No-win Situations

When talks about our future come up, discussions about money issues aren’t far behind. Now that Jessie’s become pregnant, the subject has taken on a more serious tone.  And for some reason, she likes to bring it up right when we get into bed. 

It’s a devious plan, like trapping a helpless puppy in the corner with nowhere to run. Can't it wait until the morning?! She must be doing this on purpose. Just cause you can't get a good night's sleep because you're pregnant doesn't mean you have to ruin mine too!

We’ve been discussing ways of earning extra money on the side for some time. She thought that having me tutor would be good. However, I haven't been too keen on this idea. Yes, I know I could probably get paid a lot, but it just doesn’t seem very stable to me. I have other ideas of my own.

I’ve been fixated on opening up my own restaurant for awhile now. At first, I was thinking pizza, then Chicago-style hot dogs, but now, I want to open up a burrito bar. 

No, I don’t know the first thing about running a restaurant, no, I’m not half-Mexican even though people claim my mom looks like one, and no, I don’t know anything about making a burrito, which are all valid reasons why Jessie probably doesn’t take me seriously in the first place.

Also, I have this habit of tossing out random ideas for businesses that I want to start. Jessie’s heard so many by now that she probably tunes them all out whenever I start talking about any new idea I have. She’s probably waiting for my fascination with burritos to die and seeing what cockamamie idea I come up with next.

With a baby on the way, I know I can’t just keep daydreaming. Therefore, I told Jessie I’m willing to go out and tutor. I can always put Eddie’s Burrito Bar on the backburner for the time being. However, now she says that she doesn’t want me to tutor because she doesn’t want a tired husband, and she doesn’t want to force me to do anything I don’t want.

I'm a workhorse. I don't get tired. No one is forcing me to do anything. I want to tutor. How will we be able to save for the future if I don’t? To which she responds that she doesn't want a tired husband, and she doesn't want to force me to do anything I don't want.

Ah, you would have made a great lawyer with your scintillating and persuasive arguments. It seems like not earning extra money is the wrong answer, and trying to earn extra money is also the wrong answer. I hate no-win situations! And I hate not getting a good night's sleep even more!