'AITA for DEMANDING my husband get my baby stroller back from his sister, or else I'm changing the locks?'
"AITA for DEMANDING my husband get my baby stroller back from his sister, or else I'm changing the locks?"
I am 26F and 7 months pregnant with my first baby. My husband is 28M. My parents don't have a lot of money, but they saved up for months to buy me my absolute dream stroller. It was really expensive, I literally cried when they brought it over. I kept it set up in the nursery bcoz it just made me so happy to look at it.
Well, my husband's older sister just found out she is pregnant too. She is only about 8 weeks along. She constantly complains about being broke and how she wont be able to afford a baby. I honestly felt bad for her at first.
Yesterday, I came home from work and my feet were killing me. I went into the nursery to put some clothes away, and the stroller was completely gone. I started panicking and called my husband because I thought someone broke into our house.
He told me to calm down. He casually mentioned that his sister came over crying about money, so he packed up my stroller and gave it to her to help her out. I asked him why he would do that without asking me.
He said my parents can just buy us another one since they already did it once, or we still have a few months to buy a cheap one ourselves. He said she needs it way more than I do right now.
I was shaking i was so mad. I told him he basically stole from me and my parents. I told him he has exactly 24 hours to drive to his sister's house and bring my stroller back, or I am changing the locks on the front door.
He called me a spoiled brat and said family helps family. Now his mom is blowing up my phone, telling me that I am severely stressing out a newly pregnant woman over a piece of plastic.
I am sitting in the nursery crying my eyes out right now.
Am I the jerk for wanting my gift back?
Here’s what people had to say to OP:
Is the issue the stroller or your husband who gave your stroller away and called you a spoiled brat? If you want the stroller go get it. Do you really want a husband like that?
This comment cuts right to the heart of it. The stroller is just the symptom. The real disease is a husband who steals from you, calls you names, and thinks your parents are an ATM.
NTA... It's not just a piece of plastic, especially to you as its incredibly sentimental. Husband is crazy entitled to do it without a word, knowing how it means to you, not to mention ride and inconsiderate af. Those screeching family helps family.... where do you see them offering to buy sister a "piece of plastic"?.. exactly.
And she’s “stressing out a newly pregnant woman”? How about the stress on the one who is SEVEN MONTHS pregnant?!? How does the sister need a stroller she can’t even use for several months?!? Make it make sense!
In several months, when SIL has a newborn, if OP is feeling generous, she can give hand me downs from her baby who has now outgrown many things. Why is SIL having a baby she can’t afford? Why does husband care more about newly pregnant sis than heavily pregnant wife?
SIL didn’t NEED anything. She WANTED the stroller because it was fancy, a gift, and knew OP loved it. She wanted to hurt her because she’s jealous, and succeeded. She also manipulated her brother, who is still the most reprehensible one in this situation for what he did and said.
OP, you are so NTA. You have a major husband problem, though, and I’m so sorry you’re just finding this out now. I really hope you get your beautiful stroller back asap, have a calm rest of your pregnancy and safe delivery…maybe have your parents come stay with you? Hubby can go live with his jerky mother.
Strollers can cost well over $1000! Why would OP’s husband think her parents can “just buy her another one”? MIL can tap into her own cookie jar to fund her own daughter’s pregnancy. It’s not OP’s parents’ responsibility. Pfffft.
I personally would call the police and report a theft, see how husband feels when his sister gets arrested for possession of stolen property. You husband is a huge jerk, your SIL is a jerk and your MIL is a jerk. You are the the only one NTA.
The question you should be asking is… “Would I be the jerk for not following through with my threat to my husband if he doesn’t get it back within 24 hours?“ Personally, I feel this is definitely a hill worth dying on.
NTA. Call the in-law and ask for your stroller back or you will drive up there and bring the cops if they prevent you from taking your property. That should nuke a relationship for good and they won't ever come to take any of your stuff again.
Exact_Ad_6931 (OP)
Im honestly thinking about it. his sister is not even answering my texts now and my husband is just staying at his moms house. i feel like they are forcing me to do something crazy just to get my own stuff back.
Family helps family that may be his family should step up and help his sister. Instead of stealing from your baby, basically. She's only eight weeks along. She has plenty of time to get baby stuff and there's plenty of resources out there. If she can't afford a baby she should've thought of that of that beforehand.
Your husband's mother needs to mind her business. You're also pregnant. She's nothing special being pregnant. Maybe she should buy her a stroller a cheap one I would put a lockdown on any other baby items or put it in your mother's house. He can't be trusted with his kids stuff he's basically stealing from his child.
Exact_Ad_6931 (OP)
Exactly!! Its like i cant even trust him in our own home anymore. im so heartbroken that he’d take something meant for our baby just to please his sister. thank u for seeing that, i feel like im going crazy with his family calling me the jerk.
Your husband is not ready to be a father. He’s not even ready to be a husband. He is an immature piece of work. If it was so important to him to help his sister, he should have just purchased a stroller for her himself.
Taking one that was gifted to you by your parents, without even talking to you about it, was completely out of line. It just goes to prove that he does not put his marriage and his own nuclear family before his family of origin, which is now his extended family.
And that his mom would tell you that ‘you are severely stressing out a newly pregnant woman over a piece of plastic’ while ignoring the fact that you are pregnant, and are stressed out over your husband‘s actions regarding this stroller, shows where he learned his entitlement from.
And then to top it all off he runs home to mommy and stays there because he can’t face the music for what he did to you? This is not what adult married people do.