Wife's Joke Sparks Doubts in Man and He Requests a Paternity Test

A husband confidently told his wife he had no fertility issues as he fathered their baby. His wife joked, saying he could’ve mistaken the child was his. He didn’t take the joke lightly and headed for a paternity test.

Redditor throwaway11212021 and his wife were together for three years. A year after their marriage, they had a baby, and there were no red flags. He was grateful for not having any familial stresses.

One day, the couple went to do some grocery shopping together. Just then, the Original Poster (OP) ’s wife asked him not to buy anything that had bisphenol A (BPA) in it. Scientifically, the chemical is said to disrupt fertility health in humans. The OP stared at her amusingly.

He told her he had no fertility issues since they had a baby though he consumed the BPA-infused product regularly. His wife immediately interrupted with a joke that jolted his trust in her. He explained:

“Then she joked, “well, maybe our kid’s not yours.” It took me a second to really process what she said, but once I did, I got very sad and upset.”

The OP didn’t expect she would say something like this. It sounded awkward, and he told her it wasn’t funny. Deep inside, he had his doubts.

“And why would you say something like that?” he asked his wife. She thought he overreacted and continued to shop. The OP didn’t talk to her for a while. He added:

“But once we got to the car, the idea had built up enough in my head that I told her I’m going to get a paternity test immediately.”

His wife turned on him and accused him of being doubtful. “Why don’t you trust me? Is your reaction saying something about you I should be worried about?” she questioned him.

He angrily told her that the idea was ridiculous, but he had no choice. He remained adamant and said there was no way to put off the question without getting a test.

Some people asked the OP if he’d cheated on his wife earlier.

After arguing constantly, the OP’s wife gave up, knowing he wouldn’t step back from his decision. She allowed him to take the test. The OP claimed he couldn’t fathom his child wasn’t his and turned to social media for advice if he’d overreacted to his wife’s joke.

After reading his post, several Redditors suggested he talk to his wife though he wasn’t wrong for opting for a paternity test. User RikkitikkitaviBommel said:

“Have a good and open conversation with your wife about why that joke was not funny to you and that little irrational voice in your head now. Put her at ease by making sure she knows that you are aware of the irrationality of it.”

The person advised the OP to ensure his wife knew the reason as she could be equally bothered by his distrust in her. The OP responded by saying his life went from great to having a doubtful seed planted in his head.

“Not sure how to remove that seed without getting a test,” he wrote in the thread. He agreed with the person and said he would sit his wife down to explain the test logically. The OP added:

“We’ve had another conversation about this. She apologized for making the joke, and we both wanted to confirm that I’m treating our kid the same during the next few days ahead of the results.”

Meanwhile, Redditor Imaginary_Being1949 suggested the OP could benefit from therapy. “You say everything was great, but a simple joke like this shouldn’t send you spiraling to the point where you’re worried how you will treat your kid,” the person explained.

Others in the discussion agreed with the Redditor and suggested that couple therapy could be a good idea to eliminate doubts. Some people asked the OP if he’d cheated on his wife earlier.

The OP responded in defense, claiming he never cheated on her. The discussion surged with most people siding with him for ordering a paternity test kit on Amazon and are awaiting an update on the results.

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