This 34-year-old man and his wife, who’s 26, have been together for five years now, and they have two daughters together, who are 3-years-old and 1-year-old.
Following the birth of their youngest, his wife also began to struggle with postpartum depression.
“Things got really tough, and I did my best to support her,” he recalled.
While he has always tried to be a shoulder to lean on for his wife, there has been some tension in their relationship – particularly when it comes to parenting.
That’s because he’s currently forced to work long hours, which means he isn’t often available to help out with drop-offs and pick-ups for their kids. This has caused his wife to resent him a bit.
However, he was really thrown for a loop a couple of months ago when his wife went further than he’d ever imagined. More specifically, while she was having a “postpartum episode,” she apparently hurt their 1-year-old daughter by accident.
“I know it wasn’t intentional, but it was really alarming and hard to move past,” he said.
“She was angry that I had worked late again and took her anger out on our baby.”
Besides this, there are also other lingering issues that have pushed him to question their relationship. For instance, he knows that his wife had cheated on him at least once while they were already married before they started a family.
Olesia Bilkei – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual child
At the time, they’d worked through that, and things seemed to be getting better. That’s why they decided to have a baby, and everything was fine after their first daughter was born.
But, once their second child entered the world, things changed, and their relationship was soured again.
He’s been left trying to pick up the pieces for the sake of their kids. Yet, he admitted that he doesn’t really think he can do it anymore as he’s hit his breaking point.
“I’m starting to think divorce might be the best option for everyone,” he explained.
The main issue is that both his family and his wife’s family are very religious, so they think he’s a jerk for even considering leaving her, especially while she’s struggling with her mental health.
His relatives claimed that his wife’s postpartum depression was not her fault and he needed to “stick it out” for their children.
“But I feel like I’ve been betrayed again and that our relationship is beyond repair,” he vented.
Nonetheless, with all of this pushback from his loved ones, he’s not sure if leaving his wife would actually be the wrong thing to do.
Does it sound like his wife needs help? At the same time, should he prioritize the safety of his kids? What advice would you give him?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.