'Without consulting anyone, I switched our tickets last minute': Dad abandons daughter on family vacation to take a 40th anniversary trip with his wife

Author image for Isabella Penn
Isabella Penn
Oct 18, 2023 5:00 PM EDT

Alright, so here's the deal. Our OP (aka the dad) did in fact change their family vacation plans the night before departure, leaving his daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids hanging. But tbh, he might be valid in this case.

Our OP and his wife have been dreaming about a romantic getaway to celebrate their love for the 40th anniversary for a while. It might be the only trip they can manage for a while due to the costs. But when their daughter caught wind of it, she basically invited herself along with her whole family. Yeah, it reeks of entitlement, but the couple reluctantly agreed because, well, they're family. They even switched the trip destination to something more family-friendly and covered the expenses.

~side bar~ the daughter happens to be the youngest and the only girl in the family. Not that it excuses her behavior, but we thought that context was relevant (no hard feelings – I'm also the youngest and only daughter in my family too…pls don't hate me).

Fast forward to the night before the trip, and our OP slyly changed the flight tickets without telling anyone. Eek. Not only is the daughter furious, but she also had the expectation that her parents would babysit during the vacation. Yeah, our OP dodged a major bullet here. Now, the wife wants him to apologize to their daughter, so he took to Reddit for some advice. Keep scrolling for the full story. 

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  • 01
    Font - Posted by u/Flat-Blueberry-4469 1 day ago AITA for abandoning my daughter on vacation?
    via u/Flat-Blueberry-4469
  • 02
    Font - My wife and I have always dreamed of celebrating our 40th anniversary with a luxurious vacation. Just the two of us, reliving the romance of our early years. We had it all planned out for years now and were excited beyond words.
    via u/Flat-Blueberry-4469
  • 03
    Font - Enter our adult daughter Jane. Jane and her husband got wind of our plans and promptly invited themselves and their two children (9F, 5M) along. I originally put my foot down and told them this trip was just for us which upset her some. But my wife has a hard time saying
    via u/Flat-Blueberry-4469
  • 04
    Font - no to Jane, as she is the youngest of our children and our only daughter, and she didn't want to hurt her feelings, so she reluctantly agreed to let them join. I wasn't thrilled about it at the time, but I wanted to make my family happy, and I knew my wife was also okay with the idea of a "family" trip even if she was heartbroken we wouldn't get our romantic trip. We went
    via u/Flat-Blueberry-4469
  • 05
    Font - along with it. The place we were originally going was not child friendly so we changed course and decided on an all inclusive family friendly resort. We paid for the resort and our grandchildren's plane tickets. Jane and her husband only had to pay for their own airfare.
    via u/Flat-Blueberry-4469
  • 06
    Font - Here's where things get complicated. As the vacation got closer, I started having a change of heart. I realized that our 40th anniversary was a once-in-a- lifetime milestone, and I wanted to honor it in a way that was true to our original plans. My wife and I might not be able to afford a trip like this again for quite some time and it's something we always wanted to do.
    via u/Flat-Blueberry-4469
  • 07
    Font - So, without consulting anyone, I switched our tickets last minute to go to the romantic destination that my wife and I had originally planned for. I did not tell Jane or her husband. I didn't even tell my wife until the day before our flight left, which was a day before Jane's flight left for their vacation.
    via u/Flat-Blueberry-4469
  • 08
    Font - It wasn't an easy decision and I feel guilty about it. But I wanted our 40th anniversary to be the special, intimate celebration we had always hoped for. We called Jane after we landed to tell her and she was extremely upset to say the least.
    via u/Flat-Blueberry-4469
  • 09
    Font - She seemed of the idea that we were going to look after our grandkids so she and her husband could have alone time and now that I abandoned her they would have to do it all themselves. I hung up on them when my son in law started shouting and my wife and I enjoyed the rest of our trip.
    via u/Flat-Blueberry-4469
  • 10
    Font - They came back the same day we did but have not answered any of our texts and Jane seems to be ignoring me. My wife told me she vastly preferred our trip to the family trip we would have taken but she still doesn't like how Jane is mad at us and wants me to apologize. I'm not sure I
    via u/Flat-Blueberry-4469
  • 11
    Font - want to after learning Jane and her husband were using us for free babysitting and a free trip but I feel like I should just to keep the peace. Am I the a for changing our trip destination last minute and leaving Jane and her family to fend for themselves?
    via u/Flat-Blueberry-4469
  • 12
    Font - Ok_Smoke_1056 - 1 day ago Partassipant [1] ΝΤΑ What part of the 40th Anniversary trip did your daughter and son-in-law not understand? Oh, boo-freaking-hoo, they wanted to spend time alone and designated the grandparents to babysit on what should have been their special trip. If your daughter and son in law wanted alone time on a trip, they could have gone on a different trip and politely asked you and your wife to watch the kids while they were away. Not try and hijack your trip!
    via u/Ok_Smoke_1056
  • 13
    Font - Do not feel guilty OP. Not even for a second. You and your wife have done the parenting of your kids and now it's time to start enjoying life as a couple again. Sure, you're parents and grandparents but you're still a couple and deserve to enjoy falling in love with each other all over again with romantic trips that DO NOT include your offspring or grandkids. Your daughter needs a swift kick of reality right in the tookus. She had the audacity to invite her family to your romantic weekend
    via u/Ok_Smoke_1056
  • 14
    Font - silfy_star 1 day ago Colo-rectal Surgeon [33] Lol, we all knew the moment she invited herself she expected the grandparents to babysit while her and hubby enjoyed the trip OP did right, Jane and SIL can go pound sand If people don't want to parent, then they shouldn't become parents. Ez ✩ 9.2k Reply Share
    via u/silfy_star
  • 15
    Font - rncikwb · 1 day ago Partassipant [1] Yup. OP shouldn't stress, Jane will come crawling back the next time she needs a free babysitter. ✩ 3.7k Reply Share
    via u/rncikwb
  • 16
    Font - No_Initiative_8480 1 day ago Partassipant [1] NTA you essentially paid for her holiday, if you then go elsewhere then thats up to you - uou have no obligation to tell her or check with her first. She has no right to expect you to be her babysitter on your 40 year wedding anniversary trip!! Jane needs to check her entitlement, funny how she wanted time with her husband without the kids but didn't think you and your wife would want that on such a special occasion.
    via u/No_Initiative_8480
  • 17
    Font - Thing she doesnt understand or take into account either is i am sure that over those 40 years and with 3 children you and your wife will have already made compromises and put your kids before you (you sound like the kind of amazing parents that would). Its now time for her to give back and make sure you and your wife get to enjoy some of those things you have missed out on. So NTA and im glad you and your wife enjoyed yourselves happy anniversary 5.6k Reply Share ...
    via u/No_Initiative_8480
  • 18
    Font - 33Yidana53 - 1 day ago Oh Jane understands but the entitlement is strong in that one. Reply Share 4 ↓ 1.0k
    via u/33Yidana53
  • 19
    Font - atealein 1 day ago Pooperintendant [67] NTA and your daughter flat out admitting she was planning to have you two be on babysitting duties during YOUR ANNIVERSARY vacation so her and her husband can get some alone time is so extremely selfish that might almost feel like parental fail. You have catered to her needs seems a bit too much and she has gotten the idea that YOUR world revolves mainly around her (maybe because she is your youngest?) but she is adult person in a relationship with
    via u/atealein
  • 20
    Font - jeepmandanSC 1 day ago Partassipant [1] ΝΤΑ I laughed my off when I read you switched back to the romantic vacation! Good for you (and your bride of 40-yrs!). Your daughter & SIL are entitled AH's. I glad the truth came out that they wanted you to be childcare for their "vacation". I just can't believe the nerve of some people. Congratulations on your 40th! You deserved the holiday of your dreams, not your entitled child's dream (your nightmare) 1.5k Reply Share
    via u/jeepmandanSC
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    Water - 3AF
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family drama aita flight wife petty husband entitled family trip tickets reddit thread daughter Reddit vacation
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