Entitled parents plan long vacation during the week of their daughter's scheduled birth: ‘"I know if you really want us there, you’ll find a way to deliver early"’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Feb 5, 2026 2:00 PM EST

When these parents choose a vacation over their daughter's scheduled birth, their daughter realizes just how tumultuous her relationship with her parents has been for years.

Pregnancy is an exciting phase in most people's lives. You learn how to nourish your body not only for yourself, but for a little someone growing inside you. If you're not carrying the baby, you're taking classes on how to be a good, supportive partner while your partner learns about different breathing techniques to help them ease through delivery. It's an exciting time, and most people want their family members to share in this excitement with them. What do you do when your parents choose an annual long vacation instead of sticking around to welcome their new grandchild? You go no contact, probably.

Say what you want about traditions… At times, traditions must be put on hold for unforeseen circumstances. You usually go to Grandma's for Christmas, but your whole family has the flu? Looks like you're celebrating at home this year. Did your car break down on your way to your annual family barbecue, nearly two hours away? AAA might be your new tradition…

We switch things up when our circumstances change; that's the only way through this life. You'd probably hope that your parents would shift their vacation so they could welcome their new grandchild into the world, but your hopes would be let down. The soon-to-be mom in the story below is dealing with this exact scenario and is starting to connect the dots of her parents' entitled ways. At what point do you stop allowing family to walk all over you? Is this reason enough to cut them off? What do you think? Sound off in the comments after you read the full story, and let us know what you'd do if you were in this mom-to-be's shoes.

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  • pregnant young adult woman resting on sofa at home feeling unwell
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • "AIO - My parents booked an extra long vacation the same week I’m due to give birth"

    I'm (30F) pregnant with my first child, due mid-July 2026. My parents are the only family that live close to me, a 15 min drive away.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • We moved across the country to be closer to them a few years ago because they're 69 & 70 and the rest of the family/my siblings live very far away.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • I didn't want them to be on their own as they started to age, and since we were planning to have kids soon, I wanted them in my kids lives.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • This will be their first grandchild. The issue: Every year, my entire extended family goes on vacation from the end of July into August.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • I'm obviously not going this year, since I'll have either have a very fresh newborn or will actively be giving birth if I go longer than 40 weeks (my due date is 6 days before).
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • My parents typically go on this family trip for 3 weeks. In November, I told my parents about my pregnancy and their first concern was whether my husband and I would be able to go on the family vacation.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • They let me know that they had been considering going for longer this year, potentially 6 weeks and suggested I drive up (this is an 18 hour drive) with the newborn and stay for a few days since I'll be on maternity leave.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • I've never had a kid, but an 18 hour drive a couple weeks postpartum with a newborn sounds like hell and a flight with a baby less than 6 weeks old isn't something I'm comfortable doing, so I said that wasn't going happen.
    via maplehoneycupake
  • They were disappointed, but the conversation ended there. On Christmas, while the whole family was together, they tell us they've decided to book the vacation for the whole 6 weeks, plus an extra week to visit my sisters in the city they both live in, close to where we all vacation.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • The vacation will start July 23rd and they'll be back in mid-September. My sister (bless her) mentioned that it was kinda messed up that they'd be leaving me during birth and then gone for the first 7 weeks of my kids life.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • The response? 'She knows. she can come up any time after the baby is born.' I was a little upset that they'd booked the longer trip even though they knew about the due date and the response threw me off since I'd already told them I wasn't going to be driving/flying up less than 6 weeks postpartum with a newborn.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • I ended up telling my mom I would really like to have them there sooner than 7 weeks and that I was a little hurt that it felt like they weren't interested in meeting their grandchild.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • Her response was "You're resourceful, I know if you really want us there, you'll find a way to deliver early so we can be there." I was floored and I did not have an answer for that.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • elderly couple looking at a laptop together
    via Vitaly Gariev for Unsplash

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I know my having a baby shouldn't impact everyone's lives and I would not expect it to - I didn't expect them to delay their usual 3 week vacation and I would not have asked them to.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • But they're choosing to be gone an extra month and haven't indicated any remorse over leaving me alone during a time I'd really like to have my parents around.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • I'm not expecting them to take care of my kid, but I have no idea what I'm doing and the thought of having absolutely no family nearby if something happens is terrifying.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • I usually can get over stuff like this with them, but it's been over a month and I keep getting more upset and angry.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • Each time I bring it up, they act like my choice not to drive (or fly) up after the birth is the problem here, not the extra month they've added on to the trip.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • At this point, I don't even want to talk to them. I haven't seen them in weeks and I feel terrible about it since I moved here to support them/help as needed, but I don't have the stomach to be around them right now.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • I genuinely feel like they don't care about me or their first grandchild at all and it's making me question my entire relationship with them.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • I know pregnancy can cause hormonal reactions, so I figured I'd ask strangers since my (obviously very biased) husband and siblings are outraged for me.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • Am I overreacting? Edit: I really appreciate everyone's responses. I've been really conflicted about how I've been responding to this, oscillating between "it's not a big deal" and "no you're allowed to be upset" and it's nice to hear outsiders opinions.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • I think I'm mostly upset about their insistence that I need to travel/give birth early so they can meet my kid, not the 7 week vacation itself.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • To answer a few questions I keep seeing: My parents wanted us to move closer and we were happy to do it because at the time, we were renting in a HCOL city and were planning to try to buy a home, so we ended out buying a town over from them I never expected my parents to be childcare for my kids, even though they'd brought it up at one point.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • I was clear to them that me moving close was not under the expectation of a built-in babysitter since I don't want them obligated to watch my kids in their retirement.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • My in-laws still work full time and live across the country. My MIL is planning to come for a few days August, but they both have very demanding jobs and can't hop on a flight without notice.
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • I guess in hindsight my parents have behaved a bit selfishly before, but not at the level of asking me to endanger myself/my kid, and I've always been able to make excuses for it (for example, they never visited me when I lived across the country for years and repeatedly asked them to please come, but I chalked that up to Covid/post Covid/an unwillingness to fly).
    via maplehoneycupcake
  • I'm rethinking that now.
    via maplehoneycupcake

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family drama entitled parent new mom pregnant Parenting Fail
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