Imagine that you are about to go on a long-awaited vacation, only with your closest people. Just calm, relaxation, and nothing but a good mood. It's a vacation that you and your spouse have been planning for a long time—and now you are anticipating the pleasure that lies ahead.
But then, completely unexpectedly, things go differently. Instead of a quiet and peaceful trip, it turns out that it will be a noisy party with half-strangers, who, in particular, brought a little kid with them. This is exactly what happened to user AbbeyDown recently, the author of today’s tale.
More info: Mumsnet
The author of the post and her husband recently went on a 10-day vacation abroad, together with their 16-year-old daughter
Image credits: Manuel Barros / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The main idea was to celebrate the daughter passing her school exams and to unwind a bit as well
Image credits: AbbeyDown
Image credits: dragonimages / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Before the very trip the author found out that her husband's old friend and his fam will come as well
Image credits: AbbeyDown
Image credits: zinkevych / Freepik (not the actual photo)
It turned out that the husband let it slip to the friend—and they decided to surprise her
Image credits: AbbeyDown
Now, the author feels upset as she wanted to have a calm rest, not a friendly party with folks who were unfamiliar to her
The Original poster (OP) says that recently she, her husband, and their 16-year-old daughter decided to go on a ten-day vacation abroad. Just the three of them—to celebrate the daughter finishing her GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education) at school, and, of course, to take a break from all the city bustle, unwind a little, and ‘reboot.’
Our heroine was anticipating a great, relaxing vacation—and how surprised and upset she was when she found out that her husband's old friend, his girlfriend, and their two children—a teenager and a 5-year-old will come too! As it turned out, the husband had let it slip to his friend about the upcoming trip, and they decided to surprise the OP in this way.
Moreover, the friend and his family booked the same hotel, so the author found herself in the dubious prospect of spending the whole vacation with people she didn't know that well (this guy and his girlfriend are more her husband's pals, not hers). Realizing that the kids—especially the youngest—will make this vacay completely different. Certainly not what she expected.
What also worries our heroine is that she struggles with confidence, especially around her body and skin, and having someone around who she barely knows and is 12 years younger than her doesn't actually add anything to her confidence. The husband brushed the OP off, claiming that it was not that important, but she was genuinely upset and considered her vacation totally ruined.
Image credits: Tahir osman / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
"On the one hand, this woman's husband most likely really didn't want or plan anything bad for her, but simply wanted to brag to his friend about the upcoming trip," says Irina Matveeva, a psychologist and certified NLP specialist, whom Bored Panda asked for a comment on this case. "On the other hand, his reaction to her mood seems really inappropriate.
"In any case, long-time friends are good and important, but your spouse is still a more significant person for you. So, you need to take their opinion and wishes into account first and foremost. Therefore, a reaction in the style of 'shrug and wave it off' is definitely not what is needed in the situation similar to described.
"Moreover, if it even turns out that the husband secretly planned this trip with his friend beforehand, this may be a reason for further and serious family spat. Be that as it may, each person has every reason to be dissatisfied when a long-awaited family vacation goes completely differently than originally planned," Irina sums up.
The vast majority of people in the comments also expressed solidarity with the author, noting, on the one hand, that she is absolutely not obliged to spend time with people she doesn't know well. “Being anonymous is one of the bonuses of going on holiday,” someone aptly added.
But, on the other hand, some people reasonably note that the husband will want to hang out with the friend and his wife at least a few times, and the OP will definitely be asked to babysit the 5YO. By the way, do you, our dear readers, agree with the reaction of our heroine?
Most commenters supported our heroine, claiming that the friends would definitely ask her to babysit their youngest kid as well
