Parents are now scared of visiting and children are disappointed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right, because a family with small children buying tickets to Europe at Christmas is going be a piece of cake...

Shit, it costs us a pretty penny just to get to fucking Texas with 4 people (and one is a baby).

That is dumb advice.

That's your problem OP. If seeing them is so important pony up the cash and make it happen. Otherwise just accept that you're not going to see them. Everyone has anxiety or fear about something so it's no need to dismiss someone's fear because it's not your own.

+1. This is the only solution for being together. You can accept it or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
How annoying. My stick-in-the-mud parents, who live across the pond in a city that has had terrorist attacks in the past, are now about to cancel their plans to come here for Christmas, because ISIS is targeting Washington DC. I had already told my kids, who were overjoyed, because it's been years since we celebrated Christmas together, and in this country. I had made a schedule of all the nice things we were going to do with the grandparents. Grrr.

Well then I guess them coming to see you by meeting you in Baltimore would be completely out of the question, right? Way more dangerous there than Islamic terrorism threats in D.C.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
How annoying. My stick-in-the-mud parents, who live across the pond in a city that has had terrorist attacks in the past, are now about to cancel their plans to come here for Christmas, because ISIS is targeting Washington DC.

[Anonymous]

A few observations:

OP's parents are subjected to a possible threat that is not being faced by families living in DC, namely arriving/departing on a plane (and even queuing up at the airport). They may view themselves as being in greater harm's way than those of us bumming around town because of this aspect (and therefore are not necessarily being callous about threats facing the family).

Also, they may be unable to handle the dread that goes along with being anxious about a future event. What I'm saying is that you aren't just up against their anxiety while they are here, walking around safely in an obscure suburban neighborhood. Instead, they may be unable to sleep every night for the next 35 days worrying about the prospect of the trip. That is a lot for them to balance against the benefits of spending the holidays together as a family.

It can be hard for each of us to feel vulnerable, but what makes us feel vulnerable differs. Try to imagine something that makes you feel horribly vulnerable. This may be what they are facing. It's a lot for them to overcome. Maybe this can be a really excellent prompt to talk to your disappointed kids about anxiety, vulnerability, their own disappointment, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:because resorts aren't a possible target?

What about the one last summer where all the British tourists were killed on the beach during Ramadan? Was it Tunisia?