Magical Gathering gone Awry (Pics Pg.7-8, Epilogue Pg. 9)

[golden1]

Thanks for you report!

It attracted me because we are going to be in the same situation, almost exactly, for our trip. My dd and ds will be 4.5 and 2.5 and we are travelling with my in-laws. Fortunately, we have travelled with them before and they are the nicest, most easy-going people. My favorite trip to WDW was the one I took with them. However, we have certin ground rules. Everyone goes at their own pace in the mornings. My kids are early risers so we will be going early, but my in-laws like to sleep in. We decided that we will go early and then they can call us when they get to the parks and we will meet up. They also have the perspective that the trip is for the enjoyment of the kids primarily so I think (hope) it will go well!

I hope you guys can get through this okay. My parents are really tough to deal with but I do my best to get along with them for the kids sake. However, if they threatened to hit one of my kids, that would be impossible to get over.

 

[MouseGirl]

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with us! I'm so sorry about what happened with your in-laws, and hope that your next trip is a completely positive experience.

We went to WDW with my mom and stepdad in 2005 and although we stayed in the same villa, we travelled to the parks in separate cars and after the first day of trying to stick together and go from ride to ride, we split up. My mom and stepdad wanted to go at a slower pace and that was great. We had a wonderful trip and everyone got to do what they wanted...

Pixie dust,
MouseGirl

 

[Destination Disney]

Thank you for sharing your story. Your family is beautiful....and YOU; you sound too good to be true! (Driving around late for 20 min. looking for water, ensuring everyone has breakfast each morning!)
You get my husband of the year vote! (or were you just "making" yourself sound that good? You did say that you were a writer!)

 

[sherreis]

Sounds like you guys picked up the pieces to continue to have a great vacation. Love the pictures and I learned an important lesson from them - all 4 of you are in them. Our pictures are usually DH and the boys. Me, the picture taker of the group, is usually taking the picture. My kids are going to think that I never went anywhere with them.

Love the red outfits. Did your wife make them?

And, you have 3 more posts to make 50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[disneyfreak74]

Very interesting trip!!! To say the least!! I think that is WHY DH tries to get me NOT to invite people when we go on vacation.

We might have been the "Make a Wish" family that day at MGM. (This is our group. . well at least the boys) I wish everyone would have reacted the way that you said your DW felt. (some people were flat out rude to the point where my cousin (boy's mother) did not WANT to use the MAKE A WISH pass!!! I usually laid back and thanked the family and tried to give a little insight (he just finished a year of chemo etc)

Thanks for all the details on your trip. Looking forward to an update as to how things are going after the "incident".

 

[sherreis]

Very interesting trip!!! To say the least!! I think that is WHY DH tries to get me NOT to invite people when we go on vacation.

We might have been the "Make a Wish" family that day at MGM. (This is our group. . well at least the boys) I wish everyone would have reacted the way that you said your DW felt. (some people were flat out rude to the point where my cousin (boy's mother) did not WANT to use the MAKE A WISH pass!!! I usually laid back and thanked the family and tried to give a little insight (he just finished a year of chemo etc)

.

I can't believe that people would've been rude about something like that! That makes me sick! I hope your cousin's son continues to do well.

 

[Momof2princess]

Great trip report. I am so glad that your family was able to still have a grand time. YOur pictures are great love the one of the kids with Tigger.
Hope to read the epilouge soon....

 

[SamIAm21]

Well that picture at O'Hana truly shows a TRIUMPHANT end to that vacation. The four of you look great in your matching Hawaiian print shirt/skirts! Good for you!

Given that you said there would be an epilogue, I am hoping that your in laws offered a sincere apology for their actions. I know, that may seem like too much to wish for, but that's what I am hoping.

Thanks for all your hard work on this trip report. All the best to you and DW and the kids!!

 

[Cass]

That ohana pic is beautiful

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

Sounds like you guys picked up the pieces to continue to have a great vacation. Love the pictures and I learned an important lesson from them - all 4 of you are in them. Our pictures are usually DH and the boys. Me, the picture taker of the group, is usually taking the picture. My kids are going to think that I never went anywhere with them.

Love the red outfits. Did your wife make them?

And, you have 3 more posts to make 50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the nice words about our pictures. I know what you mean about having everyone but you in the picture. I'm usually the picture taker in our family. We got a little bolder on this trip and asked a few CMs to take shots of all four of us. Our waitress took the picture at Ohana and the character's handlers took the shots of us with Goofy and the Tweedles. Still, those were the only three out of probably 150 digital photos taken on that trip that have all four of us in them. There was actually one more taken by a customer at Ohana; the lady saw me taking a picture of the rest of the family and offered to take one of all of us ... DD had her eyes closed in that shot.

We bought the red Hawaiin outfits at the Disney Store in the local mall probably three months ago. The shirts DS and I are wearing have Mickey ears on the back like the ones on the front of DD's dress.

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

Very interesting trip!!! To say the least!! I think that is WHY DH tries to get me NOT to invite people when we go on vacation.

We might have been the "Make a Wish" family that day at MGM. (This is our group. . well at least the boys) I wish everyone would have reacted the way that you said your DW felt. (some people were flat out rude to the point where my cousin (boy's mother) did not WANT to use the MAKE A WISH pass!!! I usually laid back and thanked the family and tried to give a little insight (he just finished a year of chemo etc)

Thanks for all the details on your trip. Looking forward to an update as to how things are going after the "incident".

I hate that people reacted that way to your family. WDW is all about the kids enjoying themselves and seeing the magic. I can't imagine what anyone could be thinking being mean to a child, especially a sick one. DW says the Make A Wish family she remembers seeing with the Toy Story characters was a little girl wearing a bandana. I would like to echo sherreis' hopes that your cousin's little boy continues to get better.

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

Thank you for sharing your story. Your family is beautiful....and YOU; you sound too good to be true! (Driving around late for 20 min. looking for water, ensuring everyone has breakfast each morning!)
You get my husband of the year vote! (or were you just "making" yourself sound that good? You did say that you were a writer!)

You're way too kind My wife would probably tell you I'm a handful to put up with sometimes. But we like doing things for each other; she did most of the packing for the trip and got the kids in bed the night of the search for water. Of course I've been giving her a hard time since reading your post granting me disboard's husband of the year award

 

[MyGoofy26]

You're right, they were apparently getting irritated all along. The van thing on Day 2 and even the night they ditched us to go back to MK alone kind of went over my head at the time. I thought they were being their usual selves and we would just have to accept it. In retrospect, I see those events as part of the build up.

It certainly appears that she hit the nail on the head with that observation. I have a tendency to really analyze people's behavior (one of my degrees is in Communication Studies, I can't help it, LOL) and I can see those behaviors as signs of their need for control and for people to work around them. From the way you relayed everything that happened, it sure seems as if you were expected to follow their schedule unquestioningly. They want you right beside them when it's convenient for them, but when they want to be alone you need to alter your plans and stay in your room. But any small deviations that upset *their* ideal plan (breakfast, taking the van, etc) are viewed as challenges to this world they so desperately want to live in, regardless of how unrealistic it is.

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

EPILOGUE

My DH has written most of this report with my support and help. I really wanted to share my thoughts, as well, so this is written by me (DW).

The thing that really gets me is that some of these issues were discussed previously. I shared some of my concerns with my Mother before we left. She shared her concern about my father wanting to leave early. We felt as if we were doing well getting up at 7:00. My kids were really enjoying their time with my mother and my sister before my father lost his temper. It was very disappointing that they failed to talk to us as adults. We are in our thirties for gosh sake! I hope that others who read this report understand that it was very difficult to grow up with people who act like this. My father’s behavior wasn’t new to me, and neither was my mother’s “look the other way” attitude, although it had been quite a while since I experienced it.

We had visited them in May and he had been very patient with my daughter. I believed that a week wasn’t that long a time for us to get along. I was wrong, and I won’t make that mistake again.

They have reached out to me since the trip. I have gotten some cards in the mail, but I haven’t opened them. I can’t because it is too painful. I felt so humiliated that Saturday in the Mexico pavilion. I was blindsided by the Incident. So the epilogue really doesn’t clarify or bring this to a close, so to speak.

I really appreciate all of your kind words and compliments. And yes, my DH does get husband of the year award. He’s all mine, though. I really have appreciated his support in this and he helped keep things positive afterward. We loved going to Ohana and Chef Mickey’s, and they were his ideas all the way.

 

[MyGoofy26]

They have reached out to me since the trip. I have gotten some cards in the mail, but I haven’t opened them. I can’t because it is too painful. I felt so humiliated that Saturday in the Mexico pavilion. I was blindsided by the Incident. So the epilogue really doesn’t clarify or bring this to a close, so to speak.

I hope you do get things clarified and brought to a close - for yourself and your family, not the thread. Hopefully they realize just how much their behaviour hurts all of you (themselves included - they missed a wonderful opportunity to grow closer as a family). I'm sure it'll be difficult to not be guarded around them in the future, but I do hope that you can all work through this so that you don't have to live the rest of your life torn about what to do as far as future contact or time spent together.

 

[Temair]

I'm glad you were able to savlage your trip and still have some fun. It can be hard as our parents are getting older. One thing you might consider if this type of behaviour is not normal for your father that is could medications causing peronality problems or even early stages of alzhimers. He should maybe get checked out by a Dr.

Sending some pixie dust your way,
Temair

 

[Liberty Belle]

You have an absolutely beautiful family!

After seeing your sweet daughter's face, I'm angered even more by what your FIL did.

And to DW: You sound like a very strong woman. My stepfather was somewhat the same way, though thank goodness he has mellowed. I hope you continue to heal. Your children are just so adorable. It's so cute how dd looks just like your husband and ds looks just like you.

 

[sherreis]

Thanks for letting us know how you're doing since coming home. I agree with whomever said he might need to speak to a doctor.

Has your daughter talked about how your father treated her? It's just important to make sure she knows that if anyone talks to her like that, even a grownup, she needs to talk to one of you about it. Verbal abuse is abuse - it's just that the scars can't be seen.

I hope you can patch things up with your family. I know it will never be the same.

 

[Thmacs1]

I found myself thinking of you and your family often yesterday after reading your saga. I am so glad you salvaged your vacation for the sake of your children. However, now that some time has passed and you parents are trying to reach out, please try to let go of your hurt and anger. Life is simply too short. Your children need to see that you are capable of love and compassion even though their grandfather is very difficult to love. Open your heart and be the bigger person. Your father will likely never change, but you will sleep well at night knowing that you have done all you can to be a loving daughter.

 

[angelmav]

You have a lovely family and your not alone in coming from that kind of background. Kudo's in taking charge and removing yourself from the situation and in completing your trip!