As parents, we all have different approaches to raising our children and whether you're a stay-at-home parent or you're working a full-time job, there's no "wrong" way to bring up your kids.
But one woman has been left infuriated by her boyfriend after she declared that she wouldn't be quitting her job when the time came for them to have children, as he claimed she would "ruin the bond" between herself and her children if she didn't agree to become a stay-at-home mum.
Sharing her story anonymously on Reddit, the woman said she has "never wanted" to be a stay-at-home mum and is quite happy keeping up her job alongside motherhood - but her partner thinks she's putting her career before her future family.
Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here.
She wrote: "My boyfriend and I have recently started talking about kids. I thought we were on the same page until he brought up me being a stay-at-home mum. The problem is I have never wanted to be a stay-at-home mum and have never expressed wanting to do so.
"I enjoy working and love my job and have never planned on quitting. When I expressed that I have zero interest in doing that, he started going on and on about how he doesn’t want babysitters raising our kids, and that it’d be best for me to do so. I understand that having a long term babysitter might feel like you’re not raising a kid, but I had one my whole childhood and I still feel as if my parents raised me."
The woman, who is from the US, told her boyfriend that he could be a stay-at-home dad if he wanted one parent to be at home with the children full-time - but he shut down the suggestion, claiming she doesn't "make enough money" to support a growing family without his income.
She added: "This started a whole argument and I mentioned that if he wanted a stay-at-home parent then he should be one. This p***ed him off even more, as he feels like I don’t have a plan to make enough money to take care of a family of three or four, and that I’m putting work before my own flesh and blood.
"He says that me choosing work would ruin the bond between me and our future kids. Him saying that really has me thinking that I’m a horrible person for wanting to work instead of being at home full time."
Commenters on the Reddit post couldn't believe the man's attitude, as many pointed out the hypocrisy in claiming his girlfriend not being a stay-at-home parent would "ruin the bond" between their children while still working full-time himself.
One person said: "So him working would not ruin his relationship with potential kids? He's the a**hole and a huge hypocrite. Run girl."
While another added: "How dare you have your own life right? Is him working not going to ruin the bond he has with the kids? Weird."
And a third wrote: "This is not the '50s. You're right. If it's important for him to have a stay at home parent, he should be one."
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
.png?w=600)
