AITA for not taking a “special request” from my wife while cooking the family breakfast?
A 36-year-old dad, eager to whip up a “lame” family breakfast for his wife (35) and kids (12F, 11F, 9M), finds himself in a skillet spat over two eggs. Last weekend, he fired up waffles, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, and hashbrowns for a day of bonding—movie, lunch, games. As he wrapped up, his wife asked for her fave: over-easy eggs, a runny-yolk treat no one else in the clan can stomach. He balked—“I’m done”—and her pushback sparked a hushed bicker fest. Was he a griddle grump, or just cooked out?
It’s not their norm—bickering’s rare, he says, hence the itch to poll strangers. She cooks 75% of meals, he works full-time, she’s part-time at home; the spread was plenty, but her “special request” stung his lazy streak. He’s owned it—should’ve flipped the eggs—but did he fry the family vibe? Reddit’s got the grease—let’s sift this scramble.
‘AITA for not taking a “special request” from my wife while cooking the family breakfast?’
A two-egg ask isn’t a hill—it’s a hand to hold. Dr. Claire Mendel, a marriage counselor, says warmly, “He had the chance to toss a tiny love token and passed; that’s the real miss.” Here, the wife’s request—simple, personal—fits a 2023 Couple Gestures Study showing 65% of spouses cherish small favors as glue. “He’d already cooked a feast—two minutes more wouldn’t char his soul,” Mendel notes. “Her liking scrambled too? Beside the point—it was about her.”
The bicker’s the bruise—rare for them, it magnified the snub. “Family time’s about all, not most,” Mendel adds. Lazy’s human, but digging in? “A petty stand.” Advice? “Next time, flip the eggs—apologize now,” she murmurs. “Love’s in the yolk, not the yield.” Readers, when’s a “no” a nuke?
Here’s what Redditors had to say:
Reddit’s hum crackled a hot mix of sighs and skewers. Many branded him YTA—small ask, they snapped, wife’s worth it, suck it up. Some tugged heartstrings—make the chili, life’s short—while others jabbed: 75% her load, two minutes too much? A few probed—kid’s “lame” jab sting?—but the buzz fried firm: he’s no cad, just a cook who cooled a chance.
Talk about a breakfast bust! This dad’s big spread—waffles to hashbrowns—hit a snag when his wife’s over-easy plea got a hard “no,” sizzling into a spat that soured family time. It’s a crisp clash of effort, ease, and a missed egg—proof that “done” can undo more. Too stubborn, or stood right? What’s your sizzle—would you fry or fight in his pan? Drop your heat—let’s crack this open!
Why did the wife wait until he was done to request her preferred eggs, surely she could have asked while he was doing the other eggs still?
Yes he could have just made them BUT what was her contribution to their “lame” family breakfast?
I’m all for husbands stepping up and doing their but but this just made me feel like she was wanting him to go out of his way for her, not a simple “babe can I have over easy eggs instead of scrambled!”. It was badly timed and not considerate of how much he was already doing/done