With a glass-half-full mindset, a person can find almost any reason to celebrate beyond the usual suspects of birthdays, promotions, or some other positive event. Some even feel that you shouldn’t need an excuse to party. But are there things that shouldn’t be celebrated?

One man wondered if he was in the wrong for wanting to celebrate his brother’s end of alimony payments in Las Vegas. His girlfriend deeply disapproved of the idea and the T-shirt OP and his friends made for the brother, so he turned to the internet to see if perhaps he was out of touch. Netizens shared their thoughts on the matter.

Depending on a court’s orders, alimony payments can go on for years

Image credits: Sung Shin (not the actual photo)

So one man decided to have a party when he finished paying his ex-wife

Image credits: Diva Plavalaguna (not the actual photo)

Image source: ImpressiveDepth912

Alimony payments are a time-honored tradition

As is often the case, our ancestors often had as complicated legal systems as us and this concept extends to alimony payments. Both the Code of Hammurabi, which is nearly 4,000 years old and the relatively “modern” Code of Justinian have sections detailing how and what a husband should pay to a woman they have divorced. The Code of Hammurabi even stipulates payments for child support in cases where the man hasn’t even bothered to marry the woman.

This is all to say that OP’s brother is probably not the first person to have an end-of-alimony payments party this year, let alone in this millennium. Indeed, the people of Hammurabi’s time would likely think just paying some cash is nothing compared to their laws, where a man would have to provide property to a woman, to ensure she can afford to raise a child. It’s also important to note that divorce and alimony have been a staple of human civilization ever since we started calling it civilization. So OP’s GF’s argument falls a bit flat, as it’s hard to call a practice older than most writing systems “in bad taste,” particularly since she is involved in precisely zero ways.

Indeed, depending on the state that OP’s brother lived in, he may have not been required to pay alimony at all. While in his case, it was five years, in states such as Texas, Mississippi, and Tennessee, alimony is only awarded if the marriage lasted ten years or longer. From this perspective, it could be argued that OP’s brother actually did more than what was required in many places. Regardless, why the GF thinks she knows better than a court in a case that doesn’t involve her is an interesting question to which we shall simply not get an answer.

OP’s GF’s reaction to the party leaves a lot of unanswered questions

Instead, as many commentators have noted, it’s strange that OP’s girlfriend has such a strong opinion, given that, as far as we know, she is not in any way involved and does not seem to know the ex-wife. While the celebration is perhaps a bit unorthodox, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with trying to find a little joy at the end of something bad. After a breakup, one’s friends will often take the person out for drinks and to perhaps celebrate if they disliked the partner in the first place.

It’s also worth noting that at a certain age, there perhaps doesn’t need to be a “good” reason to meet up with friends and celebrate. As age and responsibilities build up, it can get harder and harder to organize something fun with peers. A getaway “with the boys” to Vegas sounds like an excellent time and a great way for OP’s brother to put a capstone on a failed marriage and years of alimony. OP’s GF having such a strong reaction to something so minor (relative to her) could be a bit of a red flag, as it raises the question of how she will react to something actually important. If, as some speculate, she just doesn’t want OP to go to Vegas, lying about her feelings is a pretty terrible way to go about it.

All in all, OP should go and have the best time possible. It’s best to look on the bright side, his brother recovering from what is often a devastating process, a chance to hang out with friends and a pretty unique story to tell if they go through with it. Similarly, this is also a good opportunity to think a little more about OP’s own relationship and understand just why his GF has such strong opinions. This can be an opportunity for growth and honest communication, or the sign he needed to move on.

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