Anniversary Plans

Disrespectful Decision

A husband and wife were discussing their 25th anniversary and mentioned Hawaii as a possibility. The husband asked his brother and sister-in-law for suggestions since they had visited Hawaii twice and the couple had never been. However, without consulting his wife, the husband mentioned to his sister-in-law that maybe the four of them should travel to Hawaii together. Now the in-laws want to travel with them, which the husband loves because it cuts costs.

Hurt Feelings

The wife is hurt that she wasn’t even consulted about the plan. She didn’t know about the discussion until she heard them talking about splitting costs on the Hawaii trip. The wife feels that their 25th anniversary should be celebrated as a couple, not as a group of four. The husband calls her a "waller" because she didn’t go along with the plan.

Advice

The wife is not wrong to feel this way. It was disrespectful of her husband and in-laws to change plans for their 25th wedding anniversary without consulting her. The husband’s resorting to name-calling because she is upset is also inappropriate. If the wife feels like she is not comfortable celebrating this milestone with them, she should tell her sister-in-law that this was forced upon her without any preparation, which she feels was wrong, and that she is not happy about it.

A Deceptive Gift

A Valuable Book

A father, an antique collector, gave his child an old copy of his favorite book for their birthday. He claimed it was a first edition and worth a lot despite the poor condition. However, the front page with the publication date and circulation was missing, and the child discovered that it was not a first or even second edition, but a later edition that had a hard life.

A Lie

The child knows that the father knew the book was not a first edition and suspects that he cut out the front page to pass it off as what he claimed. The father keeps bragging about what a great gift it was, which makes the child feel uncomfortable.

Advice

The child should be friendly and thank their father again, but resist the urge to tell him that they know he is cheating. Since the father is experienced, there is no need to warn him about being taken advantage of by a bookseller. It’s best to just let the matter go and not bring it up again.