AITA for refusing to buy my wife a "push present"
The user, a 34-year-old male, is in a difficult situation with his 34-year-old wife, who is pr****nt with their third child.
After 17 years together, the wife recently asked him what he would buy her when she returns from the hospital, to which he responded with "Nothing," leading to the silent treatment.
The user explains that they have a long history of facing major life events as equals and that they have a mutual agreement not to exchange gifts unless som**hing specific is needed.
When pressed, the wife admitted she felt left out because her friends and their mothers received expensive gifts, like diamond rings, after childbirth, leading the user to question if he should buy jewelry just to maintain peace.
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The user is experiencing a conflict between his es**blished value system—operating as equals, avoiding consumerism, and focusing on shared life achievements—and his wife's sudden desire to conform to external social pressures related to 'push presents.' His reluctance stems from feeling that this request contradicts their history and that it feels transactional rather than meaningful.
Should the user adhere to their long-standing, shared agreement about gifts and mutual appreciation, or is the potential damage to the relationship caused by refusing this specific, socially-driven request significant enough to warrant breaking their es**blished norm by purchasing expensive jewelry?
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