Man Comes Home, Finds Wife and Two Children Gone – Later Learns They're at a Homeless Shelter

A man returns home from work and finds his wife and kids gone. He keeps calm and mistakenly assumes they would return.

Redditor throwaway58239568’s 10-year-old marriage had seen some better days and quite some ups and downs. Although he and his wife stayed together through their rocky marriage, he came home to a shocking surprise one day—his wife and kids were gone.

Confused if Reddit’s “Parenting” sub was the right place to share his story, the father of two explained that his kids are his priority after being compelled to deal with his stubborn wife, who moved out of the house without giving him a clue.

The Original Poster (OP) kept calm and assumed that she’d probably gone to meet up with her family or a friend. After a prolonged wait, he texted his wife’s sister.

She told him his wife had checked into a homeless shelter with the kids. OP couldn’t believe it, and the truth sank in his head only after hearing her repeat it a couple of times.

Meanwhile, some people pressed OP for accurate details and the possibilities that led his wife to move out with the kids.

The woman stayed there with their kids for the next three nights while OP was still baffled and furious. He rung her up several times and even texted her, but she didn’t respond.

OP didn’t hear from his wife for over a day, but she was in contact with his sister and mother, so whatever information he got was conveyed second-hand.

His wife explained that she felt financially unsafe and would only return home if he stabilized the situation.The man doubted her reasoning and pondered over its accuracy.

Meanwhile, his wife sent him a long text message that added insult to injury. She cited their financial instability as the main reason that compelled her to move into a shelter with their kids.

Though OP was unmoved, he tried to convince her to return. At one point, he told her he was ready to stay out with his friends and family if she felt uncomfortable staying with him. But she was too stubborn to respond.

After all his attempts failed, OP took an afternoon off from work and hurried to the shelter to meet her, hoping that would change her mind.

He was thrilled to see his kids and tried to convince his wife to return home with him then and there. To his dismay, the woman was hellbent on her decision and repeatedly stressed that she felt financially unsafe with him.

OP was worked up but kept trying. He told his wife to look in his eyes and tell him if she genuinely felt the shelter was the best place for her and their kids.

Without further thought, the woman said yes, giving OP the blues. He returned home alone and thought the people on social media would help him navigate through his plight.

But before proceeding with his request for guidance, OP explained the reasons that could’ve probably led his wife to take this massive step.

He gave readers a synopsis about his financial stability, citing the family has “never been good with money.” He said he was a spendthrift when he should’ve been a bit more considerate about stabilizing his finances.

To make things worse, his business slowed down and made things financially tight for the family who lived in a large city. He recalled borrowing money from his mother occasionally to make ends meet.

Despite this, OP felt his wife shouldn’t have checked into a homeless shelter, but the online community had a few different things to say about his situation.

“It doesn’t sound like you’re taking her concerns seriously,” stated Redditor spunky_sheets. However, OP jumped in defense, saying:

“Even if I am taking it seriously, I don’t know how to convey that to her in such a way that she would come home.”

Meanwhile, some people pressed OP for accurate details and the possibilities that led his wife to move out with the kids.

“Just another thought...do you think she may be using the shelter to show you what could happen to your kids if you don’t change your ways?” questioned another Redditor.

OP claimed that he could see this as his wife’s way of proving what the person said and returned to the sub with an update with added twists to his dilemma.

He met his lawyer and the cops, who advised him to go to family court to file for temporary custody of his kids. However, OP decided to take things into his own hands.

He met up with his wife and kids for dinner near the shelter and showed her the budget he’d planned, highlighting they still had scope to manage their finances.

He then told her that he would show the budget to the shelter’s supervisor if she still refused. After much thought, OP’s wife agreed to return home but had a few conditions.

To reconcile with her, OP first needed to stay away from home for around 30-90 days and prove he could still stick to his budget and stay on top of the finances. Next, she said she wouldn’t find a job until he successfully passed the stipulated trial period.

Although OP felt her conditions were too much, he agreed as getting the kids out of the shelter was his prime concern. He later admitted that if he didn’t stabilize his finances, his wife would leave another time and never return.

“My actions have clearly put her in this state of mind, and I’m trying to take steps to improve our situation. I’ve continued to work on my budget,” he concluded.

Questions to Ponder:

Do you think OP’s wife could’ve told him that she was stressed with their financial instability instead of moving out with their kids?

OP stated that his wife checked into a homeless shelter with their kids, citing her stress over his financial problems and instability. Even when he tried reaching out to her, she refused to talk, but he later learned the reason for her departure from the house through his mom and sister. Do you think this could have been avoided if OP's wife first had a conversation with him about her concerns before packing up and leaving with the kids?

Do you think OP would have gained custody of his children if he took his case to the family court?

OP claimed that his lawyer and even the cops advised him to approach a family court to file for temporary custody of his kids. However, he didn't pursue this when his wife agreed to return home after checking out the financial budget he’d devised. Should he have taken legal action, do you think the courts would side with him?

If you liked this story, here’s another dose of inspiration from a woman who asks her husband of 30 years for divorce, although he did nothing.

All images are for illustration purposes only. Would you mind sharing your story with us? It might change someone’s life. If you’d like to share your story, please mail it to info@amomama.com.