When someone is in possession of a family heirloom, they assume the role of a custodian, ensuring it passes down safely from one generation to the next.
However, for one woman, this simple plan took a pretty nasty turn when her new husband proposed an alternative approach.
Seeking guidance on Reddit, the 35-year-old woman recounted her dilemma, which all stemmed from her family tradition of passing down an emerald necklace to the eldest daughter or son on their 14th birthday. Her daughter, Emily, is expected to receive this cherished heirloom on her upcoming 14th birthday in January 2024.
The woman, who has been married to her husband Joey for two years, explained that they’d been together for four years, and that they’d both had daughters from previous relationships.
Despite Joey’s awareness of the family tradition and the woman’s intention to give the necklace to Emily, he made a gobsmacking suggestion during a Christmas gift discussion.
Joey proposed that his daughter, Sophia, should receive the emerald jewelry instead, saying that it would be a way for the woman to express her acceptance of Sophia as her daughter. Uncomfortable with this suggestion, the woman explained that her daughter, Emily, knew of the family tradition and was looking forward to receive the necklace… Unfortunately, Joey was rather stubborn and refused to change his mind.
In fact, he accused his wife of favoritism, claiming that she was being selfish and insisted that she could easily purchase another necklace for Emily on Amazon! The woman remained undeterred, however, and stood firm, saying that her family heirloom would be going to Emily regardless of what Joey thought.
He was clearly unimpressed that the woman would not change her mind, and ended up giving her the silent treatment (except when the children were around).
Joey then went a step further, escalating the situation by sharing it with his mother and sister, who, in turn, accused the woman of favoritism and supported Joey’s belief that the necklace should go to Sophia.
Feeling the strain on her marriage, the woman turned to Reddit for opinions on whether her actions were justified. Unsurprisingly, internet users overwhelmingly supported her!
One person wrote: “You’re not favoring one kid over another. Emily is your kid and the necklace is hers. Your [stepdaughter] is not entitled to anything. I would have told him that his daughter can get the knockoff from Amazon if it’s that important to him.”
They then added: “That being said, you need to put the necklace in a safe place like a box in the bank or something because trust me, as soon as Emily has it, it’s going to ‘disappear’ or be broken by ‘accident.’”
Another person agreed, saying: ” It needs to be locked up in a safe place so that neither your [stepdaughter] nor your husband can get their hands on it. I would sit down with Emily and explain why you are doing so and that while you consider it hers, it’s best to keep it safe.”
What do you think of this situation? Would you have done the same thing as this woman? Let us know in the comments!