Being a stay-at-home mom was never part of my plan. I loved my career in marketing – the fast pace, the creative challenges, the sense of accomplishment. But when our daughter Lily was diagnosed with autism at three years old, everything changed. Someone needed to be home full-time to care for her, and that someone became me.
My husband Jake had always been supportive. Or so I thought. We prided ourselves on being equals – sharing chores, making decisions together, rejecting old-fashioned gender roles. That’s why what I discovered one ordinary Thursday shattered me completely.
While cleaning Jake’s home office, I noticed his computer was still on. His Twitter feed was open, and what I saw made my blood run cold. There were posts with the #tradwife hashtag – glorifying the “traditional wife” lifestyle. Attached were photos of me baking, gardening, reading to Lily (with our faces blurred). Jake was painting me as some 1950s housewife who happily gave up her career, not mentioning this was a necessity for our special needs child.
The betrayal cut deep. This wasn’t just about lying to strangers online – it was about him mocking our reality, reducing my sacrifices to some fantasy. When I confronted him, he tried to brush it off as “just jokes.” That’s when I snapped.
I took screenshots and shared them publicly with our friends and family. The fallout was immediate. Jake came home in tears, begging forgiveness. But trust, once broken, isn’t easily repaired. I took Lily and left, needing space to think.
For six months, Jake worked to earn back my trust – notes, voicemails, small gestures. Eventually, we started dating again, slowly rebuilding what we’d lost. It’s been a year now, and while the hurt still lingers, we’re learning to be new versions of ourselves together.
