Man's Reason for Ignoring Wife and Missing Emergency Call on Trip Backed

Support has poured in across the internet for a man who's fallen out with his wife after missing her calls during a "tech-free" weekend.

The 27-year-old man took to Reddit to explain that he and his male friend had been on an annual rural weekend trip, a tradition that they have maintained for 10 years, where they switch their phones off and stay away from tech devices.

During this time, the man's wife persistently tried to contact him. Upon returning home after the short vacation, the man learned that towards the end of the "tech-free" trip, his wife's sister had been injured in a car accident.

Furious that he was unreachable when she needed him most, the woman has now stopped speaking to her husband.

According to the Pew Research Center, up to 97 percent of Americans now own a smartphone of some variety.

On Reddit, the man asked whether he was in the wrong. "My wife all but demanded I take my phone as well in case she needed to get a hold of me despite her having my friend's number. I let her know I had arrived and immediately after that she was texting me and asking me how things were," he wrote.

"I eventually muted our text conversation because I was sick of the phone buzzing," the man added. "She called me a few hours later. I reiterated that this was supposed to be a no-phone weekend."

After he'd returned home, the man realized that he'd missed an emergency call: "I called my wife and informed her when we were about 30 minutes away and she was furious. She said that there ended up being an emergency and that I had just ignored her the entire time when she needed me."

The post, which can be seen here, had been uploaded under the man's social media username @Remarkable-Use-8439 on January 24. Since then, it's been upvoted 17,700 times and has garnered 6,200 comments mainly in support of the Redditor.

The vast majority of commenters banded together to crown the man 'Not The A******' in the situation.

"I have the odd feeling that she almost wanted there to be an actual emergency so she could feel justified in bothering [you]," one Reddit user commented.

Another user added: "I had a similar thought that she was sabotaging the weekend."

Should You Always Be in Contact With Your Partner?

Angela Nicole Holton, a dating and relationship expert, said that everyone needs and deserves to establish personal boundaries, even in the closest and most loving relationships, as they are a means by which we can protect ourselves emotionally and mentally.

"We all need space from time to time, especially from our phones, and it's not indicative always of the health of a relationship. Healthy relationships should be able to establish and honor boundaries without a threat or loss of connection and emotional safety," Holton told Newsweek.

The dating and relationship expert went on to say: "We live in a tech-frenzied world and cell phones are something I have seen as problematic in relationships. With that said, in this scenario and in any other situation similar, it would eliminate a lot of dissension if the partner communicates their boundaries upfront."

"The man could have conveyed to the girlfriend beforehand that his cellphone would be off for the weekend as he's having a 'tech-free' weekend, but to call or text if there's an emergency. Turning his phone all the way off? Not okay," Holton added.

The relationship expert believed that the man should've listed his girlfriend's number as an exception to his cell phone's Do Not Disturb feature. The dismissal of his girlfriend's calls prompted Holton to question whether any infidelity is happening in the relationship, or if there are existing problems in the relationship where the man wanted to be left alone and did not want to engage with his girlfriend.

"It leaves a lot of room for questioning and doubt," Holton added.

According to the relationship expert, while we also have the right to place boundaries, being in an intimate relationship with someone, requires our physical and emotional availability.

"I understand the girlfriend's hurt and insecurity. I would take this as an opportunity to address any other underlying problems in the relationship, like whether he's feeling overwhelmed," Holton concluded.

Have you noticed any red flags that made you end a relationship? Let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.