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I guess you skipped the posts where they have a city intensive trip to Europe booked two weeks after they were supposed to watch the grandkids.
The grandparents are not required to babysit but a commitment is a commitment. They had the option to say no and they didn't. Instead, they backed out and lies about the reason they were backing out. The OP learned a lesson.
No, I didn't.
I guess you missed the part where I said when you're asking a favor of someone, as in flying across the country to watch your kids while you go on trip, you offer to pay their airfare, leave a well stocked fridge, and some gift cards for restaurants.
You also can pay for a nice dinner out for everyone upon your return.
Doesn't matter if it's your 20 year old niece who is in college, or your 40 year old brother who make six figures.
The classy thing to do is pay for them because they are doing you a huge favor.
Now, what can I do for our amazing friends who have taken our kids for 2 nights each?
Any fun ideas? Of course I've offered to take their kids ANYTIME and carpool them to gymnastics or whatever they need. Maybe I should make them actual coupons for babysitting or carpooling . I think they basically know I'm their indentured servant for life which is cool with me.
Oh the dramatics.
Quote:
You made the offer to the friends already, leave things as they are. If the friends want something in return they will let you know.
Well, several posters have written that I was not considerate to the in-laws for coming out to help and that I should have paid for their plane ticket. Many wrote that the in-laws may feel they were being taken advantage of. Now I feel badly that it didn't occur to me or my husband to pay for their ticket. I just want to make sure I'm not taking advantage of my friends the way I might have done with my in-laws.
That really is amazing! As I said, my friends are caring for their grandchildren this week while the parents travel; the young parents paid the airfare.
"A reunion isn't a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Their very point is that they are periodic."
"
Marian, you are wrong - the point of a reunion is to reunite people. Some are annual or meet every 5 years, but some do not.
This reunion is the first time the department has held one since the college was founded ( over 100 years ago). It is being held because a professor who has been the heart and soul for many decades is retiring. He will be giving a final lecture and people who majored or minored or were an integral part of the department have been invited to a weekend to participate.
There will be campus tours, an opportunity to sit in on a few classes, and the professor's final lecture followed by a reception. This professor was my favorite professor and has had a profound impact on my life and profession.
This is a once-in-a lifetime thing. I seriously doubt this reunion will be periodic.
I guess you missed the part where I said when you're asking a favor of someone, as in flying across the country to watch your kids while you go on trip, you offer to pay their airfare, leave a well stocked fridge, and some gift cards for restaurants.
You also can pay for a nice dinner out for everyone upon your return.
Doesn't matter if it's your 20 year old niece who is in college, or your 40 year old brother who make six figures.
The classy thing to do is pay for them because they are doing you a huge favor.
How do you know they didn't offer a stocked fridge? This isn't the first time the grands have watched the kids. The only difference is that the grands didn't offer this time. They do pay for their dinners when the go out. The grands were planning on staying 6 extra days so they could all spend time together and they have paid for their dinners in the past and this time would be no different. The OP stated they always try to plan activities that the grands would enjoy. It's not like they were only coming in for 4 days to watch the kids and flying back out and being left with ketchup and mustard in the fridge. Assume much?
"A reunion isn't a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Their very point is that they are periodic."
"
Marian, you are wrong - the point of a reunion is to reunite people. Some are annual or meet every 5 years, but some do not.
This reunion is the first time the department has held one since the college was founded ( over 100 years ago). It is being held because a professor who has been the heart and soul for many decades is retiring. He will be giving a final lecture and people who majored or minored or were an integral part of the department have been invited to a weekend to participate.
There will be campus tours, an opportunity to sit in on a few classes, and the professor's final lecture followed by a reception. This professor was my favorite professor and has had a profound impact on my life and profession.
This is a once-in-a lifetime thing. I seriously doubt this reunion will be periodic.
If all of this truly meant so much to you, then you could muster up the courage to travel by yourself! You went to this college and lived in that city. You'd survive a couple of days without your husband. Unless he's Bruce Lee, what's he really going to do? And there's more I, me, it's all about me nonsense.
That really is amazing!As I said, my friends are caring for their grandchildren this week while the parents travel; the young parents paid the airfare.
That's the way you do it.
[quote=ss20ts;47643479]
Quote:
Originally Posted by modc
"
If all of this truly meant so much to you, then you could muster up the courage to travel by yourself! You went to this college and lived in that city. You'd survive a couple of days without your husband. Unless he's Bruce Lee, what's he really going to do? And there's more I, me, it's all about me nonsense.
Absolutely. No reason the husband has to go, it's not his reunion. While it might be nice for him to meet some of these people, in reality it's the OP who wants to go and that is understandable since it's her college.
^ whether or not she should go alone, or should have paid the in-law's airfare, or even asked for this favor to begin with is irrelevant. The in-laws said they would do it. They backed out at the last minute. Unless someone is sick or dying, that's not ok.
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. I think they basically know I'm their indentured servant for life which is cool with me.
