Family vacations might not always be pleasant and peaceful. There might be a lot of disagreements along the way, and it’s all about how well you can resolve conflicts, especially if your family is large. One of our readers made the unexpected choice to leave his daughter and her family behind during their vacation. In this article, we reveal the circumstances that led to this decision and give him some helpful tips.
Our reader turned to us for help.
Thanks for getting in touch! We’ve got a few ideas and tips that could be useful for your situation, and we hope they come in handy.
Talk to your wife.
Your wife might be feeling guilty, and it’s understandable since it affected your daughter. Nevertheless, it’s important to point out that your daughter could have chosen a different trip. Besides, if they needed some time off, they could have asked you to babysit their kids on another day later.
It’s okay to enjoy your life as a couple; you deserve a romantic trip that doesn’t include your children or grandkids. Just because you’re relatives, your daughter is not entitled to your endless help.
You might apologize for the sudden change of plans.
At the same time, you didn’t stand your ground when you needed to express your opinion. You agreed to take them on the trip and changed the plans without letting anyone know. Now, everyone is angry and upset, and your grandchildren might have been disappointed as well.
Maybe you interpreted your daughter’s intentions incorrectly. Perhaps she wanted to spend some time with you on such a meaningful day.
Consider standing more firm in your decisions.
Instead of making decisions behind everyone’s back, consider voicing your opinion next time. You should have simply said no in the first place. Handling things secretly is not a mature way to resolve a problem. Once the plans are agreed upon, it’s inconsiderate to change them without consulting the other people who will be involved.
We have some more personal stories that might catch your attention. Here you can read a story about how a woman’s boyfriend got mad at her because she’d thrown away a used pad in their bathroom.