Mother Cancels 4-Day Vacation After Her Children Wouldn't Stop Misbehaving — Now Her Family Says That She 'Ruined' Their Trip
The mother decided the best way to discipline her kids was to take away an entire vacation.
fizkes / Shutterstock A vacation is meant to be a reprieve, a time to escape from everyday stress and enjoy the company of family. Yet, this was not the case for a mother of two sons, aged 8 and 9, and a 3-year-old daughter.
The mom found her boys' behavior to be so wild that she canceled their vacation early. However, after doing so, other family members became upset at her decision. She shared her story to Reddit’s “r/AmItheA--hole” (AITA), a subreddit dedicated to people asking others if they acted appropriately in a situation.
A mother canceled a 4-day vacation after her children wouldn't stop misbehaving.
"The boys have been driving us crazy. They fight like cats and dogs. We've had countless talks with them about respecting each other, to no avail," she wrote.
Understandably, she was worried about how a beach vacation would unfold. She tried to share her grievances with her husband, but to no avail.
"I already told my husband last week I wasn't sure if the vacation was a good idea. My husband shut me down pretty much immediately and things went ahead as planned," she wrote.
The 3.5-hour car ride that turned out to be "hell" foreshadowed the events to come. Because, once the family reached the rental house, the boys' behavior escalated further.
"They had so many reminders of what not to do once we got to the rental house," she said. From shoes on the white furniture to running in the house and throwing chalk in the pool, her sons had shown no change in their poor behavior.
When they went out to eat, the boys were "out of control in the restaurant," and then at the beach, they refused to put on sunscreen, fought over toys, and swam out too far.
By the time dinner came around, the vacation had soured completely. "By the time we got back to the house, it was around dinner time and I was fed up. They were totally ruining it for everybody," she wrote.
After the fed-up mom canceled the rest of the trip, her family claimed she 'ruined' their vacation.
She discussed with her husband the need to impose a "REAL consequence." He felt that it would be unfair to their daughter, which she agreed with, but felt that there was no other choice.
Despite his insistence that things would improve, she decided to cancel the vacation. This decision was met with resistance — not only from the husband but also from her own mother.
"My mother, who came with us, was also near tears. She thinks her precious grandbabies do no wrong," she wrote.
The ride home was a painful one, filled with sobbing and her husband giving her the silent treatment. Her mother stayed behind and told her through text messages that she had "ruined it for everybody."
However, most people felt that the mother was in the right to cancel the vacation, emphasizing that consequences are important to correct children's behavior.
"Kids need consequences, and it sounds as though your husband and mother have been too inclined to give them ‘one more chance.’ If you ever need to say to them again, ‘Stop that, or we’re going home,’ they’ll know you mean it,” one person wrote.
"Husband needs to step up or these kids are going to grow up to be disrespectful and destructive," another person added.
The subreddit gave her post the official badge "Not the A--hole," but some people on the thread still criticized her decision. They felt that punishment was needed, but canceling the entire vacation was too harsh.
“There should have at least been one attempt at a punishment solely aimed at the boys, like missing a nice meal or activity, rather than immediately canning the vacation which punishes everyone,” one person commented.
While every mother or parent has their own way of disciplining their children, many felt this mom took things too far. But if you put yourself in this mother's shoes, it's likely that anyone would become overwhelmed on what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation.
Ethan Cotler is a writer and frequent contributor to YourTango living in Boston. His writing covers entertainment, news, and human interest stories.