Quote:
Originally Posted by CopterDad
Having lived through three stair step kids like your sister has, your drama over this is probably miniscule over at her house. Plus, the kids probably think of Aunt Ree just like mom or they probably wouldn't act like they do over at your house.
Unless its a holiday or something, as the aunt that the kids love to want to go to her house for fun, dinasaur nuggets, and dessert, I don't see where you have much of a problem here. Or, get with your sister and buy a bunch of McDs burgers or happy meals for the next dinner and suprise them.
Plus, just so you know, if they want to be little league kids, they know to only eat ballpark hotdogs.  |
No offense, but when my family - both sisters, their kids, my mom, my brother and his girlfriend - come over, there's a good 15 people in my house. Neither I nor my husband are going to run out in the middle of a dinner or picnic we are hosting to go pick up a bunch of happy meals. We are very hands-on hosts, and do our best to give everyone a great time. We get toys for the kids to play with outside, set aside a spare room for them to play video games and board games in, and a bunch of other stuff to make them feel welcome.
As some of you have said, the problem is really my sister and what she allows the kids to get away with. I love her and her kids, but they are high-maintenence guests.
To further reiterate my family's, um, issues -a couple of years ago, I had gotten out of the hospital after 2 weeks inpatient. They all (both sisters, their kids, etc.) decided to come over (at once) to "welcome me home" - at my house. My husband had just been getting by with food shopping, spending 8-10 hours at work and a few hours at the hospital with me every day....
.....Well all 15 people showed up - en masse - and I ordered pizza and grinders (getting everyone's orders, even the kids). It took longer than 20 min to get here, so my sisters took off to go to the grocery (they claimed they were starving). So my hubby and I had to entertain the 5 kids and the husbands, my mom, bro and his gf. My sisters arrived back at my house as the pizza was getting there, with - you guessed it - chicken nuggets and cookies (you can guess the kids ate the nuggets and cookies instead of the specific things they ordered - cheeseless pizza, grinders). They ate, left a ton of garbage all over (mind you, I was recuperating from double pneumonia and a blood clot), and then left after 2 hours here.
Yet if I call them on it, I am the rude one. Thanks for the chance to vent and kind advice. You can't choose your family - they are all I have - but sometimes, it's hard to deal with them. And for the record, they AREN'T coming here tomorrow; we're going over there.
Thanks for everything!!