Stubbornness
After the family reunion to celebrate my grandfather's 90th birthday last May, there was talk over trying to do something like this on a more regular basis. Well, my dad and his brothers have had some discussions about planning a 2008 reunion recently. I learned of the tentative details today in an e-mail from my dad that was sent to all of his brothers and their families.
My grandfather is about to turn 91 years old. His condition, sadly, has been deteriorating in recent years. He cannot move around well anymore and his eyesight is failing. He no longer ventures far from his home and has trouble traveling anywhere these days. Given this, wouldn't the perfect location for a 2008 reunion be where he lives? Who cares if we went to visit him in 2006. We should be going to Tucson so that it is easy for my grandfather to attend a family reunion.
Unfortunately, my dad is adamant about wanting everyone to come visit him in Asheville, NC. I know for a fact that at least one if not two of my dad's three brothers disagrees with this idea based on initial rumblings from my aunt and uncle in Philadelphia when I visited them earlier this month, but my dad is still pushing the plan. My grandfather still wants to attend and spend time with the family, and who can blame him.
So what is the grand plan to get my grandfather from Tucson to Asheville? Well, the e-mail my dad sent out this morning volunteered me as my grandfather's personal chauffeur. Yes, I have been volunteered by my dad to spend four days flying across the entire country to escort my grandfather to and from the reunion. Add on a few days of the actual reunion and my dad has volunteered 20+% of my 2008 vacation time to fly around the country WITHOUT FIRST ASKING ME how I felt about it. Also never mind that my dad and two of his brothers are either retired or do not have to work during the summer months and have much more flexibility to handle this responsibility than I do. Unfortunately, the brothers that have the capacity to help assist my grandfather across the country are the ones opposed to the idea of a reunion in any location other than Tucson in the first place. Since they all still view me as a child with no responsibility in life since I am an unmarried/childless "kid" that has not completely rebelled and disowned this side of the family, I am considered the best option to bring my grandfather to Asheville. Apparently, having a full time job with somewhat limited vacation time is not very important to them.
I politely responded to my dad and asked if this was in fact the best option for a 2008 family reunion, but knowing how stubborn he is, I'll get an earful if I start pouting and refuse to spend four days helping my grandfather travel to and from the event in Asheville. I think the reunion is a great idea, but any reunion planned while my grandfather is still able to attend should be in Tucson.
What do I do?
My grandfather is about to turn 91 years old. His condition, sadly, has been deteriorating in recent years. He cannot move around well anymore and his eyesight is failing. He no longer ventures far from his home and has trouble traveling anywhere these days. Given this, wouldn't the perfect location for a 2008 reunion be where he lives? Who cares if we went to visit him in 2006. We should be going to Tucson so that it is easy for my grandfather to attend a family reunion.
Unfortunately, my dad is adamant about wanting everyone to come visit him in Asheville, NC. I know for a fact that at least one if not two of my dad's three brothers disagrees with this idea based on initial rumblings from my aunt and uncle in Philadelphia when I visited them earlier this month, but my dad is still pushing the plan. My grandfather still wants to attend and spend time with the family, and who can blame him.
So what is the grand plan to get my grandfather from Tucson to Asheville? Well, the e-mail my dad sent out this morning volunteered me as my grandfather's personal chauffeur. Yes, I have been volunteered by my dad to spend four days flying across the entire country to escort my grandfather to and from the reunion. Add on a few days of the actual reunion and my dad has volunteered 20+% of my 2008 vacation time to fly around the country WITHOUT FIRST ASKING ME how I felt about it. Also never mind that my dad and two of his brothers are either retired or do not have to work during the summer months and have much more flexibility to handle this responsibility than I do. Unfortunately, the brothers that have the capacity to help assist my grandfather across the country are the ones opposed to the idea of a reunion in any location other than Tucson in the first place. Since they all still view me as a child with no responsibility in life since I am an unmarried/childless "kid" that has not completely rebelled and disowned this side of the family, I am considered the best option to bring my grandfather to Asheville. Apparently, having a full time job with somewhat limited vacation time is not very important to them.
I politely responded to my dad and asked if this was in fact the best option for a 2008 family reunion, but knowing how stubborn he is, I'll get an earful if I start pouting and refuse to spend four days helping my grandfather travel to and from the event in Asheville. I think the reunion is a great idea, but any reunion planned while my grandfather is still able to attend should be in Tucson.
What do I do?
posted by GaryGinew at 12:08 PM
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