Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The thread title is hopefully self explanatory, but if you have guests (overnight or for a few hours), do you do household chores like mowing the lawn, home improvement projects, vacuuming, or other non essential chores? Just curious what thoughts are on doing chores like that with guests? Is it rude? Is it normal? I've found I can't keep up with etiquette these days.
For me it would depend if the guests are invited and expected or if they were uninvited or surprise drop-in visitors who invited themselves without giving me advance notice.
If I invited them and knew they were coming I would already have prepared for and done all of my chores ahead of time before their arrival so while they're here I can devote as much time as possible to them while they're visiting. If they're going to be visiting for several days I will do all my usual daily chores that I deem necessary.
If they were not expected/invited and took me by surprise that's a different story. Whatever important chores are on my planned schedule that need to be done as planned will get done. I won't put off doing them and inconvenience myself just for the convenience of uninvited visitors.
As a matter of fact on the few occasions that I have gotten unexpected guests while I was working on chores or had them planned I have usually put the visitors to work with me while I'm doing my chores. I haven't ever gotten any complaints and most have found it was fun for them to get involved with whatever my project was.
I don't have overnight guests ever, but if I did yes I would do necessary chores when needed.
I do have a friend over now and then for a few hours and no, I don't do chores, the friend is there to visit, not to watch me do laundry or mow the lawn. It would never even occur to me.
The only exception of course would be if the plan had been for the friend to come over specifically to help me with something, such as install wall lamps, or put together the lawn mower or whatever..
One time years ago a friend did come over unannounced. I don't welcome unannounced visitors, and never answer the door if I am not expecting someone, but I was outside when she got there so I couldn't exactly not open the door, it was already open. She wanted to "help me set up my kindle". I had no interest in it, but I gave her the kindle and she sat in front of my computer and did whatever, while I did household chores, in that case it was cutting up meat to prepare cat meals.
The thread title is hopefully self explanatory, but if you have guests (overnight or for a few hours), do you do household chores like mowing the lawn, home improvement projects, vacuuming, or other non essential chores? Just curious what thoughts are on doing chores like that with guests? Is it rude? Is it normal? I've found I can't keep up with etiquette these days.
Sounds like you have a story. Why not go ahead and share it, and we can chime in on whether or not that particular situation was rude or normal? There are too many variables to make a blanket generalization.
If guests are staying for a few days or less, I'd think it is rude to do chores, like you stated such as mowing a lawn, vacuuming, etc.
It is rude. It sends off the message that the cleaning is more important than spending time with your guests, especially if it is less than an overnight visit.
I had gone to my BIL house for a backyard event, (years ago)and while the people were sitting out in the back yard, this idiot, (and he is an idiot), takes out the leaf blower and starts to blow the leaves in the yard. I looked at him and thought to myself, this should have of been done before we all arrived, NOT while were sitting there conversing. His wife finally did tell him to stop doing that. Thank god....someone had a brain.
and another time he had us all over and it was springtime, and the house was starting to get warm, so while were all in the family room, he then goes to the basement and gets the screens for the windows and has to put them in the windows, I think there were like 5 windows in that vicinity, which mean we had to move from the couch cause it had to be moved, etc. again, that should have of been all done before everyone arrived.
I then realized that he is a sick man and has issues. We never went again. I realized that his company was not enjoyable at all.
so yes, I think it is VERY rude to do any sort of chore or home improvement, etc, when you have guests at your home.
No, I’d consider that as being very rude and sends a message their presence is not valuable but just peripheral.
Of course if this is an unwanted guest then hey, have at it.
The thread title is hopefully self explanatory, but if you have guests (overnight or for a few hours), do you do household chores like mowing the lawn, home improvement projects, vacuuming, or other non essential chores? Just curious what thoughts are on doing chores like that with guests? Is it rude? Is it normal? I've found I can't keep up with etiquette these days.
I do as little as possible when guests are here, in order to enjoy the time I have with them and not make them feel ignored. Of course, if someone stayed for more than a few days, that would be different, and I would expect them to understand that at some point, normal life goes on.
Day trip, no chores, apart from immediate basic cleanup of any meal involved. Overnight one night, again stick to basic things that you have to keep up on but nothing that'll take a lot of time. The lawn can usually wait one more day for example. More than one night all bets are off. Depending on circumstances it might even be appropriate to ask for the guest to help but I'd take that on a case by case basis.
There are too many variables to make a blanket generalization.
Exactly. This is a ridiculous question with far too many variables.
Is it my neighbor having dinner with us, or my sister and my nephew that stopped by unannounced?
Tell us what happened.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
