I feel you. It is hard to let go if what we did in the past (e.g., family vacations) and know when one door has closed. Many of my friends are sad that when their adult child has partnered off, they rarely get to spend time with him/her alone. It is just the reality. |
Well if Mommy expects their son (or daughter) to come on the "family vacation" they are. That is why you invite both members of a couple living together/in a committed relationship for a vacation |
+1 They are living together, for me (and majority of people) that is a committed relationship and is treated the same as being married. |
If "Mommy" does invite, and even expect BOTH the child and partner to come on a "family vacation", would you also conclude that is "literally taking away vacation time" because both of them could not be using it on other trips and events that they may want to do? |
In some cultures, its taken as a serious betrayal. |
I think it's a give and take on both sides. I don't think it's all on the dil or all on the mil. For example I foster and encourage my DH to have one one dinners and whatnot with his mom and I respect she wants that alone time with him and she welcomed me into the family as her DIL and treats me as such. She doesn't just acknowledge her son and leave me out. She acknowledges my birthday and she acknowledges me and reaches out to me. So therefore since she makes the effort with me and doesn't treat me like an outsider I'm a lot more willing to understand her need for time with just my husband alone and I'm much more willing to foster that. If she ignored me or didn't treat me like family in other areas to me it would be just another example of her shutting me out. So basically I think MILs should treat their DIL like a member of the family and generally if they do something for their son like acknowledge their birthday or pick up a gift DIL should be acknowledged as well However on the same end the DIL should respect that their will be times that her mil wants to see her son alone and should encourage that bond. |
Oh maybe you misunderstood. What I was trying to say was that by asking your adult child to come on a trip with you and tell them their partner with whom they live with and are clearly in a adult committed relationship with isn't invited you are expected your adult child to give up vacation time that would presumably be used towards things with their partner such as trips and vacations. You are asking them to use up vacation time that now their partner will have less of with them. Most adults who live with their SO and are in a committed relationship with them probably want to use their vacation time towards doing something such as traveling with their partner. They aren't going to want to be told their partner isn't invited on a "nuclear" family trip when the person who I'm sure they consider very much family isn't even invited. Sorry but once my partner and I become serious and ESPECIALLY when we have a home together I would have found it very very strange if his family said I wasn't welcome. I would assume that if my partner's parents called him up and said they were taking a family vacation that invite was for us as a couple. Not asking my SO to leave a member of his family at home the person he owns a home with and shares a life with. You don't separate couples like that. It is assumed for big things like weddings, vacations, etc...they are a package deal because by living together that's how they are choosing to present themselves to the world so it's not up to anyone else to make the determination that their relationship isn't serious. It isn't up to anyone else to decide for them they aren't. Let me add as an aside that when I say that couples that live together should be a packaged deal I don't mean that they never see anyone else ever without their partner like have a one on one meal with a parent, sibling, or friend or something like that. I mean for big things like I mentioned they should be invited together or not at all. The days of leaving your adult child's SO out is over. The dynamics of your nuclear family shifts when your child becomes an adult as it should. Your vacations aren't going to look the same as when your child was 5, 10, or even 15. This isn't a highschool SO we are talking about here but rather an adult committed relationship |
+1000 If you want a relationship with your kid to continue you must respect they are an adult and have a life outside of the original nuclear family and include that partner/spouse/SO. If you have a healthy relationship and include the SO, then yes you might get monthly lunch or dinner with just your kid, but that only comes after you have a healthy relationship with their SO and don't exclude them from things |
GFs are treated like wives? Nope. In those cultures married DILs do not treat their MILs like that are now intruders on their DD/DS lives just because they are married. |
| Are the rules child is allowed to have a meal with one parent or one sibling, but not both parents at the same time or more than one sibling? Seems weird that you lose your individuality once you "partner up"; you are no longer a brother/son or sister/daughter, you identify and exclusively socialize as a couple only. |
| I prefer it if sometimes my hubs go home to his fam by himself and same for myself, its nice for all of us. |
I meant DS putting his wife first. They practically say blood is thicker than semen. |
I think the MILs also have to not intrude on their son's marriage and realize that once her son is in a serious relationship/gets married his relationship with his SO is gonna come first. And that she is gonna be the most important woman in his life especially when he gets married and that the relationship is going to shift. His mother is going to have to take a back seat to the wife in some ways |
| I don't get it. I'll be so careful not to mess up when my son has a spouse. You see so many young people alone or in bad relationships, its a blessing for your child to have someone who loves them and cares about them. |
Yeah I don't get it either. Why would you go out of your way and make it a point to exclude the most important person in the world most likely to your child. You may not care about their significant other's feelings but you should care about the feelings of your own child. I just see too many people holding on to what was. In my mind "nuclear" family trips where significant others were excluded was fine when your kid was in high school or younger but especially if your child doesn't even live in the family home anymore and is living with their SO they probably consider that person part of their nuclear family. Doesn't it cost a lot less to be inclusive than to be exclusive? You have a lot more to gain by being inclusive than being exclusive. What is it going to hurt you to have their SO along? Again I definitely don't think paying for your child's SO is a requirement. So they can't say they can't afford it |