When the dreaded man flu strikes, competent men lose all ability to care for themselves. One man learned this the hard way when he tried to leave home for a few hours while his husband was recovering.
Sick for a Week
The Original Poster (OP) Came to Reddit to find out if he was wrong for leaving his sick husband to attend a family birthday party for a few hours.
He began by saying he was sick for a week, and he stayed home to take care of him.
“He’s quite miserable (headache, nausea, fairly high fever), so I’ve been working from home to be able to keep an eye on (him) throughout the day,” he explained.
Weekend Birthday Party
OP has much younger twin sisters, who were celebrating a birthday over the weekend. Obviously, the husband doesn’t feel like going.
“On Friday, Harry told me he wasn’t feeling up to a children’s birthday party, which is understandable. I wouldn’t necessarily want to be around rowdy children if I was sick either,” he said.
However, he didn’t want to miss her sister’s milestones and wanted to make an appearance.
He Goes for a Few Hours
Mindful of his ill husband, OP only stays at the party for a short while.
“So I decided I’d go there on my own, bring over the presents, stay for an hour or two, and be back home before dinner,” he said, adding that it was nice to get out of the house after being holed up for a week.
Husband Mad
Although he didn’t say anything before the weekend, OP’s husband was clearly upset. “When I told Harry as much, he didn’t comment on it, but he did seem a bit grumpy afterwards,” he said.
OP didn’t realize how upset he was until after the party.
“The party went great, and I got back home after about 2 hours without any calls from Harry, so I assumed everything had gone well,” he said.
But that was not the case.
“He was frowning all evening, and when I asked whether he was alright, he called me selfish for leaving him alone and accused me of not caring about his well-being. He told my I should’ve stayed home with him instead of having fun on my own while he was miserable. He has since been giving me the silent treatment whenever I tried to talk to him about it,” he recounted.
Should OP Have Stayed Home?
A few days later, he’s still moping and giving the silent treatment. OP can’t help but wonder if he was wrong to attend the party.
Most Redditors validated his actions.
“The flu sucks, but your husband is an adult, and he can spend a few hours taking care of himself,” said one, adding, “Perhaps it would be a shock to your husband to learn this, but there are plenty of people out there who will spend an entire week taking care of themselves! Even if they are sick! Sometimes, longer than a week!”
“As a man who is also rendered completely helpless when he has a cold, his accusation that you’re being selfish is completely out of line,” stated another. “You’re allowed to take a two-hour break on Day 7 of his flu after taking care of him all week. When he’s feeling better, take him to task for his whining.”
The Dreaded Man Flu
Many also used the opportunity to poke fun at the man flu, which is a joke illness making fun of men who become incompetent babies at the slightest sign of sickness.
“Oh yes, the dreaded man flu. Worst thing on the planet if you’re male. Can’t function at all,” quipped one user.
“Studies show that the man flu is actually just as painful as childbirth,” joked another.
No Reason To Stay Home
Overall, Redditors validated OP. He shouldn’t have to stay home just because his partner was sick. In fact, he already went above and beyond by working from home for the week and leaving the party early.
OP’s husband is just a giant man baby who needs to grow up.
Source: Reddit