Grandparents insist on taking my kids’ first class seats

[Anonymous]

Absolutely no reason teens need to be in the luxury of business class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my (southern but pretty modern in most ways) family, we're taught to show deference to our parents.

I think it's really weird that you'd give your kids priority over your own parents. My kids know that grandparents are honored for the many sacrifices they made for their families in the past and for the role they continue to play. We always try to make them comfortable and do for them.

Your parents aren't emotionally blackmailing you. They're making a statement about how screwed up your values are in the best way that they can. I can easily imagine my mother doing the same and I wouldn't blame her. I would feel horribly guilty about flying first class with my parents stuck in coach. Really, what a weird thing to do.

Translation: women & children are property.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely no reason teens need to be in the luxury of business class.

Nor do the grandparents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whose parents are this kind of weak financially? As noted by the poster above, my parents killed it as equity and real estate investors riding their generational wave. They would be ashamed to put a hand out. They both know how well things broke for them and how much harder they are now.

I'm a WASP. Like an actual one, not a generic DCUM white person from Ohio and my parents would cut off their toes before making a blackmail like request like this. The money flows down, always and forever. In terms of good graces, I would have accounted for the points matter and probably upgraded my parents (we do things like this on occasion as a surprise) but that's not expected. The parental entitlement is killing me. If they wanted to fly business, pay for business.

What do you mean?

White
Anglo Saxon
Protestant

What does this have to do with Ohio?

Some of you are kind of gross people.

WASP is often associated with east coast blue bloods … old money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whose parents are this kind of weak financially? As noted by the poster above, my parents killed it as equity and real estate investors riding their generational wave. They would be ashamed to put a hand out. They both know how well things broke for them and how much harder they are now.

I'm a WASP. Like an actual one, not a generic DCUM white person from Ohio and my parents would cut off their toes before making a blackmail like request like this. The money flows down, always and forever. In terms of good graces, I would have accounted for the points matter and probably upgraded my parents (we do things like this on occasion as a surprise) but that's not expected. The parental entitlement is killing me. If they wanted to fly business, pay for business.

What do you mean?

White
Anglo Saxon
Protestant

What does this have to do with Ohio?

Some of you are kind of gross people.

WASP is often associated with east coast blue bloods … old money.

Again. So gross. And that people self-identify with more than the acronym. Do some of you even hear yourselves?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whose parents are this kind of weak financially? As noted by the poster above, my parents killed it as equity and real estate investors riding their generational wave. They would be ashamed to put a hand out. They both know how well things broke for them and how much harder they are now.

I'm a WASP. Like an actual one, not a generic DCUM white person from Ohio and my parents would cut off their toes before making a blackmail like request like this. The money flows down, always and forever. In terms of good graces, I would have accounted for the points matter and probably upgraded my parents (we do things like this on occasion as a surprise) but that's not expected. The parental entitlement is killing me. If they wanted to fly business, pay for business.

What do you mean?

White
Anglo Saxon
Protestant

What does this have to do with Ohio?

Some of you are kind of gross people.

WASP is often associated with east coast blue bloods … old money.

Again. So gross. And that people self-identify with more than the acronym. Do some of you even hear yourselves?

Umm … I’m pp and not a WASP on any level and come from the ghetto. You asked about its meaning, and now you’re the jerk.

[Anonymous]

This is a fun dilemma (as a spectator)… my family just had a long debate about it. Half of us think the kids should always offer a better seat to grandparents without question. The other half think grandparents should have ponied up themselves. OP you’ll have to know which way you went.

[Anonymous]

Team grandparents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, this is a tough one. I'm usually one who is a "give my parents what the want" camp, but the emotional blackmail of not going if they don't have first class is BS. Also, would they have paid for first if you weren't in it? They just want your miles (which, people know miles aren't free right? They are earned with money).

I'd say, leave your kids to make the choice, but I would say let your kids have them.

Yeah. My mom assumes that because DH travels for business all the time and has enough FF miles to travel to the moon and back that first class are a snap for us to acquire at minimal cost. At the same time, my older son is really ok giving up his first class seat to a grandparent. Having this be an extended family trip is really worthwhile. My younger daughter…well…clearly she has been spoiled by DH as Daddy’s little girl and is not so wanting to fly anything but first class. I kinda want her to fly to Athens in coach just to remind her of what normal is for most people.

This right here is your main problem, not your parents who you can’t control. You are actively raising this young lady and need to pay attention to the entitlement she is exhibiting here. Your son sounds like a solid character.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whose parents are this kind of weak financially? As noted by the poster above, my parents killed it as equity and real estate investors riding their generational wave. They would be ashamed to put a hand out. They both know how well things broke for them and how much harder they are now.

I'm a WASP. Like an actual one, not a generic DCUM white person from Ohio and my parents would cut off their toes before making a blackmail like request like this. The money flows down, always and forever. In terms of good graces, I would have accounted for the points matter and probably upgraded my parents (we do things like this on occasion as a surprise) but that's not expected. The parental entitlement is killing me. If they wanted to fly business, pay for business.

What do you mean?

White
Anglo Saxon
Protestant

What does this have to do with Ohio?

Some of you are kind of gross people.

WASP is often associated with east coast blue bloods … old money.

Again. So gross. And that people self-identify with more than the acronym. Do some of you even hear yourselves?

Umm … I’m pp and not a WASP on any level and come from the ghetto. You asked about its meaning, and now you’re the jerk.

No one asked about the meaning.

[Anonymous]

Wow. I'd do it this time to keep the peace but never take them anywhere again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t even imagine a scenario where I wouldn’t give my parents the most comfortable seats.

Same. I’m astonished at most of the responses on here.

Some of us don't have the same relationship with our parents. Then again, I wouldn't have invited my parents on a trip.

I don't have a relationship with my parents where they use emotional blackmail and manipulate me because they're cheap.

The grandparents sound awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sixteen and fourteen year olds are fine in coach.

I'd definitely put my parents in first class so they are more comfortable.

+1. Teach your kids empathy and respect for their elders, something I find Americans lack badly relative to other nations as evidenced by the countless jerks I observe on the subway who never give their seat to an older person or a pregnant woman.
- Signed, a European whose mama raised her right

Grandparents shouldn’t throw hissy fits. You don’t get to behave badly just by pulling the age card.

[Anonymous]

Tell the grandparents they can pay the difference between the seats and have them. Watch them backpedal when they realize it’s $10k. They’re not demanding $1000 seats….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely no reason teens need to be in the luxury of business class.

Nobody needs to be in business class. But OP can afford it, so her tickets.