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Should dh go to Vegas with his single brother? Apparantly, it's a serious question.


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I thought he was joking when he mentioned it to me. My brother-in-law has just had his travelling buddy back out of their trip to Las Vegas and, apparantly having no one else to ask, he's asked dh to go with him. They would be the only two going - a 34 y-o married father of 3 and his 28 y-o single brother.

 

Of course, I trust dh, but wouldn't it be unwise for a woman to knowingly and willingly send her husband into shark-infested waters? There's no doubt in my mind that bil intends to meet some ladies down there, IYKWIM. He's pretty ticked off at me that I don't want to let dh go.

 

I feel like I already know the answer to this question, but I thought I'd probe the Hivemind. Should he go? Should I go?

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My suggestion having been to Vegas with DH --- have dear BIL stay home with your 3 kids, he can babysit, and you and your DH go in his place. Vegas is lots of fun but I sure wouldn't want my DH to go there with his single brother. (and he does have a single brother) DH has been to Vegas for a business convention and I wasn't bothered by that. To me that is different, while the temptation is there you wouldn't have someone who you go with on the hunt (KWIM).

 

Carole

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My DH wouldn't even ask. I've heard too many stories of his single big brother getting him into too much trouble as a teenager.....

 

And a story from another brother, very Christian, very sober, very married being suckered into going to "Mexico" by this single big brother, just recently.

 

My dh has told me about dreams he's had where he gets suckered by this brother to do innocent favors that don't turn out to be so innocent and of course I walk in and misunderstand....

 

No, I think he would be so stressed the entire time he wouldn't ever bring it up......But then again, my husband is so square, his brother wouldn't even ask him to go along.

 

However, we enjoy Vegas very much as a family.

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Dh goes places like this with his single friends (and not so single) every year.

 

We got married at 22, the first of our 'group' so he has always had single friends. We are now approaching 40. We are one of two couples, out of 8, who are still together, and a lot of those single friends and some recently single friends, tell dh often to hold on tight to his family and to never let go. The are the ones who tell him that he better treat me right and to value our marriage over every thing else.

 

I don't have a problem with it. I trust dh and I don't think that which city he is in has anything to do with dh's commitment to me or our family. If he brings any feelings back from a guys weekend, it has always been, "Thank God I am not Single!"

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If he wanted to go, I'd say go. We've do things apart from each other often. We have different sets of close friends. My close friends I've known for 25 years, since we were young teens. I don't want to bring him 'home' with me to their places. It's too much work. He wouldn't have fun. I'd feel like I have to entertain him. We sit around and talk and do nothing, or go somewhere 'we' go. To us it's relaxing and catching up. To him he'd be bored to tears. We (friends and I) are spending quality time that way.

 

He goes to places without me. He goes to conventions with friends he's had for years. I have no desire to hang at the conventions and he'd feel like he'd have to entertain me. I like the friends, I just don't want to do what they feel is 'quality' time for them.

 

It all works out. We both have lives within our married life. We don't do EVERYTHING together. We do 'me' stuff and 'him' stuff on our own sometimes (and sometimes together too), and we 'us' stuff together.

 

If he said he wanted to go to Vegas I'd say sure. Granted I'd want to go too just because THAT would be fun (more fun than conventions!). But if he wanted to go with his brother, I'd say go. But then I trust my husband. We trust each other.

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Does hubby WANT to go? Ironic I read this tonight. My sister & I go to Vegas for the shopping & country dancing twice a year without the hubbys. Next week hubby has to go for work & isn't looking forward to it. Some of his work crew are married, some single yet all men. I know they'll go out to eat, & probably go to a bar/grill to do it.

 

I have NO fear of dh doing anything there that he doesn't do here. He may have a few beers, he may crack jokes w/ the boys, he may stay up to late walking the strip but he'll come back to me at the end of the week lonely, missing his bed & the arms in it, happy he is married & ready to be home and I will have enjoyed the quiet evenings alone.

 

I personally don't see any difference between a husband going to vegas vs. any other town. If a man is the type to ________ (enter own situation there), he'll find it in any town he goes to. I am never suprised anymore w/ the stories dh tells me about the business men, married or single, he meets on the road.

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I don't think the issue is necessarily about trust (although for some people it could be). It has more to do with wisdom.

 

Okay maybe I should re-word what I said. Yes I trust my husband. In all ways. I trust him to use good judgement and make wise choices.

 

He's not going to gamble away a fortune, he's not going to drink too much and do something stupid, he's not going to sleep with someone or whatever. I trust him to use his wisdom.

 

And I think it's wiser to trust him, than to say no you can't go. Basically to me that says I don't trust you. Whether it's trust him with other women, or money or alchol or drugs or to just make wise choices to stay out of trouble.

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Okay maybe I should re-word what I said. Yes I trust my husband. In all ways. I trust him to use good judgement and make wise choices.

 

He's not going to gamble away a fortune, he's not going to drink too much and do something stupid, he's not going to sleep with someone or whatever. I trust him to use his wisdom.

 

And I think it's wiser to trust him, than to say no you can't go. Basically to me that says I don't trust you. Whether it's trust him with other women, or money or alchol or drugs or to just make wise choices to stay out of trouble.

 

Your point is well spoken and I think that's great. ;) I guess my concern is the purpose or intent of the trip. If the purpose is to seek out the single scene (drinks and hot babes :cheers2:), I personally don't think it would be wise for a married man to be accompanying a single brother and putting himself in that situation.

 

I don't have a problem with spouses spending a little time away from each other (and yes, I agree with pp that if a man is the type who is looking for *it* he can find it just about anywhere). My husband has gone down to Mexico with a married friend to camp, fish, surf and drink bad coffee on the beach. One time he went to the east coast for a few days for a conference/job interviews. I completely trusted him.

 

Ultimately, I think that if both of them don't feel right about it, then he should make the decision himself to not go. :D

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If my DH truly wanted to go, I would say yes because I trust him anywhere. In his more healthy days he did a tremendous amount of world travel in Asia and the Middle East and that was never an issue.

 

Personally though, I used to travel to Vegas on business with the Federal Government before children, and I have no desire to go back. My co-workers largely misbehaved there with only a few exceptions ("what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas"). They always put me up on The Strip, and I don't have fond memories.

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I'd say yes. I wouldn't see any problem with it unless dh didn't have the time or we couldn't afford to spend the money.

 

Absolutely. And he would go with my blessings. But if I didn't know I could without a doubt trust him to use the same good judgment that he's used for 23 years of marriage, I'm not sure if my answer would be the same.

 

But that would be situational. In general, I make good choices, he makes good choices, and we don't hold each other on too tight a leash. It's worked well for our particular situation.

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I'd say yes. I wouldn't see any problem with it unless dh didn't have the time or we couldn't afford to spend the money.

 

:iagree:

 

I can't imagine telling my dh he couldn't go somewhere with one of his siblings, nor can I imagine him telling me that if the shoe were on the other foot. I think that whole conversation would be far more damaging to our marriage than a trip to Vegas would be. Marriages are different, though, and only you know how this trip might affect yours. If his going will cause lasting resentment between you, then it's probably better that he not go.

 

SBP

Edited by SBP
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My dh does not need to ask my permission to do this. dh doesn't need my approval for a social trip, no matter where the trip is.

 

You haven't explained any personal/special circumstances so I don't see this as any different than a weekend hunting trip. If there are special circumstances with your dh and your relationship, you may benefit from a professional working out those issues.

 

Dh and I only need to confer on the calendar or current spending budget to make sure the cost or timing doesn't conflict with anything. My dh doesn't have a brother, but if he said he and his best friend (who he's known since he was 9) were planning a trip to Vegas or anywhere else I'd have no problem--I'd probably encourage it.

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My initial response is "it wouldn't bother me at all". But it depends on so much more than just the going, doesn't it? It's the brother and his relationship and the trust you have in your husband... If you feel that things in Vegas *would* be a temptation to your husband, you need to talk to him about that.

 

Dh has been in Vegas on business several times, staying in casino hotels, etc, and it doesn't worry me at all. But he doesn't have a dissolute brother who has some sort of sway over him there too. And I trust him completely.

 

I also don't think a husband who wasn't already in the market would be tempted to cheat just 'cause he's in Vegas. And if he doesn't already have a tendency towards excess with drinking or gambling, I don't think that would be an issue either.

 

But if you have niggling doubts about any of those things, maybe it is unwise. If you don't though, it could be a great bonding time with his brother.

 

I do agree with someone else who said the main thing that would upset her would be dh's painting me as the "she won't let me go" wife. He should have the strength to tell his brother, "Dude, I love you, but that's just not a trip I feel good about going on. I'd love to plan a trip to ___ with you some time though, if you're ever interested"... And not lay blame on you.

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I thought he was joking when he mentioned it to me. My brother-in-law has just had his travelling buddy back out of their trip to Las Vegas and, apparantly having no one else to ask, he's asked dh to go with him. They would be the only two going - a 34 y-o married father of 3 and his 28 y-o single brother.

 

Of course, I trust dh, but wouldn't it be unwise for a woman to knowingly and willingly send her husband into shark-infested waters? There's no doubt in my mind that bil intends to meet some ladies down there, IYKWIM. He's pretty ticked off at me that I don't want to let dh go.

 

I feel like I already know the answer to this question, but I thought I'd probe the Hivemind. Should he go? Should I go?

 

Everyone has their own comfort levels - looks like you've identified yours. Shark-infested waters? Do you not have single women where you live? :)

 

If it were me (and it was me a few years ago) I had no problem with DH going. His co-workers also took him to a strip club and I had no problem with that either.

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Hi Breann,

My dh was just in Vegas last weekend for a UBC (Union Carpenters) conference. I had the same misgivings and my dh's trip wasn't even leisurely. I just read your post to DH and we both agree the answer is NO! My husband says, "Vegas is ALL ABOUT SEX. PERIOD." You can't even walk the strip to see the sights. There are men up and down the entire strip handing out flyers with naked women on them advertising strip clubs. The newspaper stands are ALL pornography. There are BILLBOARDS advertising "you star" porno movies. It is LEGAL to consume alcohol on the strip so it's like the casinos work to get you wasted and then all your inhibitions are gone. The casinos all work to have attractions but "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas".... this is what the CITY sells!!!!

My dh says that MAYBE if you went with him or if he was with like minded individuals MAYBE.... but with a single man looking for trouble, NO! Several men at the conference commented on how Vegas and it's lifestyle just sucked you in and at times it can be very overbearing.... I imagine this was from men who ended up doing things they had no intention of doing before they went. At the end of 4 days everyone wanted to just go home.

Being from Nevada we already knew what was in store for him and we had things in place to just be accountable. My dh was in conference until 5:00pm. When he did go out he called me several times while he was out and then he had a self imposed curfew of 10:30PM. It was still hard and I just wanted him home.

Yes, I trusted my husband and yes if he is going to do something like that he is going to do it anywhere. But from my Christian stand point it isn't a good thing to expose yourself to that kind of spiritual bondage and distortion that Vegas is built on and makes its profits from.

Everyone is tempted but going to Vegas is SEEKING that temptation out.

 

Blessings and Wisdom on your decision,

Pam

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I don't think the issue is necessarily about trust (although for some people it could be). It has more to do with wisdom.

 

That' exactly it, Renay, thank you. You're my new friend!

 

 

Single bil, in Sin City, on the lookout for ladies? Uh, no. Aint no way, no how. Your marriage and your children are too important to even *go there.* bil can get over it.

 

And thankfully, dh knows this is really an inappropriate situation. I mean, what would he be doing while bil is "entertaining" the entertainment? Watching TV? Most likely, he'd be enjoying the flattery of the young lady's friend(s) which, in itself isn't what sets off my alarm but the fact that he's also most likely be several drinks down.

 

It's just unwise to give it my blessing. Thanks, ladies! My decision is firm, dh understands (and even agrees), and bil will have to get over it!

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Okay maybe I should re-word what I said. Yes I trust my husband. In all ways. I trust him to use good judgement and make wise choices.

 

He's not going to gamble away a fortune, he's not going to drink too much and do something stupid, he's not going to sleep with someone or whatever. I trust him to use his wisdom.

 

And I think it's wiser to trust him, than to say no you can't go. Basically to me that says I don't trust you. Whether it's trust him with other women, or money or alchol or drugs or to just make wise choices to stay out of trouble.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

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DH has gone to Vegas for business trips. It's so overrated IMO. I've encouraged him to go on a mini-vacation w/ friends, but he's away from home often enough that doesn't feel it's necessary. I trust DH implicitly so he can go anywhere with my blessings.

 

BIL should butt out, though, until you and DH have come to an agreement. He's placing himself in shark-infested waters by giving his opinion.

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You haven't explained any personal/special circumstances so I don't see this as any different than a weekend hunting trip. If there are special circumstances with your dh and your relationship, you may benefit from a professional working out those issues.

 

 

 

Well, that's quite presumtuous! I suppose the only special circumstance is that I feel it's wrong for a married man to be immersed in a culture of heavy sexual indulgence with his wife a thousand miles away, accompanied by someone who is actually seeking that indulgence. Call me crazy!

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... it could be a great bonding time with his brother.

 

I do agree with someone else who said the main thing that would upset her would be dh's painting me as the "she won't let me go" wife.

 

 

Oh, the last thing these two need is more bonding time! :lol:

 

And I'm not concerned about what bil thinks. He's a great guy, quite sensible and I'm sure that sensible side of him agrees on some level. Besides, dh knows I'm right in this and he agrees, as much as he would enjoy going. There's no blame being laid by dh or anyone, really. BIL's just irritated his trip got cancelled.

 

It's agreed that it's just not right for him to go this time. If he were to be accompanied with a reputable group of guys, some of which were also married, I think that would be different.

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I'm sorry if I sounded presumptuous. However, I could not imagine a circumstance to need to grant permission for how my dh spends social time. I answered from the perspective of my relationship with my dh. Additionally, my dh doesn't really do much in the way of social time and cultivating relationships with friends and that is why I would actually encourage my dh to do a weekend trip of almost any kind.

 

The circumstances I thought of which might give me reason to think dh couldn't do this would be history of addiction, history of infidelity, other relationship issue, my personal anxiety, or on a less serious level dh already spends a lot of social time away from home. I'm grateful I don't have these issues. I think they are issues that may need professional counseling for help. You may not have any of these issues and I hope you don't. It's just that those would be the only reasons I could imagine questioning my dh on whether he should take the trip.

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I have NO fear of dh doing anything there that he doesn't do here. He may have a few beers, he may crack jokes w/ the boys, he may stay up to late walking the strip but he'll come back to me at the end of the week lonely, missing his bed & the arms in it, happy he is married & ready to be home and I will have enjoyed the quiet evenings alone.

 

I personally don't see any difference between a husband going to vegas vs. any other town. If a man is the type to ________ (enter own situation there), he'll find it in any town he goes to. I am never suprised anymore w/ the stories dh tells me about the business men, married or single, he meets on the road.

 

:iagree: I would completely trust my DH. IMO, it's the women who are around every single day working for his attention that I'd be worried about, not the kind of women he'd meet in Vegas. I'd let DH go, and wouldn't worry.

 

ETA: Doh! Didn't see the update. Glad you came to a decision you're both comfortable with!

Edited by melissel
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IMO, it's the women who are around every single day working for his attention that I'd be worried about, not the kind of women he'd meet in Vegas.

 

 

There you may have hit on something. Dh works in a fire department with no female employees outside of the administration, so I guess I'm pretty spoiled in that respect.

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Well, I don't actually tell my dh what he can do, but I do offer my opinion on the matter. I would voice my concerns, whatever they might be, and then I would let him make his own decision and be at peace with it. Knowing my dh, he wouldn't want to go with his brother, bil or friends; he'd probably want to go with me. But if he did, I wouldn't be worried about it.

 

Janet

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Well, that is tough. Is your dh good at saying, "okay man, glad you found Bianca there...I am going to go back to the hotel room now and watch TV." Or would he be tagging along behind his little bro? I asked my dh if he would even ask and he said that it would be hard to ask to go somewhere like that when 1. we don't have the $$$ and 2. the whole family hasn't been on vacation in 6 years. Otherwise he sees no problem with it. I do see a bit more of an issue with it. My dh likes to drink a bit...

 

How does your dh feel about it? Does he want to go?

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I've been to Vegas and was unimpressed with it's reputation as SinCity. It was so tacky that is was a turn off. If such a city causes temptation then anywhere would.

 

There are plenty of other large cities (like LA, Denver, etc.) that my wife should be more concerned about me visiting. Not that she has anything to worry about. These cities are just so much more fun - from both an adult and child perspective. I'd spend a lot more money there than in Vegas.

Edited by JWSJ
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There you may have hit on something. Dh works in a fire department with no female employees outside of the administration, so I guess I'm pretty spoiled in that respect.

 

Ah, yes. My DH is a bit of a hottie, so he's always got women hitting on him. I remember telling him that a girl (we were all young then!) at work had a crush on him just based on is descriptions of her interactions with him. He was like, "No way, you're crazy!" Then one day I was in his office waiting for him to finish and she popped her head in. You should have seen the look on her face when she saw me :blink: Even DH spotted that one :lol:

 

Even now, women flirt like crazy with him at work (he's in sales), at the bakery (like the day he came home with extra bagels--I asked if the counter workers were women, and he said yes :rolleyes:), etc. Plus, when he goes to hang out with friends, they go to clubs in NYC because some of his friends are still single. If he wanted to do it, he's got plenty of opportunity here! So I guess I'm pretty immune to it by now. He's earned my trust, for sure.

 

ETA, though, that I do absolutely think you have a say in the decision. If I told my DH I wasn't comfortable with him going and he went anyway? There'd be a hot time in the old town that night.

Edited by melissel
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I've been to Vegas and was unimpressed with it's reputation as SinCity. It was so tacky that is was a turn off. If such a city causes temptation then anywhere would.

 

There are plenty of other large cities (like LA, Denver, etc.) that my wife should be more concerned about me visiting. Not that she has anything to worry about. These cities are just so much more fun - from both an adult and child perspective. I'd spend a lot more money there than in Vegas.

 

Great points. I hated Vegas. So tacky and commercial. My big concern would be DH's free access to our bank account and the craps tables, not the free access to the ladies :lol:

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Unless he has proven himself untrustworthy, I'd not suggest to my husband what he should or shouldn't be doing with his brothers.

 

Of course, our situation could be very different. My husband has five brothers with whom he is very close. They were all together for over 40 years before I came along. I can't imagine imposing on those relationships unless there was a real problem.

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