Dad Forbids Dying Father-In-Law To Take His Children To Disney World Because He Can't Go With Them
He wants to experience their first trip with them.
Monkey Business Images / s_buckley / Shutterstock A trip to Disney World is a lifetime memory and experience for any child.
Most parents want to be there to witness their joy and partake in the memories made on Disney vacations.
One father has similarly expressed his desire to be a part of his children’s first vacation to Disney World.
However, his father-in-law has been experiencing serious health issues and wants to take his grandchildren with the little time he has left.
The man cannot make the planned trip due to schedule conflicts, so now he wants his in-laws to cancel the trip.
The man planned on taking his children to Disney World for the first time in the near future.
Posting his story to the subreddit "r/AmItheA-–hole" (AITA), the man sought the advice of other users after he forbid his dying father-in-law from taking his children to Disney World for the first time since he wanted to be part of the experience.
The 28-year-old man began his post by sharing that he and his wife have two daughters, aged six and five, which he calls “prime Disney age.”
He and his wife have discussed taking their daughters to Disney World for a few years and looked forward to experiencing it with them.
“It was definitely a memorable trip for me as my family had to save up a while for it,” he wrote. “We’ve always known that Disney would be our big trip with our girls.”
Over the summer, the man’s father-in-law became seriously ill and does not have much time left.
“My FIL [father-in-law] got diagnosed with prostate cancer,” he shared. “After a few rounds of chemo and some rather intense stays at the hospital, it’s only gotten worse.”
Due to the intensity of chemotherapy with no guarantee that it will work, the man’s father-in-law decided to discontinue treatment and “try to live with the time he has left.”
Before he passes away, the man’s father-in-law wants to make the most of his time with his grandchildren and make lasting memories with them.
“One of these memories is taking our daughters to Disney and surprising them with the trip yesterday during Christmas,” he wrote.
He expected his wife to be opposed to the idea, but her reaction was the opposite.
“We’ve always said we’ve wanted to get to experience taking them and seeing their faces,” he wrote. “However, I found out that my MIL [mother-in-law] cleared it with my wife last month. My wife didn’t tell me because she thought I would be surprised and excited for our daughters.”
When he and his wife returned home from his in-laws, he decided to have a “serious discussion” about the upcoming trip with her.
He told her that he didn't want to miss their daughters' first experience at Disney World.
“I told my wife that I didn’t want our daughters’ first trip to Disney to be without us,” he wrote.
His wife suggested that they both tag along on the trip with the man’s in-laws, although it won’t be possible due to scheduling conflicts and expenses.
“The trip is in February, and booking flights+hotel+tickets for just my wife and me for the time they’re all going is still going to be almost $5000,” he wrote.
He told his wife that they would have to decline his in-laws' offer, but his wife disagrees.
“My wife is saying that I’m being selfish and heartless by robbing our daughters of this experience and robbing them of a core memory with my FIL before he passes,” he wrote.
He asked other Redditors if he was acting out of line.
Redditors declared that the man was wrong and that he should let his in-laws take his children to Disney World even if he couldn’t be there.
"I understand your disappointment in not being the first to take your kids to Disney, but these are special circumstances," one user commented.
"Their grandfather/your wife's father is dying and wants to create memories with his grandchildren that will last once he is gone. It's small-minded and selfish to take that opportunity away from him and your children just so you can be the first to have the experience with them."
"It’s Disney," another user wrote. "They will light up every time regardless of being the first trip."
"As they grow older, those kids will struggle to remember a lot from the years grandpa was around," a third user pointed out. "Disneyland with grandpa has the best chance of creating a wonderful long-term memory though."
"You have a lifetime of firsts to look forward to OP [original poster]. Give your children the gift of remembering their grandfather's love."
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.