Woman Refuses to Buy Presents for Her 'Picky' Husband Because His Reactions to Gifts Are 'Childishly Ungrateful'
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12/21/2024 04:00 PM
The woman said her husband of 12 years loves "surprise gifts" but will often complain once he opens them
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A couple arguing (stock image).A woman is putting her foot down when it comes to gift-giving for her husband.
In a post on Reddit's "Am I the A------" forum, a woman, 35, wrote that she and her spouse of 12 years have a hard time when it comes to giving each other presents for their birthdays and during the holiday season.
Noting that she is not a fan of "surprise gifts," the woman said the opposite is the case for her partner, 39, who "loves" them, though he "is super picky."
"He does this thing where he will tell someone, 'Oh, I'm alright with anything!' but when he gets that 'anything,' he will make some remark about how he actually wanted XYZ, which dampens the mood and makes him sound so childishly ungrateful," she wrote. "It drives me mad."
According to the woman, if she does the same thing as her husband, "He'll get upset and say that I should be grateful."
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A group of presents stacked together (stock image).Related: Six in 10 Americans See Gift Giving as a Competition, Survey Reveals
One year, the Redditor wrote that her husband "bought me a dress he thought I'd like for my birthday, despite me telling him over and over and over and over and over again how much I would have liked a specific pair of earrings."
"I gave a weak thanks and he was sulky all evening, especially when my friends bought me something else off my wish list and I was so happy," she continued, adding, "It's not about the price either because the things he surprises me with are always either more expensive or around the same price as what I actually asked for."
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Now, the woman said, "I've tried my hardest to figure out what he'd like, but I always somehow miss the mark," as she listed numerous examples from years past. This year, specifically, the wife said she asked her husband for "a hint to work with," though "he playfully told me to surprise him."
"Years of pent-up frustration got the best of me and I told him that he's an ungrateful child and I will NOT be surprising him. If he wasn't going to tell me, then he gets nothing," the woman explained. "I also told him to stop surprising me with stuff I don't even want because he's a hypocrite whose feelings will get hurt if I don't fall to my knees thanking him (I exaggerate) for something I don't want. I'm done coddling him over gifts because it's stupid and causing undue stress to me."
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A couple arguing (stock image).Related: Man 'Downgrades' Sister-in-Law's Christmas Gift After Seeing What She Got for Him
In the comments section of the post, many sided with the woman and understood her frustration.
"He sounds absolutely exhausting," one commenter wrote of the woman's husband, as another said, "Gifts are supposed to bring joy, not stress. If he refuses to communicate and then complains, that's a him problem, not a you problem."
Others, meanwhile, shared some gift suggestions for the woman to give her husband.
When one user said, "Give him cash," the Redditor responded, "I thought that would be a reasonable middle ground. But nope, he says it's so impersonal."
One other person who chimed in to share their thoughts on the Reddit post, meanwhile, teased, "Give him a therapy gift voucher."
