Latest news with #fatherinlaw
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Pregnant Woman Says She's Unsure If She Should Cause a 'Fuss' Because Partner Plans to Go on Cruise Without Her and Their Son
"The cruise line won't accept pregnant ladies at 24 weeks pregnant or more," the expectant mom said A pregnant woman is unsure if she should cause a 'fuss' as her partner is planning to go on a cruise vacation without her or their kids. In a post on Mumsnet, the woman explained that her father-in-law is planning to treat the entire family to a cruise vacation for his girlfriend's 70th birthday. The woman — who has a 2-year-old with her current partner and two teenage daughters from a previous relationship — said that she recently found out that she will be unable to go on the trip because she will be six months pregnant and the cruise line does not permit passengers over 24 weeks pregnant. The original poster (OP) said that while she was 'very upset and disappointed' by the news, she at least thought that her children and partner would be able to go and enjoy the vacation together. However, she said that her partner — whom she has been with for 10 years — informed her that he wouldn't be taking their 2-year-old son because the toddler "would be too much of a hassle and [he] wouldn't be able to enjoy himself and relax.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The OP said that her father-in-law then decided to invite several more friends, meaning that there was no longer room for her daughters on the trip. 'I know he paid for all this, so it's his decision, but it's still upsetting to let them down,' the OP said. 'Am I being unreasonable to kick up a fuss about this? How would other people feel?' she asked at the end of her post. Opinions were divided over whether or not the OP had a right to feel upset about her children being excluded from a vacation that someone else was financing. 'Kick up a fuss about what? It is not your trip,' one person said. 'I don't really blame your father-in-law,' someone else said, adding, 'He can't change the cruise line's policy, and he wants it to be a nice event for his partner's birthday.' The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! 'I think it's a lot to have sole responsibility for three kids when on holiday — bedtimes, food, entertainment, etc. I know single parents would have to cope, but there wouldn't be much downtime at all. I'm not sure what the solution is, though,' added another commenter. Several other people, however, said that they thought the situation raised red flags about the OP's partner. 'I think your partner is a k---,' said one person. 'He can't take his child because he won't be able to 'relax' — what does he think you'll be doing pregnant at home with three kids?' said one person. 'The only person you should have an issue with is your 'partner,' ' said another.. 'You have a [partner] problem,' said a third commenter. 'He clearly doesn't want the 'hassle' of looking after the children, doesn't see the older girls as truly 'his' despite being in their lives for a long time, and doesn't want to have to look after a 2-year-old. Latter is perhaps understandable as that is quite a lot of work and wouldn't make for a relaxing holiday, but not taking the girls is just mean." Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Tim Dowling: a tribute to my father-in-law, droll master of mischief
When my wife and I got engaged 33 years ago, she immediately rang her mother. 'We're getting married, Jesus Christ,' she said down the phone. Then she laughed for a bit, then she hung up. 'She says you have to go and see my father to request my hand in marriage,' my future wife said. 'What?' I said. 'Are you kidding?' 'Apparently not,' she said. Her parents had been divorced since she was nine, but they were on good terms. 'Fine,' I said, even though I'd already basically changed my mind about the whole business. I had to put off calling my own mother, in case my future father-in-law said no. We drove up the road to my girlfriend's father's house, where he lived with his second wife. They had only just got married themselves, or maybe they hadn't yet. It was that same summer, in any case. We drank tea in the garden and made small talk for long enough that I began to hope the time for requesting hands had safely passed. Then my wife turned to her father and said, 'Why don't you show him your extension?' My wife's father and I went upstairs to examine his half-finished loft conversion. If I recall correctly, the last leg of the journey was by ladder. He showed me where his spare bedroom and office and second bathroom would eventually go. And then a terrible silence fell, into which I cleared my throat awkwardly. I imagined there was a form of words for this sort of thing, but I didn't know what it was. 'So, I guess the reason I've come here today,' I said, 'is really to ask your permission to marry your daughter.' A considerable pause followed. 'I see,' he said finally, raising an eyebrow. 'And how do you plan to keep her in the style to which she has become accustomed?' I didn't expect questions. 'Well,' I said. 'I sort of figured she might eventually get used to worse.' He gave me a long and grave look, so grave that I cast my own eyes downward. That's when I noticed there was no floor; we were standing on joists, and I was looking down into the room below us. I thought: it would be the work of a moment for him to push me through. My father-in-law died a few weeks ago, at the age of 95. My wife was with him in hospital, and when she rang to tell me the news, I did not immediately think of this 33-year-old episode – the episode of the requesting of the hand. But it came to mind soon after I put the phone down. At the time I did not know my future father-in-law very well. I did not think of him as a man who was fond of mischief, or even capable of it. I had every reason to believe he was serious when he asked me that question, and that he strongly disapproved of my answer. It did not occur to me that he might just be messing with me, that he might have been tipped off about my intentions by his ex-wife. Or that he might have already put a celebratory bottle of champagne in the refrigerator in preparation. But he had. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Also, I realise only now, my wife must have been in on it. 'Did I know?' she says when I ask her. 'I don't think so. Wait, yes, I did.' My father-in-law could also be a man of surprising and unprompted generosity, once volunteering to have our dog for the whole of Christmas and New Year, while we went away. When my wife rang him on Christmas Day – with justifiable apprehension – to see how things were working out, he insisted the dog had been no trouble. 'Has he taken the right dog?' I said. Only later did we find out that just before lunch she'd pulled the Christmas ham off the table and run out the door with it. He had the right dog after all. The day after my father-in-law died I found myself back in his attic extension, with my wife and his wife and my three sons, going through old papers and photographs and stuff, the accumulation of a long life. I had been up in this room so few times over three decades that it was astonishing to see 30 years of wear on the walls and window frames. I reflected on how a true sense of mischief requires one to cultivate a certain reputation for sternness, so as not to give the game away. Of course people who know you will eventually catch on. You can't fool them for ever. I looked down at my feet, and I thought: somewhere under there, under the carpet, under the floorboards, are the very joists we stood on.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Tim Dowling: a tribute to my father-in-law, droll master of mischief
When my wife and I got engaged 33 years ago, she immediately rang her mother. 'We're getting married, Jesus Christ,' she said down the phone. Then she laughed for a bit, then she hung up. 'She says you have to go and see my father to request my hand in marriage,' my future wife said. 'What?' I said. 'Are you kidding?' 'Apparently not,' she said. Her parents had been divorced since she was nine, but they were on good terms. 'Fine,' I said, even though I'd already basically changed my mind about the whole business. I had to put off calling my own mother, in case my future father-in-law said no. We drove up the road to my girlfriend's father's house, where he lived with his second wife. They had only just got married themselves, or maybe they hadn't yet. It was that same summer, in any case. We drank tea in the garden and made small talk for long enough that I began to hope the time for requesting hands had safely passed. Then my wife turned to her father and said, 'Why don't you show him your extension?' My wife's father and I went upstairs to examine his half-finished loft conversion. If I recall correctly, the last leg of the journey was by ladder. He showed me where his spare bedroom and office and second bathroom would eventually go. And then a terrible silence fell, into which I cleared my throat awkwardly. I imagined there was a form of words for this sort of thing, but I didn't know what it was. 'So, I guess the reason I've come here today,' I said, 'is really to ask your permission to marry your daughter.' A considerable pause followed. 'I see,' he said finally, raising an eyebrow. 'And how do you plan to keep her in the style to which she has become accustomed?' I didn't expect questions. 'Well,' I said. 'I sort of figured she might eventually get used to worse.' He gave me a long and grave look, so grave that I cast my own eyes downward. That's when I noticed there was no floor; we were standing on joists, and I was looking down into the room below us. I thought: it would be the work of a moment for him to push me through. My father-in-law died a few weeks ago, at the age of 95. My wife was with him in hospital, and when she rang to tell me the news, I did not immediately think of this 33-year-old episode – the episode of the requesting of the hand. But it came to mind soon after I put the phone down. At the time I did not know my future father-in-law very well. I did not think of him as a man who was fond of mischief, or even capable of it. I had every reason to believe he was serious when he asked me that question, and that he strongly disapproved of my answer. It did not occur to me that he might just be messing with me, that he might have been tipped off about my intentions by his ex-wife. Or that he might have already put a celebratory bottle of champagne in the refrigerator in preparation. But he had. Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Also, I realise only now, my wife must have been in on it. 'Did I know?' she says when I ask her. 'I don't think so. Wait, yes, I did.' My father-in-law could also be a man of surprising and unprompted generosity, once volunteering to have our dog for the whole of Christmas and New Year, while we went away. When my wife rang him on Christmas Day – with justifiable apprehension – to see how things were working out, he insisted the dog had been no trouble. 'Has he taken the right dog?' I said. Only later did we find out that just before lunch she'd pulled the Christmas ham off the table and run out the door with it. He had the right dog after all. The day after my father-in-law died I found myself back in his attic extension, with my wife and his wife and my three sons, going through old papers and photographs and stuff, the accumulation of a long life. I had been up in this room so few times over three decades that it was astonishing to see 30 years of wear on the walls and window frames. I reflected on how a true sense of mischief requires one to cultivate a certain reputation for sternness, so as not to give the game away. Of course people who know you will eventually catch on. You can't fool them for ever. I looked down at my feet, and I thought: somewhere under there, under the carpet, under the floorboards, are the very joists we stood on.
Fox News
11-07-2025
- Fox News
Parents crashing honeymoons becomes bizarre new travel trend for modern newlyweds
While a honeymoon is a special trip for newly married couples to enjoy after the chaos of a wedding, a recent trend has people asking if more is merrier. Some honeymooners are now bringing their parents along on their romantic trip — with chatter on social media indicating that some in-laws are even inviting themselves. One Reddit user posted in the "r/WhiteLotusHBO" forum, blatantly stating, "Why Mom Is Coming on the Honeymoon." "I had a neighbor whose mother-in-law and father-in-law went on their honeymoon with them," said one user. "They felt they could because they gifted the couple their honeymoon to Hawaii. Such a strange, odd, family." "Not my honeymoon," said one Redditor. Another user wrote, "As long as the parents/in-laws are invited and the newlyweds have a separate bedroom, I don't really see the problem." Said another person, "I was 5 months pregnant on my honeymoon so we only went to the coast for a few days, but my husband invited his brother so they could go fishing." One user shared, "My first wedding was in Vegas and I kid you not, at the hotel my MIL [mother in law] was somehow assigned not only the room next door, but an adjoining room — as in, there was direct access from one room to the other." "My neighbors took their grandparents along on their honeymoon," shared another. In another Reddit forum, a user shared that her ex-husband wanted to take his mom and brother on their honeymoon. Writing in the "r/CharlotteDobreYouTube" forum, the user said, "His family's house was only one hour away from mine. It wasn't a big deal at all." "I got excited again thinking we'd finally go somewhere nice. But nooo. He took me to his house, to sit with his mom," the post read. Thea Gallagher, a psychologist and the wellness programs director at NYU Langone Health in New York City, told Fox News Digital she thinks bringing family on a honeymoon is an "interesting concept." "I think it probably depends on your relationship with your parents and your agreement with your partner," said Gallagher. "Obviously it would be important for both of you to be in agreement that this is the good choice." Gallagher said she wouldn't recommend it if "it feels like you can't be alone with your partner, but if it's because you love your family and it's a 'more the merrier' situation, I could see it being fun." She said before it is important to pre-establish alone time and boundaries. In-laws can sometimes cause a strain on marriage as it "depends on how much unsolicited advice is shared," said the relationship expert. There are four issues that can occur, she said. The first is boundary issues where "in-laws may overstep by offering unsolicited advice, making surprise visits, or interfering in parenting or financial decisions. Loyalty dilemmas can occur when "one partner may feel caught between their spouse and their parents, leading to resentment or feelings of betrayal." Open communication between partners about boundaries and expectations is important. Another is any cultural or generational differences that could occur, causing misunderstandings or friction. The last is communication breakdowns — in which "couples may struggle to present a united front or avoid discussing in-law issues altogether, which can make things worse." Gallagher shared tips on setting healthy boundaries with in-laws. She said open communication between partners about boundaries and expectations is important. "Setting and enforcing limits with in-laws respectfully but firmly and presenting a united front as a couple to avoid triangulation or favoritism" is helpful. Gallagher also said couples should also practice empathy.
Irish Times
01-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
We're worried there may be asbestos in my father-in-law's shed roof. What should we do?
My father-in-law has a shed in his back garden that's full of tools. The roof was damaged in the last storm and needs repair. However, we're quite worried there may be asbestos in the roof so have been wary to go out and look into the problem. What's the best approach for dealing with this? Clearly, by asking the question, you understand that asbestos is a hazardous material, but I think it's worthwhile to give some context regarding its uses. Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral. It was widely used in the construction industry, mainly between the 1950s and the mid-1980s, but there are buildings built later than this that have also been found to contain asbestos – likely due to a hangover of stock materials. Asbestos was widely used in many building components due to its properties, including fire resistance, insulating capability, chemical stability and tensile strength, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s, when there was a good level of construction activity in Ireland . However, it was later discovered that asbestos fibres are highly hazardous to human health when inhaled, and that prolonged exposure can cause serious illnesses, including asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma . The use of asbestos sharply declined when these health risks became apparent. There are a few different types of roof coverings that were routinely used in the construction of sheds relating to dwelling houses which may contain asbestos, but the main elements are asbestos corrugated-roof sheeting or asbestos fibre-cement slates. As these are the most common types of roof coverings that would have contained asbestos, my response will focus on these materials. READ MORE Aidan McDonald, chartered building surveyor and member of the SCSI In making an assessment, I would advise you to ascertain from your father-in-law the period in which the shed was likely constructed. This will give you an indication as to whether the shed was built during a period in which asbestos roof coverings would have been used. Although this is not exactly scientific, you could also do a quick Google search for images of asbestos-type corrugated or slate roof coverings to see if the roofing on the shed accords with images you find online. Asbestos roof coverings are often distinguishable in their appearance. But I must stress this is only a guide that will either ease or confirm your suspicions. A chartered building surveyor is a trained construction professional who can identify asbestos roof coverings – there are even some surveyors who specialise in this area alone – and can organise testing of the roof to confirm whether it is an asbestos-containing material. Our overarching advice, given the hazardous nature of asbestos, is to contact your local chartered building surveyor to have a trained professional inspect the roof and provide guidance on your next steps in terms of assessment, testing, repair or removal of any asbestos material. [ From the archive: Should we replace asbestos ceilings before selling up? Opens in new window ] They can also advise on general roof repair if asbestos is found not to be the issue. We further advise that you and all family members avoid this area until the roof has been assessed and you have received advice on the appropriate course of action to mitigate any potential health risk in the meantime. Aidan McDonald is a chartered building surveyor and a member of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland Do you have a query? Email propertyquestions@ This column is a readers' service. The content of the Property Clinic is provided for general information only. It is not intended as advice on which readers should rely. Professional or specialist advice should be obtained before persons take or refrain from any action on the basis of the content. The Irish Times and it contributors will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from reliance on any content.
