There's Only One Gift I Need. We Can Afford It, But My Husband Outright Refuses.

"I suffered from severe postpartum depression after having our child. I tried therapy and medication, but neither were working, so I tried horseback riding. After five years of riding, I finally feel like my pre-baby self again. I have come out of my postpartum depression haze, I'm more confident and healthy than I was before having our child, and I have decided that I would like to take my riding to the next level and buy my own horse."

"I have mapped out all of the horse-owning financials, pros and cons, but my husband is a firm no. He hates horses, he hates the idea of owning a horse-he would be happy with me and our child riding one day per week and that's it. Dear Just Want to Feel the Wind, He even said, "What if I spent multiple days per week at a strip club while you were at the barn/riding?" I said that would be an unhealthy habit, and it's an immature comparison."

Both spouses earn six-figure incomes, with the woman out-earning her husband by $50,000. The husband grew up in a poor family that relied on food stamps; the woman was raised by well-off parents. After severe postpartum depression, riding restored the woman's confidence and health over five years. She wants to advance her riding by buying a horse and has mapped out the financials, but her husband firmly objects. He dislikes horses, prefers limited riding, suggested cheaper hobbies, and made a provocative comparison to strip-club attendance, creating conflict despite the family's financial ability to afford the horse.

Read at Slate Magazine