It's time for the annual family trip to the beach.
Three families are involved (yours and your two siblings').
There had been a few strategy meetings about lodging, food, transportation and activities leading up to the trip. There were many Excel spreadsheets, color coded binders and file folders involved. Everyone - adults and kids - are excited.
When the caravan arrives at the beach house, your sister's family has not pre-purchased their groceries for their assigned meals (citing they thought they'd wait until they got to the resort town) and the small market is beyond their budget. Your kids have lost their minds and are WWE-style fighting. Your brother's wife is nagging at him and making everyone feel uncomfortable.
What would YOU do?
this is why I never do family vacations. I had enough of that growing up. I hate to share and other people get on my nerves when traveling. (I don't mean to suggest those are positive character traits; just being honest). When we go on vacations it's just the 2 of us!
ReplyDeleteGo buy the food and feed the family. The ENTIRE family.
ReplyDeleteAgree with CreoleInDC. Handle what needs to be handled. What's the alternative? Letting things go sour on Day 1? Don't let this set the tone for the rest of the vacation. If you must be irritated and feel some kinda way about it, do it when you get home. For now, get the food and enjoy the rest of the week.
ReplyDeleteIt sucks to have drama like that on a family vacation, but it seems like it's always inevitable! I probably would just go buy the food, feed everyone and talk with that sibling about paying me back later.
ReplyDeleteI would get in the car and go get groceries and put my ill will in the forgettery before I got back to the house.
ReplyDeleteMy sister could pick up the tab for something else and we could hash it all out later. Life is too long to worry about money.
If the small shop is allegedly out of their budget, I'd ask exactly what their budget is. I'd look online for a supermarket within driving distance (they obviously have vehicles with them and there HAS to be a supermarket within a 30 minute drive).
ReplyDeleteThen, I'd suggest they start driving and remind them (as calmly, unemotionally as possible) that this was their responsibility, it was discussed in advanced and they agreed to it.
In the meantime, feed the kids with whatever you do have at the house.
The food wouldn't be a problem because we could all eat what was there. Now if they always did this we wouldn't be going together in the first place. My kids would get a "look" that let them know that they need to chill or be killed. I would tell my brother or sister in law, whichever one I hd the best relationship with, to handle their issues in private. Nobody wants to deal with that. Again, if this was known behavior we wouldn't be on vacation together!
ReplyDeleteIt isn't as bad as when you book a big suite or cottage, and people bring their girlfriends, boyfriends, children's friends, etc. without consulting anybody first. Room stuffing, hillbilly style. Eeeeha!
ReplyDeleteSister would have to drive out to another grocery store and buy those missing groceries. No way would I pay for them and then be sitting there all week watching how much she and her family ate, tallying it up and getting squinty eyed. Yep. And that's still not as petty as her showing up empty handed and empty bellied, talking about they can't afford food. Me buying the food in her place would not resolve the "discrepancy", so she's riding out!
ReplyDeleteI'd settle my kids down unless they wanted me jumping in sufflexes, full nelsons and Boston crabs all around!
I'd try to ignore the nagging sis n law or talk to my brother about it and tell him how she's making everyone feel.
-Deljah
I'd pitch in whatever extra money was needed to move past it so we could enjoy our vacation.
ReplyDeleteHoney Chile, I would buy, we would all eat peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches that night! I would take the kids with me so that they could select the flavor of the jelly. No way would I let the nagging wife and food, or the lack thereof, ruin my vacation. I love family and just having them around brings me so much joy.
ReplyDelete