Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great thread! This year instead of sharing a house, we rented three smaller houses next to each other along the beach. It was perfect. The kids all had fun together, everyone has great shared memories, but we still had down time alone when we needed it. Highly recommend!

This sounds dreamy!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many posts this summer about vacationing with the ILs. Anyone care to update us? Did it work out better or worse than expected? Learn anything to make future vacations easier? Any tips for everyone else?

Never doing it again. Life is too short for crappy vacations.

Anonymous wrote:Great thread! This year instead of sharing a house, we rented three smaller houses next to each other along the beach. It was perfect. The kids all had fun together, everyone has great shared memories, but we still had down time alone when we needed it. Highly recommend!

Anonymous wrote:As bad as I anticipated. It will be a lllooonnggg time before we do a road trip again and probably our last vacation with the in-laws. Still trying to hold in my "I told you so."

Anonymous wrote:My MIL has an unairconditioned attic with a tiny, leaky bathroom where she generously agrees to let us stay when we visit her. THe weird part is she refers to it as "that lovely apartment" -- It has no kitchen, no living room, no doors, etc. She can't understand why we don't want to come and stay in her lovely apartment for a month during the summer. Then she serves all the meals in the backyard so that I can climb three flights of stairs up to the "apartment" while carrying fat sweaty toddlers in my arms. Oh, and the only bathroom the children and I are allowed to use is in the "apartment" so anytime anyone needs a bathroom you get to climb three flights of stairs. It has two beds for five people. The last time we did it, our kids had to sleep on the floor of the so-called "lovely apartment". We haven't visited in years since my husband refuses to pay for a hotel. (WHy would he? She always makes sure he gets a bed.)
There's just no reasoning with some people -- who are in severe denial.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't start an IL beach thread but I commented on several. Ours was about as expected. DD (2yo) got HFM (not expected) and was grumpy and clingy for the second half of the trip. My MIL tried to win her affection by plying her with candy. DD told MIL multiple times in no uncertain terms, "I no want you, I want Mommy." When MIL ignored her and continued to shove candy and bribes in her face, DD told her "I no like you." I told DD "That's not nice, it hurts Grammy's feelings." MIL had an epic breakdown (seriously crying and screaming) that DD doesn't like her and DD and I were 'talking about her behind her back."
Then FIL screamed at MIL for letting her self concept be ruled by a two year old. Then DH screamed at me and said I must've said 'something' to set off his mother (he later apologized). Then I tried to clear the air with MIL and she laughed it off saying it was no big deal...but refused to speak directly to me for the remaining two days.
My side of the family (who we also saw on the trip) was no picnic either. I decided next year we are going on vacation by ourselves, even if it means going somewhere other than the beach.

Hmm, I wonder where your child would have gotten the idea that it's okay to treat her grandmother this way?

2-year-olds are blunt they also say 'i want daddy, not mommy' or whatever and a sick 2 yo is going to be that much more uncensored. Sounds like you haven't been around normal 2-year-olds. I seriously doubt the PP shouts in her MIL's face "I no like you!"

HAHA. I wish I could yell "I no like you!" into my MIL's face. God I just snorted out loud at work just thinking about it...

Anonymous wrote:I didn't start an IL beach thread but I commented on several. Ours was about as expected. DD (2yo) got HFM (not expected) and was grumpy and clingy for the second half of the trip. My MIL tried to win her affection by plying her with candy. DD told MIL multiple times in no uncertain terms, "I no want you, I want Mommy." When MIL ignored her and continued to shove candy and bribes in her face, DD told her "I no like you." I told DD "That's not nice, it hurts Grammy's feelings." MIL had an epic breakdown (seriously crying and screaming) that DD doesn't like her and DD and I were 'talking about her behind her back."
Then FIL screamed at MIL for letting her self concept be ruled by a two year old. Then DH screamed at me and said I must've said 'something' to set off his mother (he later apologized). Then I tried to clear the air with MIL and she laughed it off saying it was no big deal...but refused to speak directly to me for the remaining two days.
My side of the family (who we also saw on the trip) was no picnic either. I decided next year we are going on vacation by ourselves, even if it means going somewhere other than the beach.

Anonymous wrote:My mil made comments about how it's inappropriate for to wear a bikini since I'm a mother now (I'm not yet even 30) and when dh and I went to play catch with a football she asked "who do you think you are, the Kennedy's?" She also kept saying I didn't know how to cook or she thought u couldn't and she wouldn't be eating anything I made, but then she'd gobble it up. Also I let my toddlers shirt, curly hair get messy. Oh and she's going to get molested by perverts since I put dd in a baby bikini. But I should let her wear one when she's 13 to attract boyfriends.

I could have used a vacation from my vacation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't start an IL beach thread but I commented on several. Ours was about as expected. DD (2yo) got HFM (not expected) and was grumpy and clingy for the second half of the trip. My MIL tried to win her affection by plying her with candy. DD told MIL multiple times in no uncertain terms, "I no want you, I want Mommy." When MIL ignored her and continued to shove candy and bribes in her face, DD told her "I no like you." I told DD "That's not nice, it hurts Grammy's feelings." MIL had an epic breakdown (seriously crying and screaming) that DD doesn't like her and DD and I were 'talking about her behind her back."
Then FIL screamed at MIL for letting her self concept be ruled by a two year old. Then DH screamed at me and said I must've said 'something' to set off his mother (he later apologized). Then I tried to clear the air with MIL and she laughed it off saying it was no big deal...but refused to speak directly to me for the remaining two days.
My side of the family (who we also saw on the trip) was no picnic either. I decided next year we are going on vacation by ourselves, even if it means going somewhere other than the beach.

Hmm, I wonder where your child would have gotten the idea that it's okay to treat her grandmother this way?

2-year-olds are blunt they also say 'i want daddy, not mommy' or whatever and a sick 2 yo is going to be that much more uncensored. Sounds like you haven't been around normal 2-year-olds. I seriously doubt the PP shouts in her MIL's face "I no like you!"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mil made comments about how it's inappropriate for to wear a bikini since I'm a mother now (I'm not yet even 30) and when dh and I went to play catch with a football she asked "who do you think you are, the Kennedy's?"

"Why yes, yes we do! And by the way, later tonight I'd like to drive you home from a party out on the Cape. I know a back way, little tiny bridge, hardly ever used."