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Okay, I gotta vent.
I've spent the last 14 months saving up for a trip to Disneyland. This would be my first time paying for a family trip, and the initial plan was just to take my parents this past February, as a late anniversary gift. So just the three of us. They were really excited, initially, but soon felt it would be insensitive of us to go to Disneyland and not invite my sister's two kids. This revelation tacked a couple thousand more bucks onto the trip, and pushed it back by 6 months, but I was fine with it.
A little background. My sister and her husband are total mooches, and in my opinion everything that is wrong with American society. They have awful credit. They make awful business decisions. They quit jobs for the silliest reasons ("my boss wanted me to be at work at nine", "their internet was slow"). They moved back in to my parents' house a couple of years ago, due to their poor credit, and have slowly but surely taken over most of the house (whilst continually promising to move out 'soon'). They get tons of hands-up (or hands-out) and they never say thank you. I feel so bad for those kids. It's common to overhear exchanges between the kids and parents, which go like "Mom? Can you take us to see this movie? When I was little Grandma and Grandpa never took us to see movies!" or "Mom? Can I ask Santa Claus for a Buzz Lightyear this year? When I was a little kid, Santa Claus wouldn't bring us toys!" Which is a bold-faced lie, because I grew up with her, and she got loads of SWAG as a kid, and saw new movies every weekend. Meanwhile when a paycheck does come in, whatever doesn't get garnished, goes straight to Best Buy. The Mom & Dad have a 60" TV & a PS3 in their bedroom. Do the kids get to play with it? No. Would you care to guess who does take those kids to new movies, and who does spend $60 on Buzz Lightyears come Christmas? This guy. Do you want to know how many times she's said thank you? Big old goose egg, that's how many times: 0.
So when my parents suggested that we take the kids along, my immediate reaction was "Yeah, those kids definitely need a vacation." I started asking for extra hours at work. I was putting extra money away, all while holding the trip a secret. Well today I called the Walt Disney Travel Company, got the trip priced out, and I've got enough. This trip is happening. So I meet up with the grandparents, and tell them that it's time to break the news to my sister. She comes upstairs, and we tell her, and this is her reaction:
Now tell me, if someone came up to you and offered to take your kids off your hands for a week, and take them to the happiest place on earth, would your reaction be "Thank you!" or "Go to hell!"? I'm this close to rescinding the offer, and saving my money, but those are some really good kids, decent kids, and they don't deserve to be punished because their mother is a twerp. Oh, I really need a cheeseburger right now....
I've spent the last 14 months saving up for a trip to Disneyland. This would be my first time paying for a family trip, and the initial plan was just to take my parents this past February, as a late anniversary gift. So just the three of us. They were really excited, initially, but soon felt it would be insensitive of us to go to Disneyland and not invite my sister's two kids. This revelation tacked a couple thousand more bucks onto the trip, and pushed it back by 6 months, but I was fine with it.
A little background. My sister and her husband are total mooches, and in my opinion everything that is wrong with American society. They have awful credit. They make awful business decisions. They quit jobs for the silliest reasons ("my boss wanted me to be at work at nine", "their internet was slow"). They moved back in to my parents' house a couple of years ago, due to their poor credit, and have slowly but surely taken over most of the house (whilst continually promising to move out 'soon'). They get tons of hands-up (or hands-out) and they never say thank you. I feel so bad for those kids. It's common to overhear exchanges between the kids and parents, which go like "Mom? Can you take us to see this movie? When I was little Grandma and Grandpa never took us to see movies!" or "Mom? Can I ask Santa Claus for a Buzz Lightyear this year? When I was a little kid, Santa Claus wouldn't bring us toys!" Which is a bold-faced lie, because I grew up with her, and she got loads of SWAG as a kid, and saw new movies every weekend. Meanwhile when a paycheck does come in, whatever doesn't get garnished, goes straight to Best Buy. The Mom & Dad have a 60" TV & a PS3 in their bedroom. Do the kids get to play with it? No. Would you care to guess who does take those kids to new movies, and who does spend $60 on Buzz Lightyears come Christmas? This guy. Do you want to know how many times she's said thank you? Big old goose egg, that's how many times: 0.
So when my parents suggested that we take the kids along, my immediate reaction was "Yeah, those kids definitely need a vacation." I started asking for extra hours at work. I was putting extra money away, all while holding the trip a secret. Well today I called the Walt Disney Travel Company, got the trip priced out, and I've got enough. This trip is happening. So I meet up with the grandparents, and tell them that it's time to break the news to my sister. She comes upstairs, and we tell her, and this is her reaction:
Her: "Ugh.... WELL, Bob (her husband) hates California, so he won't go."
Us: "Well, we just want to take the kids... get them out of your hair for a week. That way you and Bob can have some time together, alone."
Her: "But what about Timmy (her kid in this story)? He has school."
Us: "He doesn't have school that week (year-rounder). We checked."
Her: "Yeah, but I think it's really unfair to take them when we need them."
Us: "Need them for what?"
Her: (She mumbles.) "I hate you."
(We all look around, dumbfounded.)
Her: "It's just really unfair what you're doing!"
Us: "What? Why?"
Her: "Go to hell!" (At this point she runs downstairs and slams the door behind her.)
Us: "Well, we just want to take the kids... get them out of your hair for a week. That way you and Bob can have some time together, alone."
Her: "But what about Timmy (her kid in this story)? He has school."
Us: "He doesn't have school that week (year-rounder). We checked."
Her: "Yeah, but I think it's really unfair to take them when we need them."
Us: "Need them for what?"
Her: (She mumbles.) "I hate you."
(We all look around, dumbfounded.)
Her: "It's just really unfair what you're doing!"
Us: "What? Why?"
Her: "Go to hell!" (At this point she runs downstairs and slams the door behind her.)
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