Man slammed for potentially planning a prank on partner at birthday dinner

The internet has slammed a man for possibly attempting to pull a prank on his partner at their birthday dinner.

Published to Reddit‘s r/AmITheA**hole forum, a partner under the anonymous username u/Lillian_daigle2309 shared their story in order to receive feedback from the “AITA” community.

To begin their post, the Redditor described their husband as a “jokester” and “prankster.” He enjoys playing pranks on them, especially on their birthdays. The original poster (OP) explains that their husband thinks they “overreact” when he plays pranks on them. He thinks they should “loosen up” and “be extra happy” that he made their birthdays “extra fun.”

The OP said that he was planning their birthday dinner at a restaurant. They refused to go if he was planning on pranking them out of fear of being humiliated in public. After he made many promises to them that he wouldn’t pull any pranks, they agreed to go. The OP canceled on their parents, who wanted to celebrate with them.

On the day of the party, they received a text from a friend’s wife that the OP’s husband was planning on pranking them at the party.

“I felt so upset and anxious,” the Redditor exclaimed. “He already went ahead and got to the restaurant to make sure all was set. I ended up deciding to not go. He started calling then texting asking where I was and [saying] the party was going to start without me. I turned my phone off and went to my parents house and had a small party there.”

Once they returned home, their husband argued with the OP, saying that they wasted his effort, time and money on the party and was upset that they didn’t trust his word on not pranking them.

Newsweek has reached out to u/Lillian_daigle2309 for comment.

Newsweek has published several articles regarding conflicts in relationships, including a husband not wanting his wife to work with a “homewrecker,” a partner who “forbid” their husband to go on a roadtrip with his siblings and a woman not giving up her bed for a sick child, upsetting her boyfriend.

What to do if you’re always pranked in a relationship

Are you in a similar situation as the OP? Are you in a relationship where your significant is famous for pulling pranks on you or other loved ones?

One of the ways a partner can tell their significant other they are uncomfortable with their “pranks” is to communicate their feelings and reactions and ask them to stop, says Thomas Faupl. The licensed marriage and family therapist also suggests explaining to a significant other that their actions might be “triggering” a painful feeling from the partner’s childhood.

“A successful relationship is when partners can talk about how the impact of these incidents make them feel and why, and engage in a process of repair where empathy and care is extended to the hurt party. This process creates healthy attachment where a couple can grow and thrive,” Faupl told Newsweek.

“All couples need to develop healthy communication skills where they learn to talk about their perspectives and feelings, listen to their partner non-defensively and have the humility to apologize when necessary.”

Redditor reactions

“[Not the a**hole.] He was going to prank you despite all the promises that he won’t. Based on the information you received he most certainly was going to prank you. This is not funny or cute. Stand your ground and tell your husband you will NOT tolerate any more pranks and MEAN IT,” u/Bear-Cub-15 said, receiving the top comment of over 12,000 upvotes.

U/Gangreless wrote, “He’s shown he can’t be trusted, this would honestly make me question my marriage.”

“He did not put a lot of effort into celebrating your birthday. He put a lot of effort into another chance to humiliate you,” u/ashleighbuck exclaimed.

“He repeatedly pulls pranks that he knows (from experience) that will upset you, & then gaslights you when you get upset. These are not the actions of someone who loves you. You don’t trust him, because he has proven time & time again that he can not be trusted. Without trust in a relationship, you have nothing. [Not the a**hole]. Ditch the deadweight. Find someone who respects you,” u/Impressive-Rock-2279 commented.