‘Super Pregnant & Overwhelmed' Wife Forgets That It's Father's Day— 'I Can't Shake The Sadness I Feel'
People urged her to be gentle with herself, even though she made a mistake.
Vlada Karpovich / Pexels Father’s Day can be a complicated time for many families for reasons that don’t look good on a greeting card: loss and grief, illness and estrangement.
Even people who aren’t navigating the harder sides of the holiday can find that Father’s Day brings up unexpected emotions, as one wife and mom discovered after making a mistake that she had trouble forgiving herself for.
A ‘super-pregnant and overwhelmed’ wife forgot about Father’s Day.
She wrote to the subreddit r/parenting, saying, “I totally dropped the ball for Father’s Day, and I feel really awful.”
“My partner is an amazing stepfather to our 8-year-old son and we have a daughter on the way,” she said. “I feel like he truly deserves to be celebrated.”
She shared that they just got married, went on their honeymoon, and came back home the day before Father’s Day, noting that “the wedding was magical, and we’re both so happy, but it was so, so tiring.”
On the fateful day, she said he let her sleep in while he went out for groceries, and then they cooked breakfast as a family.
“I realized then that it was Father’s Day and acknowledged him, told him how much I appreciate him and how amazing he is to our family and apologized for not having something prepared for him,” she said.
In describing how they spent the morning, the woman captured just how special her husband is, yet her guilt for forgetting Father’s Day seemed to take over their time together.
'He said it was completely fine, and he understood, but obviously, I can’t shake the sadness I feel,' she said.
She explained that their son was sick on their wedding week, and she’s been overwhelmed by “life, business [and] wedding stuff,” which is understandable for anyone, especially someone who’s 6 months pregnant.
“It doesn’t feel excusable,” she said. “He went over and above for me on Mother’s Day, and I just don’t really feel like it was fair for me to forget.”
August de Richelieu / Pexels
She suggested they “have a do-over and celebrate Father’s Day next weekend, but he laughed and said no.”
The thoughtful wife wondered how to make up for missing Father’s Day, asking other dads for their perspective.
The people in the comments urged her to take it easy on herself and try to let go of the guilt she feels for forgetting the holiday.
“You are overwhelmed right now, and that's not good,” one person said. “Slow down a bit; think about what activities could make him feel appreciated.”
“Let yourself have some slack; you are currently growing a baby,” they concluded.
The wife responded, sharing gratitude for the kind words and acknowledging that seeing other family’s posts on social media “made it a little harder.”
“Any day can be a day we show love and appreciation for any reason, really,” the wife realized. “We will have that day on a day that works a little better for us.”
Anna Shvets / Pexels
A dad shared his thoughts on the woman’s mistake, urging her not to read deeper into how her husband brushed off the day.
He said that if she does decide to celebrate Father’s Day on a later date, to do so “just because he’s special to you.”
“Don’t do it out of guilt and shame,” he said.
“Sounds like he just loves you and is happy to spend the day with you and your son,” he continued. “Appreciate that, value it, and accept his response.
His advice acts as a generous North Star for guiding how we treat ourselves and others in general. When we act out of a place of generosity rather than guilt, we express our most authentic selves, spreading our love to the ones we hold dear, which is a gift in itself.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture, and all things to do with the entertainment industry.