I can totally sympathize with you. My situation isn't my parents but my inlaws....
They've always been "in your face" kind of people. My mother in law is sweet but tends to "help" you into submission and my father in law is loud, opinionated, and his way is of course always the best way. My mother in law at least has some sense of boundaries whereas my father in law has none. We became DVC members last spring and they told us that everyone was going to WDW in December...that being the two of them, my sister in law, and her husband and two daughters. We decided it would be fun to go too and knew that if SIL was there with her family the inlaws would bug us less and therefore the trip would actually be fun and not a constant game of ditch the family

So we drove down, met up with them here and there, but basically also had our own vacation in addition to the big family vacation. We had planned on a March 2008 trip but that wasn't looking possible so we decided to bump it up to October of this year and go to the MNNSHP that we've never been too. Not only do I get to go sooner

we also get to celebrate DS's birthday in WDW. They decided they wanted to go too but when we planned on going "didn't quite work for them" and they wanted us to change the dates. They also wanted to drive down with us...in their time frame of course...and book a two bedroom villa instead of a one bedroom and just all stay together. I decided to be the bigger person and told DH that I'd cave and agree to the travelling together and room thing. But when they decided to cram our proposed three day car trip into two (which would mean skipping lunch, shorter and less frequent stops for bathroom breaks and rest periods, and feeding my 2 year old son meals in the car) to make better time I became MUCH less accomodating and was flipping out with DH. I have medical issues and can't be confined in a car that many hours a day, I take meds that I can't skip meals with, and I'm NOT making my poor kid eat in the car to save them time...AND IT WOULD BE MY CAR we'd be taking no less! I was also told I'd have to pack less and just do laundry while we'd be there because we'd need more van room for them and their stuff. I about flipped out at all these demands on my already compromising self. But the clincher was when they said of course we'd have to stay less days so we could be home when they needed to be home. Cut short a vacation in WDW!?!? Are they nuts?

Well that did it...I said look we're going when we planned on going and if that doesn't suit your schedule then you're more than welcome to come down on your own, make your own arrangements, and spend time with us when you're there. I have ADR's for pretty much every breakfast and dinner we're gonna be there but I would have been happy to see if they could be changed to include them. Those were compromises I was willing to make so my son could have some time with his grandparents in WDW. But asking me to cut short my vacation...you gotta be nuts. They decided not to go after all so we'll actually have a nice vacation just the three of us.
They know we're planning a trip in March 2009 for our anniversary and my birthday. They've already "informed" us that they'll be going too, they want to drive down together, and get a two bedroom villa. They might not know it yet but that'll happen when you know where freezes over. There is NO way I'm compromising to that extent on a vacation to celebrate my anniversary and birthday. I'll agree to them coming down the same time...after all I can't stop them from going to WDW if they want to go...they have DVC too. But I can dictate that it not be in the car with us or in the same villa. I don't even want them in the same resort but I can't really control that one either....maybe if I find a way to make sure they're just not in the same building...
