As our biggest wedding anniversary approached, my wife and I were eager to celebrate with a wonderful romantic trip for two. However, our daughter tried to bring her family along, with all sorts of demands, and that’s when I finally put my foot down.
My wife and I had been planning our 40th anniversary trip for years. It was supposed to be a dream vacation to celebrate four decades of love and partnership, just the two of us. But then our daughter, Jane, got wind of our plans, and everything changed for the worse.
A happy couple | Source: Midjourney
My wife, Maggie, and I had booked a cozy little inn on the Maine coast, the kind of place where you sip coffee on the deck and watch the sun rise over the ocean. It seemed perfect—a romantic getaway to relive the early days of our marriage.
But when Jane found out about our plans, she rushed to our house unannounced! She tried to manipulate my wife into joining us, her husband, and their two children!
A woman in front of the front door of a house | Source: Midjourney
“Mom, I don’t understand how you could leave us out,” Jane said that evening during dinner, after her older brother, Frank, let slip that we were going on vacation.
“The children adore and admire you so much! Imagine how hurt they would be if they found out you went on this amazing trip and didn’t want them there.”
I frowned but said nothing. Our daughter had always been good at manipulating her mother, and I wanted to see how this would play out. My wife hesitated, as she always did when Jane played the guilt card.
An upset couple having dinner | Source: Midjourney
Seeing her floundering as she tried to find the right words to get our daughter to back off, I decided to take control of the situation.
“Well, darling, it’s not that we don’t want you here. It’s a special trip for us,” I said, trying to reason with Jane.
Our daughter dramatically clasped her hands over her heart, and in my mind, I rolled my eyes like I’d seen her do before.
“Exactly! That’s why it’s so important for my whole family to be a part of it. It might be a unique opportunity for us to bond! You always say how important family is, don’t you, Dad?”
A distraught woman | Source: Midjourney
I took a deep breath to steady myself, determined to stand my ground.
“Jane, this trip is for us, just your mother and me. It’s our wedding anniversary.”
Jane’s sigh was so dramatic that she deserved an Oscar for her performance.
“Dad, come on! We hardly ever get to do things like this as a family. You’re always preaching about how family is everything, and now you’re letting us down—and your grandchildren? How is that fair?”
A distraught woman | Source: Midjourney
The conversation didn’t end there. Over the next few weeks, Jane redoubled her efforts. She called my wife, and sometimes even called me back, almost daily, each time with a new angle of attack.
“Mom, you’ll regret not including us when the kids are older and too busy to spend time with you.” Or, “Dad, don’t you want the kids to remember you as fun, involved grandparents?”
Her persistence eventually tired my wife. “Maybe we should think about it,” Maggie said one evening as we sat on the couch. “Maybe Jane has a point. Family is important.”
A couple sitting on a sofa | Source: Midjourney
“Family IS important,” I agreed, “but so are we. This was supposed to be our year.”
Yet I could see the doubt in his eyes, and I knew I was outnumbered. To keep the peace, I reluctantly agreed to change our plans. We traded the charming Maine inn for a family-friendly resort in Florida.
Jane and her husband, Nick, only had to pay for their plane ticket, while we paid for the resort bill and the grandchildren’s tickets. It wasn’t what I wanted, but I convinced myself it would still be fun.
An unhappy man on a computer | Source: Midjourney
But as the trip approached, my daughter’s demands increased. It started with small things.
“By the way, don’t forget to pack plenty of snacks for the kids,” Jane said one afternoon during a phone call to her mother. “You know how fussy they are, and I don’t trust camp food.”
My wife glanced at her packing list. “We can manage snacks, but…”
“And you and Dad will take them to the pool, won’t you?” Jane interrupted. “Nick and I really need some uninterrupted relaxation. It’s not like you do much else.”
A woman on the phone | Source: Midjourney
I could feel the frustration bubbling inside me, but I bit my tongue.
Then came the final straw. Two nights before the trip, Jane called me with another request.
“Oh, one more thing,” she said casually. “Can you take care of the kids’ bedtime for at least three or four nights? Nick and I want to experience the nightlife. You’re pros, after all, having raised four kids. And it’s also your travel anniversary, so… it’s a chance to bond, right?”
That’s when it hit me. This wasn’t a family trip. This was going to be Jane and Nick’s vacation while we played full-time babysitters! Our romantic anniversary was slipping through our fingers…
A stressed man deep in thought | Source: Midjourney
The next day, I decided to confront my daughter. I called her as she sat in our room, surrounded by brochures from the original trip we had planned.
“Jane, we need to talk,” I began. “Your mother and I had a vision for this trip, and it didn’t include us babysitting you and Nick.”
She let out an exaggerated whimper. “Dad, you’re being overly dramatic. It’s not like we’re asking you to take care of them all the time. You can have some fun too.”
“Jane, you’re asking us to do bedtime, pool time, and probably everything in between,” I countered. “We’re not your holiday staff!”
Angry man on the phone | Source: Midjourney
His tone became sharper.
“Do you hear yourself?! It’s like you don’t even want to spend time with your grandchildren!”
“It’s not that,” I replied, trying to remain calm. “But this trip was supposed to be about your mother and me, not you and the kids. We’ve been looking forward to it for years!”
“Fine,” she snapped. “Cancel it then! I’ll tell Nick we’re not going, and we’ll stay home while you and Mom have your way.”
I didn’t answer. I knew what I said would only add fuel to the fire because Jane had gone too far.
Instead, I made my decision…
A serious man | Source: Midjourney
After ending my call with Jane, giving her the impression that she had won, without telling anyone, I called the airline and exchanged our tickets to the original destination.
The night before our flight, I told my wife the truth about what I’d done. She blinked at me, stunned. “You did what?!”
“We’re going to Maine,” I said firmly. “Just the two of us. Like we planned.”
“But Jane…”
“Jane will manage,” I said. “We deserve this trip. And if we don’t do it now, we never will.”
An unhappy couple | Source: Midjourney
The next morning, we boarded our flight. As the plane rose into the sky, my wife shook my hand.
“You know, I think you were right,” she said softly. “I’m just worried about Jane’s reaction.”
“She’ll be fine,” I said, though I wasn’t entirely sure myself.
When we landed, I called our daughter.
“Jane, I need to let you know that we’ve decided to stick to our original plans. We won’t be going to the family resort.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. Then Jane’s voice boomed. “WHAT?! You abandoned us? How could you do that? We were counting on you!”
Angry woman on call | Source: Midjourney
“For what, Jane?” I asked calmly.
“For HELP, obviously!” she snapped. “How do you think we’re supposed to manage the kids on our own? This trip was only possible because of you and Mom!”
Before I could answer, Nick grabbed the phone.
“This is unbelievable!” he shouted. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?! You’ve ruined our vacation! We can’t afford babysitters at such short notice. You’re so selfish—on your birthday, of all times!”
I didn’t argue. I just hung up.
A man shouting on the phone | Source: Midjourney
When we returned a week later, our daughter wasn’t talking to us anymore. She ignored our texts, and Nick posted a passive-aggressive comment on social media about “people abandoning their families.” My wife felt guilty, but I didn’t.
The week in Maine had been everything we dreamed of: tranquil, romantic, and restorative. Over a candlelit dinner on the last night, my wife took my hand and smiled. “I’m so glad we came here.”
“Me too,” I replied.
A happy couple on vacation | Source: Midjourney
Frank later informed us that his sister and her family had gone to the family resort but didn’t enjoy it much. The couple had their hands full with their children and had virtually no alone time. Luckily, our grandchildren had a blast and couldn’t stop talking about it.
On the other hand, Jane might expect an apology, but I stand by my decision. Sometimes the best way to teach someone a lesson is to show them that your time and boundaries are just as valuable as theirs.
A happy and satisfied man | Source: Midjourney
Read also: When I came back from vacation, I found a stranger living in my house – He refused to leave, so I took matters into my own hands
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the story. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims regarding the accuracy of events or character portrayals and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and all opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the opinions of the author or publisher.
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