Reply to Being a good house guest

Forum Index » Travel Discussion

Reply to "Being a good house guest"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]So, friends bought a beach house last year. This summer, they invited us to come join them at the beach for a week. We were hesitant because we have very different parenting styles. They have 4 kids and are generally more regimented, strict, authoritative, and arbitrary with rules. But they're very good parents and they have lovely kids. We are a little more laid back, although in the "big picture" generally share their values. But, despite our hesitation, we accepted their offer. This is how our week went:

Day One: Our DD asks for a glass of seltzer water, which we allow (although we don't allow soda). DW goes to pour DD a glass and the other mom dresses DW down, loudly, in front of all the kids, declaring that the seltzer was for the ADULTS and that kids were NOT to have it... Ok... whatever.

Day Two: I get up early and prepare breakfast for all 6 kids. I also get all 6 kids ready for the beach (suited up, sunscreen on, gather the toys and chairs) and take them down while the other three adults sleep in for the next three hours. Upon returning for lunch, DW pulls me aside and informs me that the other mom had a hissy fit because I fixed the eggs in the "wrong pan" and didn't adequately clean the kitchen (which is true -- I left many of the dishes out because I didn't want to make all the noise with the dishes clanging around).

Day Two: We do the grocery shopping for the week since we are the guests and they're not charging us to stay there. We figure that's the least we can do. We drop a good $300 or so on groceries and booze. We prepare dinner for 10. Noted for posterity's sake. DD complains about being yelled at by other mom for taking a plum as an afternoon snack when it wasn't "snack time."

Day Three: I get up early again with the kids and DW joins me. We fix breakfast (using the right pan and cleaning the kitchen) and herd all 6 kids to the beach while host couple sleeps in. Return for lunch and have to feed six kids as host couple is still in bed. Couple still hasn't emerged by about 2 p.m. so we take kids out for Italian ice. Get yelled at around 4 p.m. for ruining their dinner. Asked by host couple to return to grocery store to buy additional items they've decided they want to prepare for dinner. The other mom chastises our oldest DD for not eating the chicken she prepared, even though DD is a vegetarian. Like, won't let it go. Then tells us we can't give her food if she's hungry later (we do anyway -- fuck her).

Day Four: I'm up with the kids again (but, hey, I'm a morning person and accustomed to being up with my own kids at that hour). The kids have all gorged themselves on Costco muffins they brought from home and ignore the protein I prepare. Other mom awakes and comes down early, around 11 a.m. Her kids start complaining they're hungry and she bitches me out for letting them eat muffins and not fixing them a proper breakfast. WTF. DW and I decide it's time to cut our trip short.

Day Five: We go out on a boat trip previously agreed. Hosts asks us to stop by grocery store to pick up additional snacks, ice, drinks. Fine, we do this. Boat trip is fine. But we also announce we need to leave a day earlier than planned.

Day Six: We leave. But, you know, I'm still up, feeding all 6 kids and engaging them for 3 hours before their parents emerge. Feeling proud of my oldest DD for making her bed when I go upstairs to strip it (for the washing), only to find out that she was instructed the first day by the other Mom to make her bed. Six days later my DD was still making hers, but her the other mom's kid's bed? Totally unmade.

So, what, exactly, happened here? Definitely grateful for the offer of "free" beach accommodation, yet still somehow feeling somewhat taken advantage of. But I did learn something: Never again will I be a "guest" in someone's beach home while they are there, and if I ever vacation with another family again, it will be totally on neutral ground.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics