A father-to-be claims he gifted his brother-in-law a parenting book for his birthday after tiring of him slacking off when it comes to housework and childcare.
The expectant dad says he visits his seven-month pregnant sister and her husband, Hank, more or less every day and has noticed a stark imbalance in their sharing of responsibilities.
As well as the baby on the way, the couple have two young children, a boy and a girl, and yet most of the work is left to the now heavily pregnant woman.
He's previously seen Hank stay nonplussed in front of the TV after the little boy fell off the stairs and needed help, leaving it to him to assist his nephew. The sister had been busy helping their other child at the time.
Even in her late stage of pregnancy, Hank is still expecting his wife to "lift heavy things, run after the kids, bath them and cook for them", blaming his unavailability on "football season." Eventually, the brother had reached his limit.
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Taking to Reddit, where he goes by the username u/Throwthe4257, the anonymous man opened up about the incident which really tipped him over the edge.
He wrote: "I was getting irritated of him especially after he ruined mine and my wife's first ever pregnancy announcement by asking my wife if "she was sure I will be a decent father".
Ahead of his brother-in-law's birthday, the man found himself browsing the shops for the perfect gift when he spotted something he "thought would be beneficial for him."
He continued: "My wife and I arrived at my sister's house and had dinner. My brother-in-law didn't stop nagging my wife about the pregnancy saying that there's an 80% chance I'll turn out to be a deadbeat dad.
"I couldn't take it. When it was time for gifts. I got up, handed him a book on parenting, and said, 'here, I found this amazing book called The Gift of Failure, it's about parenting.
"Strange concept I know but I figured you'd benefit from it, especially with a third kid on the way". He was absolutely speechless. Everybody was staring at him and my wife and mum laughed. "
Unfortunately, Hank didn't find the present anywhere near as funny, shooting him "a look" before storming off upstairs. He later sent an email demanding an apology, accusing him of publicly humiliating him. He's now wondering whether he might have taken things too far.
One person advised: "It may be time to have a serious conversation with your sister about her marriage. You may even want to have your parents and other close family help with the conversation. She isn’t living with a partner, she’s just taking care of another child."
Another said: "He was projecting his bad parenting on you. And since I suspect you're going to be an excellent father you'll be able to embarrass him every day simply by being a good father.
"I feel so sorry for your sister but she obviously has chosen to be a single parent in spite of having her children's father right there."
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