Dear So and So

[lph]

Dear parents and niece,

I love you all dearly, really, I do. But two weeks of living in MY house with you is just too much! Yes, I do ride my bike EVERY day. NO, I don't eat dinner at 5:00 pm. YES, I do have to actually WORK during the day. NO, I don't have the energy to entertain you 24 hours a day. Oh - and when I was growing up in YOUR house, how come everything had to be exactly so and spotless? What happened to that? Apparently it doesn't apply at MY house now.

Methinks that in the future, I will have to ensure that I have plans for at least part of your visit.

Love from your not-14-any-more daughter,
SheFly

Ahaha. I swear, I am in awe of those of you who manage to have family staying in your house for more than a night or two. I consider myself pretty laidback. Our house is only halfway decorated and is usually a mess. I'll happily live in a tent for weeks on end, with no shower and increasingly dirty clothes. But houseguests that stay more than a day or two have me crawling up the walls. Family are the absolute worse. I guess I'm more territorial than I like to let on.

[Crankin]

My own family were great when they came. They do not expect to be waited on and we all have the same habits. We even rented a small 2 bedroom cottage with my parents and kids (they were 18 months and almost 4) many years ago and my grandparents couldn't understand why we weren't fighting! It's the same when my kids come. However, when DH's parents came (twice, in all of our marriage), they expected to be waited on hand and foot.
My house is big enough now that everyone can have space, but we don't have many guests.

[malkin]

I hardly want anyone to stay longer than for dinner!

[salsabike]

I hardly want anyone to stay longer than for dinner!

Ditto.

[Xrayted]

Some days, I don't know how I even manage to put my pants on straight.

[SheFly]

I hardly want anyone to stay longer than for dinner!

YES!

Funny story. When we were buying a mattress for our guest room, the salesman was showing us all the latest and greatest. He was quite taken aback when I told him I didn't want anything comfortable, and his jaw dropped when I further said that I didn't want anyone to stay too long

Only a couple more days...

SheFly

[Blueberry]

We don't have a guest bed, much to the annoyance of my family. We *do* have a futon as our couch. So, anyone who really needs to stay with us, gets to sleep on a futon in the living room. This serves to limit the duration of their stay nicely! I too don't do well with people in my space. I've never really had a helpful house guest - most of them will yell for me every time they want a glass of water, not lend a hand with dinner in any way, etc.

[Crankin]

I guess I've been lucky. I love having guests, but I guess because I've mostly had good ones, and not too often.

[emily_in_nc]

I'm not a fan of houseguests either; I like my routine, and I always stressed out over meals, house cleaning, what to do with them during the day, TV preferences, ETC!

Being a traveling nomad is perfect...I no longer have a place for guests. I know it disappoints our parents not to be able to visit us, but we visit them, and they always seem thrilled to have us visit. Works out well all around.