A couple was on vacation in a different country when their daughter entered labor. Are they wrong for refusing to return home in time for their grandchild’s birth?
The Long Awaited Vacation
So, the original poster (OP), a 52-year-old man and his wife, were on a two-week vacation in Cancun, Mexico. He explains that they are Americans, and they had saved and planned for this trip for a year. He adds that they booked this trip before their daughter was pregnant.
Now, they are on their 6th day of the trip when they receive a call from their daughter’s boyfriend saying that their 26-year-old daughter is giving birth, and they must jump on the next plane back home.
OP and his wife knew their daughter was supposed to give birth soon, but her due date was at the end of the month. All this took place at the beginning of the month.
OP told his daughter’s boyfriend that they couldn’t catch the next flight and that he should follow the birthing plan and keep them updated.
A few hours later, they received a call from their daughter updating them and asking them when they would return, as she wanted them to be there. She expressed how scared she was and how long it took them to be there.
Being a first-time mom, it was expected for her to be scared. So, OP and his wife went ahead and just reassured her that everything would be alright, but they could not just pack and go. Upset, she hung up on her father.
You Will Not See the Baby
Later in the night, the daughter’s boyfriend called them, but they were sleeping. He messaged them, saying their daughter had developed complications, so they were performing an emergency C-section.
In the morning, they immediately called their daughter, who expressed her fear that things could have gone wrong. She said she couldn’t believe the Cancun trip was more important to them than she was. She then hung up on her parents and never returned their calls.
Fast forward, OP and his wife are back from Mexico but have only seen their grandchild through Facebook because their daughter has refused to speak to them.
OP says they planned to be there during their grandchild’s birth. However, since the baby came way earlier than the due date, they couldn’t just cut their trip short. And even if they did, they would still not have made it on time.
OP feels like their daughter is being too harsh with them. They have apologized many times, but she won’t let it go.
What do you think? Is she being too harsh to her parents?
What Redditors Had To Say
One OP commenter said, “NTA(not the ***hole), you can’t just rush home from another country, and if you had, same-day tickets would have been astronomical. I take it your daughter is mad, but it was a no-win situation. You planned the trip ahead, and you could not just rush home because traveling from another country doesn’t work that way.”
Another added, “Your daughter is a grown woman with her significant other and a team of doctors. Your presence would have been nice but completely unnecessary. She knew you were on vacation in a foreign country, so why would you fly home? You spoke to her and reassured her to trust herself and her plans. You did nothing wrong here. NTA”
However, one commenter had a different perspective: “I think way too many people are fixated on the fact that the couple couldn’t PHYSICALLY be there. Though I wouldn’t be ok with that, I can understand. BUT WHY DID Y’ALL CHECK OUT EMOTIONALLY??? Which parents, in their right mind, knowing their daughter was scared and in labor, would happily go to sleep and sleep through calls? I would be up all night, calling, waiting for updates, and being a part of it…albeit from far away. Unbelievable. YTA YTA YTA. Every time.”
What do you think? Is the daughter being too harsh on her parents? Is there anything the parents could have done better?
Read the original post here.
This article was produced and syndicated by A Dime Saved.
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A Dime Saved
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