Reply to Staying at parents’ house with kids

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think grandparents here are in the wrong and bring too uptight and unreasonable about expectations to put on families with kids. (To all you people complaining about too many children, they'd still complain if there were only 2, because 4 shoes adds clutter too, as does using up 12 cups per famil.inwtead of 15.)

But if you are willing to try some more after what you're already doing OP, is there a way to buy them a storage solutions and keep some of your stuff there, to be hidden in a closet/attic until your next visit? Or kept packaged in one of the three empty guest bedrooms?

If you're already doing this much prep work for these visits anyway, consider asking them "where can we store our things while we are gone", and carving out the space for one large flat-ish plastic storage bin that can fit under a bed or on a shelf or at the bottom of a closet, containing your spare dishes, a few baseline toys/coloring/activities, spare towels, and a collapsible fabric cubby or organizer for shoes. Then you don't need to lug as much stuff and you can have it when there, and it can be out of sight out of mind for them when you're not there.

While there, can't the water bottles dry on the drying rack? But even if they have to live in the bedroom: For house use, buy plastic dishwasher safe dishes in triplicate, possibly even collapsible ones, which should fit into the normal dish storage during your stay and go into your special storage bin when you're gone. Or else, buy plastic disposable dishes and label them with sharpies for the day/meal, depending on how extravagant you feel like being.

The shoes are more of a challenge, since a cubby or basket takes up floor space.  But! you can also buy them a hanging shoe organizer to hang in the coat closet by the door, which can accommodate your family's shoes, and also collapse pretty flat when you're gone.

Do that and also launder the linens you use yourself (which is annoying admittedly) and maybe this will help. If they complain even then, about any accommodation to your comfort (you're using up all th detergent running your towels! The plastic dishes look ugly in their cabinets during your week visit! There's absolutely nowhere to store or hang anything in the house!) You've moved into a territory of complete unreasonableness.  [/quote]

If the grandparents care so much and don't want to see even a trace of grandkids stuff anywhere in their precious perfect kitchen space and those incredible counters, then they can take the lead in using their copious money and free time to buy some of this stuff and figure out solutions. If OP is a working mom no way she has time to take on all this mental load for what should be a simple visit to see grandparents who usually actually enjoy having grandkids around.

If this were about grandparents being overwhelmed with the work of hosting (cooking, laundry) that would be different. The idea that they can't stand seeing any of the kids cups etc is insane.[/quote]

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