, I learned how to use Photoshop and decided to continue mastering it at Bored Panda. I am interested in learning UI/UX design and creating unique designs for apps, games and websites. On my spare time, I enjoy playing video and board games, watching TV shows and movies and reading funny posts on the internet.

Read less »

Denis Krotovas

Denis Krotovas

Author, BoredPanda staff

I am a Visual Editor at Bored Panda. While studying at Vilnius Tech University, I learned how to use Photoshop and decided to continue mastering it at Bored Panda. I am interested in learning UI/UX design and creating unique designs for apps, games and websites. On my spare time, I enjoy playing video and board games, watching TV shows and movies and reading funny posts on the internet.

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Zedrapazia
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As someone with Asperger's I'd like to say something: STOP saying that someone's neurodivergent just because they actually like an a*****e, selfish or unreasonable. Firstly, neurodivergent is an umbrella term that includes anything from ADHD to schizophrenia, nobody is just "neurodivergent". That's something the TikTok teenagers made up to feel special, if one actually has a mental illness, it always has a name (unless it's a mix of several). Second, there's plenty of reasons for people to be jackasses without needing a reason for it. Stop blaming people with mental illnesses whenever someone acts out, and don't try to make an a*****e seem less of an a*****e by suggesting it could be a mental issue, it honestly just feels dismissive at this point. To me, it sounds like whatever the wife has is either some sort of secret (idk if it's cheating, not my thing to judge), or she's just generally selfish - I'd personally stand for the latter since she says he has to excuse that he got mad at her for letting down their daughter. Seems like she doesn't see her own flaws - which, in case it is a mental thing, would be called narcissism. ADHD doesn't make you an a*****e, my fiance has that too, without any meds. This is a personality thing.

Chez2202
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well said. This woman may have ADHD but I doubt it. She is as you say just selfish or a narcissist. Turning up to ‘surprise’ them suggests to me that ADHD and the need to clean had nothing to do with her not going in the first place. Either she had other plans which fell through or she intended this outcome from the start. Not a nice person.

Load More Replies...
Lee
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am absolutely sick and tired of people constantly trying to explain away someones s**tțy behaviour as 'neurodivergent.' It seems to be the 'get out of jail free' card for everything these days.

Tenebre
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The OP posted again on reddit that his wife is an alcoholic. She was drinking 2 bottles of wine a day, or a half handle of vodka, or a half case of white claws. There is no update after this, but I assume OP has left his wife for the good of his child and family.

Marno C.
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thank you! The whole post felt like some key information was missing!

Load More Replies...
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Zedrapazia
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As someone with Asperger's I'd like to say something: STOP saying that someone's neurodivergent just because they actually like an a*****e, selfish or unreasonable. Firstly, neurodivergent is an umbrella term that includes anything from ADHD to schizophrenia, nobody is just "neurodivergent". That's something the TikTok teenagers made up to feel special, if one actually has a mental illness, it always has a name (unless it's a mix of several). Second, there's plenty of reasons for people to be jackasses without needing a reason for it. Stop blaming people with mental illnesses whenever someone acts out, and don't try to make an a*****e seem less of an a*****e by suggesting it could be a mental issue, it honestly just feels dismissive at this point. To me, it sounds like whatever the wife has is either some sort of secret (idk if it's cheating, not my thing to judge), or she's just generally selfish - I'd personally stand for the latter since she says he has to excuse that he got mad at her for letting down their daughter. Seems like she doesn't see her own flaws - which, in case it is a mental thing, would be called narcissism. ADHD doesn't make you an a*****e, my fiance has that too, without any meds. This is a personality thing.

Chez2202
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well said. This woman may have ADHD but I doubt it. She is as you say just selfish or a narcissist. Turning up to ‘surprise’ them suggests to me that ADHD and the need to clean had nothing to do with her not going in the first place. Either she had other plans which fell through or she intended this outcome from the start. Not a nice person.

Load More Replies...
Lee
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am absolutely sick and tired of people constantly trying to explain away someones s**tțy behaviour as 'neurodivergent.' It seems to be the 'get out of jail free' card for everything these days.

Tenebre
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The OP posted again on reddit that his wife is an alcoholic. She was drinking 2 bottles of wine a day, or a half handle of vodka, or a half case of white claws. There is no update after this, but I assume OP has left his wife for the good of his child and family.

Marno C.
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thank you! The whole post felt like some key information was missing!

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
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