Please, I'm desperate.
Please give me your "Worst Houseguest" stories.
You see, I'm not sure if I am just expecting too much and I'd like to see what constitutes a bad guest in your mind.
I currently have a house guest. One that traveled thousands of miles to see me, and for that I was grateful. But this houseguest sits at the table while I serve her meals and on the sofa while I vacuum around her.
She is uninterested in seeing sites (having NEVER been to England before) unless they can be seen from the passenger seat of my car. England isn't constructed that way. Anything worth seeing must be walked up (or in) to.
So even though I purchased a membership to the English Heritage site (not cheap) so that I could take her to all of the places within 2 hours of our house, we will not be going to any of them.
Is that unreasonable? Should I use the gas and drag the kids to castles and priories an hour away just so that we can snap a quick picture of the outside and then drive back home?
Seriously, do you have any quirky or annoying family members-come-to-stay stories? Please? You can vent here, they don't read my blog.
I'd be pretty mad. That's beyond rude and stupid to beat. When I come visit you, I'll want to go see EVERYTHING. ;-)
ReplyDeleteMy sister is exactly like that when we're home, I can't on her enough. She's very content to let me take her places though--so long as it involves us paying for things.
You have my sympathy.
Oh My Word. You poor thing. I used to have guest who would arrive, never ever help with anything... if we went out to eat or go somewhere, would NEVER pay, even his own way... would want to stay up Really Late each night, even though we had small children getting up Really Early. We HATED him but he kept on coming because he LOVED US. Oh dear. In the end I drew a line and said we were busy. Every time he rang. He got the hint after about a long year. Awful.
ReplyDeleteHow about her suggesting something? Maybe even coffee in nearby place? Is she depressed and making decisions or doing something energetic is just Too Much on every level for her? Good luck. Hope it works out better. X
I don't think I have any bad house guest stories. All mine are of me being house guest at my mother in law's and her being completely psycho.
ReplyDeleteNo way for you and the kids to just go about life as usual and leave her home to watch the telly? Better yet, leave her with the kids for a few hours and have some time for yourself.
I realize I'm probably very unrealistic about that last, but it's worth a shot.
Keep asking her about her departure day and time. My worst houseguest is my cousin. He is dreadful, and loves to come out to CT for the weekends as a break from his NYC life. He expects to be waited on hand and foot, drinks every last drop of expensive booze we have, sleeps until noon, and wakes up demanding a certain tea and breakfast...
ReplyDeleteI cannot go on any more. It makes me too mad. Oh, and I just had an email from him last week asking about a visit. I am not responding.
That would be my FIL. He complains about sitting in the house day after day, and complains about having to go somewhere every day, and complains because it's too hot so he turns the thermostat down and opens windows. In January. And it's too cold so he cranks the heat to 80 in the middle of the night. And the doorbell is broken so he'll tear all the wiring out of the walls, leave a gaping hole, and never finish the job. He got a cold so he'll boil Vicks on the stove day and night despite the fact that the house has now taken on all the qualities of a hospital. And the very worst is that he'll yell at my kids right in front of me. Get your elbows off the table. Wash your hands. When was the last time you took a bath? Don't put your fingers in your mouth. Don't lay on the floor.
ReplyDeleteWanna trade?
erh, YES!
ReplyDeleteimagine first time mommy with six week old newborn in heat of the summer california. breastfeeding every hour and a half.
clean house was expected, dinner on the table was expected, trips out were expected. any requests for help were greeted with How, where, when or you don't like the way i do it. and when i lost it with a snappy comment (on a few occassions i'll admit to that) i was scolled like an unreasonable spolit brat.
and it doesn't end there. years later, i have been reminded of my unreasonale behavior and forced to relieve it all over again.
the problem with the "guest" is that they like to be a victim and view the world as how they've lost out on life. any minor unjustice to them is played to death. and it is v e r y exhausting and stressful to be around.
... and then. once in a blue moon they do something really awesome. like calling me because they haven't heard from me in a while ;-)
I don't have any crazy visitor stories but I do feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteI would deinintely take the kids to those sites and snap a few pics so that to don't waste that membership you paid for.
I can't beleive this person doesn't want to experience England. I'd be all over that!
I do have a horrible house guest story but it is too long and I would want to do it justice so might, with your permission, post it one day.
ReplyDeleteNow unless this person is very special to you I am afraid that I would tell her that she is being the guest from hell and that you are going out and don't know when you will be back, making sure that there is no food, tea,coffee,snacks...in the house. On your return, if she is still sitting in the same place I would ask her to leave and never return...hopefully this would shock her into coming clean. [this is what we did with ours, and they left]
I have no story to share, but now I'm scared to go visit my cousin in Florida next week. I will be very careful not to be an ungrateful guest.
ReplyDeleteHope your day goes better!!
Are we related???? Seriously????? I have similar house guest stories. What's worse, when we go see them, it's the same thing. We have to sit on the couch or see things as we drive past. We don't stay with them much anymore. Too much frustration.
ReplyDeleteMy sister on the other hand has one that takes the cake. As a newly-wed, her MIL came to visit. Her MIL decided she didn't like the arrangement of the furniture the first few minutes she was there and began to move the furniture to where she thought it belonged. Her MIL was quite over weight and had recently lost quite a bit of it. This woman had to be convinced to wear some clothes around the house while she stayed with them. (I am not making this up.) Over the years this MIL's behavior has become more and more odd. Recently she has been diagnosed with a form of dementia that explains some of her behaviors.
Hang in there. It will all be over soon. Get the house guest to watch the kids, get a friend and go see the sights with them. You can bring back the pictures to share with said house guest and have mini-mom-break. Heaven knows you deserve one.
um, no, my family and IN LAWS are perfect. Really. They are.
ReplyDeleteWhat the heck, get her out there! IT's England!
My brother in law is astoundingly lazy. He lounges on the sofa waiting to be fed cheese and pickle sandwiches.
ReplyDeleteI used to think my mother in law was rude. But the pay off is that she babysits...
Other people are odd though. I once visited a boyfriend's family in Luxembourg. It was only after I'd endured a dull road trip in their camper van that they'd told me we'd driven through Belgium and France. The only place they would stop and get out was at a Maginot Line defence point. Which basically looks like a large concrete public toilet. No stopping at the picturesque vineyards - no siree, that would be too much like fun.
Oh girl do I feel ya.
ReplyDeleteMy MIL can SUCK IT. Last time she was here, she perused through our calendar and then e-mailed me about it afterwards telling me what dates I had wrong for birthdays and which people I excluded and must add.
Worst of all, she also outstays her welcome. She comes demanding breakfast, lunch, dinner and a movie yet doesn't help an ounce.
Wanna trade?
Off soapbox.
Oh crikey - I don't think there's enough space to tell you my bad house guest story. Would have loved to write a blog about it but there's a possibility that she might read it so I have refrained from it (for the moment). Hideous woman. Never to be invited back. Turns up, with child but without husband. Just says don't know when we ask where husband is. Obvious they've had an argument but won't admit to it. So we ask if he's coming as we need to know how many to cook the meal for. No idea she answers. Ok, so we do a meal for him just in case he turns up. He does, just as we're tucking in. He sits down but the couple don't speak. It's agonising. After the meal they don't socialise but retire to their room instead. They don't emerge for the rest of the evening. The next day we wake up and she's turned on the computer and is already tapping away. He's taken a bicycle and has gone on a cycle. All this without asking. They end up staying for 3 nights and the atmosphere is more than frosty for the whole time they are there. Can not wait to get rid of them. They demand one last meal which I refuse to give (we have up to this point provided 8 meals already). No food left in the house. So wife goes to local supermarket and picks up some lunch for the two of them...and none for us. Proceeds to eat it whilst sitting at our table. Oh yes, forgot to mention that I am 9 months pregnant at this point and exhausted and starving. They finally go and their car refuses to start outside. We attempt to jump start it but it doesn't work. 3 hours later after calls to the AA they leave. I truly hate these people and I haven't spoken to them for 2 and a half years...
ReplyDeleteoh - that stinks - I'd make her go on the outings!!
ReplyDeletemy brother once lived with us for 9 months . . . my husband was miserable the entire time - does that count? (I personally liked it b/c then I didn't have to worry about the stupid head(the bro) so much AND he helps me out SOOOO much more than my own hubbie)
I can't imagine being in a country I'd never visited before and not wanting to tour around, see the sites, and take pictures.
ReplyDeleteMy bad house guest story...
My parents decided they were going to visit me for Christmas in 2004 or 2005. Long before they came out, Bob and I mentioned that we were going to BIL's to see Kobe open Christmas gifts on Christmas morning, but we wouldn't be gone long and they were more than welcome to join us.
Mom and Dad came out four days before Christmas and we thought they were going to come with us on Christmas morning to my in-laws. That wasn't the case. I spent lots of time and money on gifts, stockings, and stocking stuffers for everyone.
The day after my parents arrived, they told me that they would be leaving and going back home on the morning of Christmas Eve. After all that time I took shopping and trying to make everything perfect, they didn't even care enough to stay for Christmas Day. I was pissed and I was hurt for a long time after that.
I can't imagine coming all that way to just sit around inside.
ReplyDeleteBad house guest story:
My hubs niece invited herself and a classmate to spend a week with us after HS graduation without even asking it the visit was at a good time for us.
While here they had my daughter serve as chauffeur, not speaking to her while they both sat in the back seat of her car, texting and phoning other friends, shushing her if she tried to enter their conversations.
They were rude to my daughter's friends, were either on their phones or laptops when they actually spent time at our house, never talking to either hubs or me.
They were rude, inconsiderate and ungrateful. When they got home, the niece told her mom (hub's sister) and grandmother that is was us who were rude.
'House guests and fish stink after three days' ~ Benjamin Franklin
Urmmm... nope. I don't have anyone who fall into 'that' category.. Ok, I better shut up here, don't want to add to your misery.
ReplyDeleteOh my! This person traveled all the way to England and is just being a bump on a log? Really? How rude and stupid!
ReplyDeleteAlmost like my in-laws. They traveled from Ohio to Texas to visit and, after one day were saying that they should leave. What???? Were we that bad to be with. It really made Hubby feel horrible.
Okay. How can you be in England for the first time and not want to see the sites????? Weird.
ReplyDeleteI've never really had a bad houseguest. Strange, huh?
Well, let's see, there is the mother and her husband who showed up unannounced just a day or two before I deployed. All I wanted to do was get the car ready mechanically, and then spend time with my wife and kids. That all changed and we then had to deal with finding them a place to sleep since they didn't want to stay at a hotel nearby. And her hubby didn't like having our dog running around and complained about whatever. Oh, and then the one Thanksgiving where they showed up very very late and my wife had to bust her hump to provide a meal. Oh, and what about the other time where she came to see her first grandchild after he was born, only to leave after a few days to visit a friend 3 hours away for the rest of her visit.
ReplyDeleteDadarius, you forgot to mention the inlaws that came to picked and criticize until your wife finally stood up to them and then they left in a huff. on Christmas Day. left the car running while they waited for their grandchildren to open the gifts.
ReplyDeletewe recently had houseguest spend the night here while they were moving across country. We only knew the woman a bit, and had never met her husband, but we offered them a place to stay and a homecooked meal. They never bothered to mention that they had TWO CATS AND A DOG. We locked the cats on the screened in porch, because our cat did not take kindly to them, but the dog ran around the house. When we were putting MQ to bed the woman even patted MQs pillow and the dog JUMPED ON THE BED AND CURLED UP ON MQs PILLOW!!! If you have a dog and let it up on your furniture, fine, but I think it's incredibly rude to think that someone else doesn't mind a dog on their furniture, and their PILLOW in particulary.
ReplyDeletebtw, i hate when visitors don't want to do anything!!! we live in cool places, and have fun things to show you!
ReplyDeleteAh, too bad Mo didn't come to your part of the country. She would have visited all the English Heritage sites with you!
ReplyDeleteoh my lord. After all the crap you have been through now you have a house guest from hell? Who your ingrate MIL? well that is just tom tee terrific and I would go and do the things you have planned, call a friend, and leave her home alone to do her thing.
ReplyDeleteno actually I don't have bad house guests. If I don't like you I won't invite you and if I do we will have a good time. You wanta come to MS?
oh dear--don't have any real good stories--but am sorry you have this on top of everything else!
ReplyDeleteoh - I don't do house guest. I'll come visit and you can drag me anywhere you want..... I'd be in heaven the more places the better.
ReplyDeleteI have a needlepoint saying framed in my house. It says Fish And House Guests Stink After Three Days. Needless to say, we don't very often have houseguests. Okay, fine. We never have houseguests.
ReplyDeleteHahahahaa! Ok, just come to my blog and type in "The House Guest" and get ready to laugh. Her drunkeness was only one of the things to tick me off.
ReplyDelete