Sending a care package is a 'sweet and caring gesture,' said one Reddit user
A Reddit user was right to be confused by her boyfriend's reaction to her kind gesture of a care package when he was ill, other social media users said.
Posting on behalf of her friend, "Tiny-Neighborhood667" asked the users of the subreddit known as "Am I Wrong?" to weigh in on the situation in a post on Monday, Feb. 19, titled, "Am I wrong for sending my [boyfriend] a care package?"
In the post, written in Tiny-Neighborhood667's friend's point of view, the woman explained the situation, which "split our girls' chat."
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Tiny-Neighborhood667 wrote that her friend is a 24-year-old woman currently studying abroad, and that her boyfriend, age 28, recently came down "with a nasty flu."
"He mentioned he feels so awful he hasn't been able to leave his house in a few days, he sounded bad on the phone, too. I felt really bad I couldn't do anything to help him, but then remembered I had an account for a grocery delivery service in our hometown," wrote Tiny-Neighborhood667.
The Reddit user (not pictured) said she was ignored by her boyfriend for over an hour after she texted him that his gift from her had arrived. (Cyberguy.com)
The care package "wasn't overly excessive or expensive," the woman said, but contained items like soup, Advil and tissues.
"I wanted to make sure he was covered for a couple [of] days while he recovers. I was super excited I thought of this, and let him know a gift was on the way," wrote Tiny-Neighborhood667.
Her boyfriend, however, ignored her for an hour and only replied "yeah" when she asked about the gift's arrival.
"I figured he was feeling yucky, so I wished him a good night and went to bed," she wrote.
The next day, the boyfriend started behaving differently, apparently.
A woman on Reddit sent her boyfriend (not pictured) a care package when he had the flu — and was surprised by his less than thankful response. (iStock)
"I asked him why the day after, and he said that he didn't know what to say because he felt like he had to mention the gift and it was ‘so weird,'" wrote Tiny-Neighborhood667.
"I was embarrassed and told him it was a care package, [and] since I couldn't be there physically, I thought this was the next best thing," said Tiny-Neighborhood667.
The boyfriend "told me I should admit it was at least a little bizarre" and added that "if he wanted soup, he would get himself soup."
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"I told him I don't understand how it was weird. All he said was, ‘Soups and tissues are not a gift. I mean, you have to recognize getting someone tissues is an incredibly weird thing to do, right?’"
Tiny-Neighborhood667's friend said she's not spoken to her boyfriend since — and that the entire experience "honestly broke my heart a little."
"I asked some of my girlfriends, and they are pretty split on it being weird," wrote Tiny-Neighborhood667.
She asked others on the platform, "Am I wrong for sending the package?"
The Reddit user (not pictured) said that the act of sending a care package to an ailing boyfriend had "split our girls' chat" — with some thinking it was odd and others thinking it was nice. (iStock)
The post received over 600 comments to date, with most of them saying that, no, Tiny-Neighborhood667's friend was not in the wrong.
An etiquette expert told Fox News Digital that the boyfriend behaved rudely — but may have been caught off guard.
"Not having a gift acknowledged can be hurtful. Someone criticizing or belittling our gift or gesture can create hostility or even end a relationship," California-based etiquette expert Rosalinda Randall said.
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The boyfriend, said Randall, may have misjudged the strength of the relationship and been "jolted" by the gesture, "realizing how deep and committed [the girlfriend] sees this relationship."
Alternatively, the boyfriend could have felt like his girlfriend was trying to mother him.
The boyfriend may have misjudged the strength of the relationship, said an etiquette expert.
Perhaps, "In his mind, soup is not a ‘girlfriend’ thing. It’s a mom thing, which could explain why he found it to be strange and awkward," said Randall.
On Reddit, users can "upvote" comments they find helpful and "downvote" those they do not.
"This is not weird at all. It’s a very sweet and caring gesture to show him you care and are thinking about him," said Reddit user "Anxious_Western293" in the top-upvoted comment.
"This is not weird at all. It’s a very sweet and caring gesture to show him you care and are thinking about him," said one Reddit user about the woman's story. (iStock)
Anxious_Western293 continued, "The only way I’d say this is weird is if you only went on … one date with the guy."
Other users concurred, saying they found his reaction to be more bizarre than the sending of a care package.
"Something's not right here," said user "pomegranate7777" in another top-upvoted comment.
Others theorized that perhaps he is cheating on her and is feeling guilty.
Another user was more blunt, writing, "Leave this ungrateful dude."
In an update to the post, Tiny-Neighborhood667 said that her friend had seen the replies and "is feeling better about the situation."
"She plans on talking with him more in depth this weekend when they are able to FaceTime," wrote Tiny-Neighborhood667 about the woman and her boyfriend.
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Christine Rousselle is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.
