AITAH for not wishing my ex-wife a Happy Mother’s Day after she recently left me?
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My wife recently left me. We have a daughter together, and everything is still extremely fresh. I’m honestly trying my best to hold myself together emotionally and deal with the separation in a mature way, but these have been some of the hardest weeks of my life.
We’re still in that awkward in-between phase where technically we’re married, but emotionally everything is shattered and tense. I’m hurt, confused, exhausted, and mostly focused on getting through each day without completely falling apart.
Today, on Mother’s Day, she sent me messages saying she was sad that I didn’t think about Mother’s Day at all, and that everyone around her had received flowers, gifts, or at least congratulations. I explained that emotionally I’m in a very dark place right now because of the breakup and everything surrounding it. She then said she still would have appreciated at least a small gesture or a message, maybe even encouraging our daughter (who was with me that weekend) to draw her something.
And honestly… I do understand that part. She is still the mother of our child.
But at the same time, I’m struggling with the fact that the person who left me for someone else expects emotional warmth and thoughtful gestures from me while I’m still trying to process everything.
AITA for not congratulating my estranged wife on Mother’s Day?
Edit: She didn't cheat on me. We opened up our relationship sexually one year ago (it was her wish) and she fell in love with someone.
Second Edit: Okay, I hope this doesn’t upset anyone, but this situation didn’t happen to me personally. It happened between a couple I know fairly well.
The wife sent screenshots of their WhatsApp conversation to a friend of mine, apparently seeking validation for her behavior. My friend told me about the situation afterward and she genuinely didn’t know how to react.
To me, the whole thing felt so absurd that I honestly couldn’t wrap my head around the audacity of it, so I became curious whether there are actually people out there who would see things from her perspective.
I didn't expect this post to blow up like this and everything I’m describing here is true. I haven’t added or exaggerated anything. I’ve tried to present the situation as neutrally and fairly as possible.