Owning a family heirloom comes with the big responsibility of making sure it gets passed down securely from one generation to the next.
For one woman, this simple tradition took a bad turn when her new husband suggested a different plan.
This 35-year-old woman shared her problem on Reddit, looking for advice. She explained that in her family, there’s a tradition of giving an emerald necklace to the oldest son or daughter on their 14th birthday. The necklace was supposed to be given to Emily, her daughter, on her 14th birthday in January 2024.
The woman shared that she and her husband Joey had been dating for four years and married for two. Both had daughters from previous relationships.
Even though Joey knew about the tradition and the woman’s plan to give the necklace to Emily, he made an outrageous suggestion during a conversation about Christmas gifts.
Joey suggested that the emerald necklace should be given to his daughter Sophia instead. He said this would show that the woman accepted Sophia as her daughter. The woman, feeling uncomfortable, explained that Emily was excited to receive the necklace and knew about the family tradition. Joey, however, refused to change his mind.
He accused his wife of being biased, saying she was being selfish and could easily buy Emily another necklace on Amazon. But the woman stood her ground, insisting that Emily would inherit the family heirloom no matter what Joey thought.
Joey, unhappy with her refusal, gave her the silent treatment (except when the kids were around).
Then, Joey made things worse by telling his mother and sister about it. They also accused the woman of favoritism and agreed with Joey that Sophia should get the necklace.
Worried about her marriage, the woman turned to Reddit for advice. The online community overwhelmingly supported her!
“You’re not favoring one kid over another,” one person commented. “Emily is your child, and she deserves the necklace. Your stepdaughter is not entitled to it. If it was really that important to him, I would tell him his daughter can get a replica from Amazon.”
“Also, you should store the necklace in a safe place, like a bank box, because I bet that as soon as Emily gets it, it will either ‘disappear’ or be ‘accidentally’ broken,” another person added.
“It needs to be locked up so that neither your stepdaughter nor your husband can get it,” agreed another commenter. “Even though you think it’s Emily’s, sit down with her and explain why you’re doing it and why it’s best to keep it safe.”
What do you think about this situation? Would you have done what this woman did? Share your thoughts in the comments below!