I have just returned from visiting close family abroad. Children stayed in UK with DH. I now have to self isolate for 2 weeks which I was prepared for & am fine with. Children have missed me terribly and are finding it quite hard that we have to maintain a bit more of a physical distance at home, but we are managing! It is also my birthday on Thursday. I never cared much about birthdays until we had children, they just love to celebrate them (not just their own!) and always want to make the day really special and they were fretting about how they were going to do that while “social distancing”. This evening DH announced that they have been invited over to SIL’s on Thursday. My reaction was, “did that not ring a bell with you?” And his “of course it did, I know you can’t go out!”... me: “no, any other bell?” Him: “oh yes it’s also your birthday but surely that doesn’t matter!” I honestly don’t mind that they go out to places without me over the next two weeks, in fact I positively encourage it as them being able to do this was the reason why I didn’t bring them with me abroad in the first place. However, I just wonder why this day of all days when they could literally go any day this week? And it sounded like DH had not even considered what day it was. He later backtracked and said that when SIL invited them, he had said that because it was my birthday they would only pop in for tea and not go out for a meal. But SIL lives an hour away so they would be gone at least half the day, anyway. DH also says that SIL was aware that it was my birthday and that she clearly didn’t see this as a problem either (implying that I am the only one being unreasonable about it - in fact he called my reaction childish). SIL is normally quite considerate and thoughtful. In the end I accepted this plan has been made and gave up trying to talk to DH about it. At bedtime I mentioned (with a smile!) to the children “how nice that you’re all popping over to SIL’s for tea on Thursday” and their reaction was “what?? No way! It’s your birthday. We’re not going!”. So I am left wondering if a 9 and 12 year old can be this thoughtful and have this much empathy, why can’t a grown up man? I don’t want to make this even longer than it already is but there is history or DH being inconsiderate to me (while often being quite gallant to others around us, so he is capable), I will have to save that for another post. Just wondering if I am really being unreasonable and childish about this as DH suggests?