"Care and Feeding is Slate's parenting advice column. Dear Care and Feeding, Have a question for Care and Feeding? Submit it here. My parents have always had some issues with respecting boundaries that my wife "Mia" and I set for our two boys, ages 5 and 7, but last weekend they did something that has my wife ready to cut them off for good."
"My parents were scheduled to take the kids on Saturday morning and have them back by dinnertime while Mia and I attended the bar mitzvah of a friend's son. When we got back in the late afternoon, we received a text with pics of my parents and our kids at a famous aquarium-one that is a several-hour drive or a plane-ride away from our home!"
"Dear Furor, Once we saw the pictures, Mia called them, incensed, and demanded they return with the kids immediately. My parents said they'd be back Sunday evening, and then pretended their battery was dying and ended the call. We didn't hear from them again until they were ready to board the plane the next day. Mia has been beyond furious and is adamant that my parents lose all access to the boys."
Grandparents accepted responsibility to watch two boys ages five and seven and used that opportunity to take them on a surprise long-distance trip to a well-known aquarium without parental permission. The trip required a flight and an overnight stay. Parents returned to photos and learned of the trip after the fact. When confronted, the grandparents delayed returning the children, ended a call claiming a dying battery, and did not contact the parents until preparing to board the return flight. The mother demands revocation of grandparent access; the father argues the children enjoyed themselves and worries the reaction is extreme.
Read at Slate Magazine
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