A husband has shared his reflections on contemplating divorce after his wife used a one-word insult against their daughter during a heated argument.

Posting in the 'Am I Overreacting' thread on Reddit, the man described how he and his wife have been married for 13 years and together they have a 17-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son.

"Please remember that my wife’s mother is currently hospitalized with heart problems and might not have much time left. We are not sure yet," he noted, adding: "With my wife possibly facing the loss of her mother, I had no issues cooking dinner after returning home from a 12-hour work shift. I even took care of the laundry and dishes."

A husband is considering divorce after his wife of 13 years insulted their teen daughter (Getty Stock Images)

The father of two went on to explain that he 'yelled' at his son after discovering 'dirty dishes lying around' and 'cups of spoiled milk in his room'.

He decided to confiscate the pre-teen's iPad 'until he can keep his room clean', clarifying: "I have always been the ONLY one to discipline him when he misbehaves."

His wife apparently 'was not pleased at all'.

"She got an attitude and started throwing insults at me. Fine. No big deal. I can handle some jabs," the Redditor continued. "But then she began attacking my daughter."

According to the husband, she began calling their teen daughter 'trash' multiple times without any justification.

"By the way, my 17-year-old is amazing. She worked two jobs over the summer at the library and an ice cream shop. She has been accepted into Penn State and never speaks ill of anyone," he highlighted, before asking a question to fellow social media users on the platform.

The mother reportedly called their 17-year-old daughter 'trash' during the intense argument (StockPlanets / Getty Images)

"Should I excuse my wife's behavior due to her potential grief over losing her mother, or should I take a stand and refuse to stay with someone who is verbally abusive towards my daughter? What should I do?" he implored.

The post in question was titled: "Considering divorcing my wife after she called my daughter trash."

Some people expressed outrage alongside the husband, advising him to face the situation and end his 13-year marriage.

"Yeah… take a stand. Grieving or not, you don’t attack a child and call them trash," one person asserted.

Another agreed: "Absolutely. There’s no justification for that kind of language, especially towards a kid who’s clearly doing her best. Grief is tough, but it doesn’t give anyone a free pass to be cruel."

A third concurred: "No real adult should get a second chance for lashing out at a child. That's a one-strike rule, and you're out.

"I'm 100% for going straight to divorce."

Others, however, were more hesitant, with one user noting: "Adult relationships don’t function like that 'she did one really bad thing while in a deep state of worry, so yep divorce time.' Considering your age and how old your kids are, I think you know it doesn’t work like that."

"I think it’s fair to take a stand but also address that she might be acting out because of this," another suggested. "It’s important to confront people about their behavior so they recognize it and can learn for the future, in my opinion.

"She might not realize what she’s doing. Granted, it’s no excuse, but bringing it to her attention might humble her a little. Regardless, she should not be speaking about a child in such a way. She’s harboring something there that she hasn’t dealt with, from my personal experience."

A final Reddit user agreed: "Absolutely. Calling it out helps hold her accountable, and understanding her pain doesn’t mean accepting the behavior. Boundaries are essential."

Where do you stand on the matter?

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.