I’m 36, trying to juggle work and taking care of the kids, including our 6-month-old baby. My husband, Mark, only helps when it’s convenient for him. This year, he turned 40, and a few weeks before his birthday, he came to me excited and said: “Honey, I want to celebrate my 40th in a big way! I want to go ON VACATION with my friends, well… without wives and kids… you get it, right?” I wasn’t thrilled. “Mark, but we have a lot of expenses. I need help with the kids, and honestly, I’m against it.” He waved it off with a smile. “Babe, it’s already DECIDED. When else am I going to turn 40?” I sighed tiredly and gave in, knowing another argument wouldn’t change anything. About a week later, he came back, worried: “Babe, my credit card still isn’t working, and the new one won’t arrive for a few more weeks…
COULD YOU PAY FOR THE BOOKING? The guys will send you their share, and I’ll pay mine back as soon as I get the new card.” So I paid — $3,872. Time passed, but no money came from anyone. When I asked Mark about it, he smiled and said: “Relax, Liv. It’s our shared budget anyway. CONSIDER IT YOUR GIFT TO ME, LOVE.” I stared at him. “Wait! So neither you nor your friends plan to pay me back?!” He shrugged like it was nothing. “Liv, seriously? I’m inviting the guys to my birthday, why should they pay? You can give your husband such a cool gift, right? CALM DOWN!” The next day, he left for the trip, and soon after that, I saw his Instagram post: “BOUGHT AN AMAZING TRIP FOR ME AND THE GUYS! 
” That made me furious. He had no idea what kind of “SURPRISE” I had prepared for him. I grabbed my phone and called to make some CHANGES to his vacation.
