‘Get used to it’: 23-year-old bails on the family vacation after getting woken up every day at 5 AM by his brother's screaming kids, then he gets scolded for ‘ruining the trip’

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Mar 6, 2025 2:00 PM EST

For many of us overworked and underpaid employees in the workforce, vacation is all about relaxing. All inclusive resorts and long, lazy mornings plague our thoughts when we're on the clock as we imagine a delicious swim-up-bar mai tai under the golden glow of the afternoon sun. When we finally get the time to take off of work, we desperately need a break from the chaos. 

This 23-year-old uncle was hardly prepared for the rude awakening he received when he agreed to go on a vacation with his family. 

Freshly into the workforce—yet equally exhausted as any of us—this man was thrilled to accompany his family for a restful week-long retreat at the lake house. Brimming with fatigue and fighting the bags under his eyes, nothing sounded lovelier than a hot cup of coffee on the porch overlooking the lake after an 8-10 hour sleep session. Life was about to be pretty great for him, until he realized his brother's kids liked to wake up at dawn, engaging in boisterous tomfoolery and loud screaming games before the sun even cracked over the horizon. 

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    via Prostock-Studio

    (The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.)

    Personally, I adore my sleep time—it's precious to me. Without a decent night with 8-hours of sleep, I'm not myself the next day. Irritable, short-fused, and dreaming of an afternoon nap, it'd be hard to enjoy a peaceful vacation. So while this uncle loved his nieces and nephews, something had to be done about the sleeping situation.

  • My family (parents, siblings, their spouses, and kids) planned a big week-long vacation at a lake house. I (23M) was excited because I hadn't taken time off in a while, and I was looking forward to relaxing. However, my brother and his wife brought their two kids and from the first morning,
    via FreelyCurious_Guy
  • they were up at 5 AM, running around, yelling, and crying. The walls were thin, and no matter how late I stayed up, I kept getting woken up. I asked my brother and SIL if they could try
    via FreelyCurious_Guy
  • to keep them quieter in the mornings, but they just said, "That's how kids are." By the fourth day, I was sleep-deprived and miserable, so I packed my bags and left early.
    via FreelyCurious_Guy
  • Now, my family is calling me dramatic. My mom said I "ruined the trip" by leaving and that I should have been more understanding. My brother told me I should just "get used to it"
    via FreelyCurious_Guy
  • because "this is what family vacations are like." I told them I didn't sign up to be woken up at dawn every day and that I just wanted to enjoy my vacation. Now I'm wondering, AITA for prioritizing my sleep over family time?
    via FreelyCurious_Guy
  • oylaura NTA. They're used to it, because it grew in their family. The kids were babies, then started walking, and slowly involved into the hellions they have become.
    via oylaura
  • You, on the other hand, dove into the deep end of the pool. Shock is inevitable. My brother lives in a beautiful house that has no window coverings and no floor coverings. The acoustics are amazing.
    via oylaura
  • Their three children were screamers. Visits could be quite uncomfortable when the kids were little. There were tantrums, meltdowns, all sorts of screaming and yelling. Nobody was fighting
    via oylaura
  • per se, but it was kids being kids. My parents and I really struggled. When I was talking about it with my brother, he said that that's just how it is. I told
    via oylaura
  • him what I just wrote above, that he's used to it because it just progressed for him, but we are not used to it. We live in child,-free houses, very quiet lives.
    via oylaura
  • The one Christmas that stands out in my memory, I drove by myself because I had to work on the 26th. The children each got a musical instrument, a drum kit, a keyboard, and a guitar amp. I was out at the house before noon.
    via oylaura
  • Thankfully, they've grown up, as will your nibblings. This will not last forever, but if you really want to enjoy these family vacations until then, get your own Airbnb or somebody close by. Everyone will probably be happier for it.
    via oylaura
  • Also, not for nothing, but when the kids get to be teenagers, the adults will be because the kids won't get out of bed.
    via oylaura
  • KingsRansom79 No...that is not what family vacations are like. Next time book your own accommodations nearby and hang with the family during the day. I wouldn't have made it to day four. NTA
    via KingsRansom79
  • No-Chicken3745 NTA, that's absolutely not "just how kids are" brother is inconsiderate.
    via No-Chicken3745
  • Altitudeskin Clarify "no matter how late | stayed up, I kept getting woken up" Like did you think that there was a chance of you getting more sleep that way?
    via Altitudeskin
  • Alternative-Copv7027 When I had littles on vacation with others, I would get up with them and keep them occupied with quiet things. Reading, whispering, TV with the sound really low, etc. Sure, they would make some noise, but I would give them undivided attention and really really try to keep them quiet.
    via Alternative-Copv7027
  • Then I would go for a nap when the relatives woke up so someone could watch the little ones. Running? YELLING? H I no.
    via Alternative-Copv7027
  • They need to learn how to be mindful of others, and they need to learn that from age 1 or something. They might not manage at age 1 but the effort must be there. Your brother is terribly rude.
    via Alternative-Copv7027

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