Money can occasionally cause problems in relationships, particularly when one person has significantly more than the other.

This occurred to Darren shortly after getting married. As a young guy with less money than his wife’s family, he felt uncomfortable and embarrassed, eliciting a powerful emotional response.

Darren contacted us for advice: “My wife’s family is quite wealthy, and I’m just a regular employee living paycheck to paycheck.
So, for our wedding, her father paid for everything. My wife was in first class on our honeymoon flight, but I had an economy ticket. She simply shrugged and added, ‘This sucks, but Dad says he’s not your money machine.’

I got so enraged that I left the plane. A few hours later, I received a call from her father. I couldn’t believe it when he stated, “I gave you a dream wedding and honeymoon without charging you anything.” Is this how you treat your daughter? He further stated, “My daughter is used to a certain lifestyle, and I will continue to provide it for her, but I will not support you!” His statements made me angry.

I told him I would not take being treated this way simply because I am not wealthy, and then I hung up. My wife tried to persuade me to take a later flight for the honeymoon, but I declined, so she returned home to discuss.

Am I wrong for reacting like this?

Yours, Darren