A mom writing on Reddit shared an unusual experience. She said her daughter was invited to affix a friend on a family vacation to Costa Rica — but when her daughter returned, the mom was presented with a bill for the travel expenses from the opposite family.
The confused mother turned to social media to seek out out whether her shock over the situation was warranted.
On the social media platform, the mother wrote, “OK, so my daughter (16) went to Costa Rica with a friend and her parents & grandparents. I assumed they might only charge us for her food and activities like ziplining. Nope. They’re asking for a portion of her accommodations and automotive rental as well.”
Bewildered, the mother wondered on Reddit whether being invited meant that the fundamental costs of the trip were going to be covered by the parents of her friend.
The mom wrote, “Why on earth did I assume she was tagging along?”
She went on to share that she’s hosted other people’s children in an identical way — and thought that was the protocol.
“That’s what we did for my other daughter’s friend two years ago,” the mother continued.
The mom appeared surprised by the hefty bill of charges she was presented with from the opposite family.
“I might never dream of charging a lot after I was going [on a trip] anyway!”
Slightly than cause a stir, the mother said she’s likely going to pay the tab to smooth things over and be done with it.
“We now have the cash, so this [isn’t going to] break me,” she wrote.
She said she desired to handle the matter peacefully with the parents of her daughter’s friend.
“I just need to have a conversation,” added the diplomatic mom.
The Reddit community sounded off about her quandary.
A commenter named “Illustrious-Award-55” said it was not usual to be presented with a bill, but agreed with the mother’s decision to step up.
“I feel it’s weird to try this after the very fact,” the person wrote.
“Lesson learned to discuss stuff ahead of time. The parent should just pay the bill and move on.”
Other commenters shared the philosophy of thanking the family for taking the kid and paying back any expenses the family is searching for.
And the subsequent time her daughter is “invited” on a family trip — people said she should turn down the invite.
“Pay it,” user “Consistent_Pay_74” wrote on the lady’s post.
“Repeat your thanks for taking her and never allow her to do such a visit with ‘not family’ again,” this person wrote.
“Stay gracious but know that they’ve shown you who they’re — and you must imagine them. Tacky!”
Fox News Digital reached out to an etiquette expert in regards to the issue.
To make sure that there’s clarity about money matters — and since there shall be costs related to a family taking one other child along — one of the best plan of action is to talk up about expectations, an authority said.
“If there are going to be costs, the host should make it clear up front,” said Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and owner of the Protocol School of Texas in San Antonio.
She said an invite is different than a vacation.
“Regarding the mother’s conundrum, some proactive discussions would have been a greater route,” said Gottsman.
“Assumptions are dangerous,” she also said. “This girl’s parent or guardian would have been higher served to ask what expenses [she] can be accountable for covering.”
But she also said the host family must have been more forthcoming about their intentions as well.
“They may ask for airfare upfront and help with accommodations and food, but a automotive rental is a stretch,” said Gottsman.
She said probably the most effective and polite technique to address an invitation from a friend’s family is to say, “Thanks for the invitation. What costs would we want to cover?”
The reality behind why parents allow their children to ask a friend on a visit isn’t a secret, said Gottsman.
“Often, parents bring along a child’s friend to make the trip more pleasurable for their very own child. And, paying for some or all of the expenses isn’t unusual,” she said.
And while the difficulty of asking a friend’s parents to cover a number of the costs is OK — timing matters.
“Budgets are different, but a number doesn’t ask after the very fact for money unless it was clearly communicated upfront,” Gottsman told Fox News Digital.
“The moral of the story is rarely assume anything when expenses are involved.”
One other essential matter: Parents of the invited child should give their children a sum of cash for any extras.
“Whenever you send your child off with one other family, even when the opposite family has offered to cover many of the costs, it’s essential to send enough spending money together with your children in order that they can offer to pay their very own way for particular activities, buy a treat or dessert for themselves and the opposite relations, or have spending money for souvenirs,” Gottsman said.
“You wish to be sure your child feels comfortable and has some spending money of their wallet for an unexpected emergency.”
A mom writing on Reddit shared an unusual experience. She said her daughter was invited to affix a friend on a family vacation to Costa Rica — but when her daughter returned, the mom was presented with a bill for the travel expenses from the opposite family.
The confused mother turned to social media to seek out out whether her shock over the situation was warranted.
On the social media platform, the mother wrote, “OK, so my daughter (16) went to Costa Rica with a friend and her parents & grandparents. I assumed they might only charge us for her food and activities like ziplining. Nope. They’re asking for a portion of her accommodations and automotive rental as well.”
Bewildered, the mother wondered on Reddit whether being invited meant that the fundamental costs of the trip were going to be covered by the parents of her friend.
The mom wrote, “Why on earth did I assume she was tagging along?”
She went on to share that she’s hosted other people’s children in an identical way — and thought that was the protocol.
“That’s what we did for my other daughter’s friend two years ago,” the mother continued.
The mom appeared surprised by the hefty bill of charges she was presented with from the opposite family.
“I might never dream of charging a lot after I was going [on a trip] anyway!”
Slightly than cause a stir, the mother said she’s likely going to pay the tab to smooth things over and be done with it.
“We now have the cash, so this [isn’t going to] break me,” she wrote.
She said she desired to handle the matter peacefully with the parents of her daughter’s friend.
“I just need to have a conversation,” added the diplomatic mom.
The Reddit community sounded off about her quandary.
A commenter named “Illustrious-Award-55” said it was not usual to be presented with a bill, but agreed with the mother’s decision to step up.
“I feel it’s weird to try this after the very fact,” the person wrote.
“Lesson learned to discuss stuff ahead of time. The parent should just pay the bill and move on.”
Other commenters shared the philosophy of thanking the family for taking the kid and paying back any expenses the family is searching for.
And the subsequent time her daughter is “invited” on a family trip — people said she should turn down the invite.
“Pay it,” user “Consistent_Pay_74” wrote on the lady’s post.
“Repeat your thanks for taking her and never allow her to do such a visit with ‘not family’ again,” this person wrote.
“Stay gracious but know that they’ve shown you who they’re — and you must imagine them. Tacky!”
Fox News Digital reached out to an etiquette expert in regards to the issue.
To make sure that there’s clarity about money matters — and since there shall be costs related to a family taking one other child along — one of the best plan of action is to talk up about expectations, an authority said.
“If there are going to be costs, the host should make it clear up front,” said Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and owner of the Protocol School of Texas in San Antonio.
She said an invite is different than a vacation.
“Regarding the mother’s conundrum, some proactive discussions would have been a greater route,” said Gottsman.
“Assumptions are dangerous,” she also said. “This girl’s parent or guardian would have been higher served to ask what expenses [she] can be accountable for covering.”
But she also said the host family must have been more forthcoming about their intentions as well.
“They may ask for airfare upfront and help with accommodations and food, but a automotive rental is a stretch,” said Gottsman.
She said probably the most effective and polite technique to address an invitation from a friend’s family is to say, “Thanks for the invitation. What costs would we want to cover?”
The reality behind why parents allow their children to ask a friend on a visit isn’t a secret, said Gottsman.
“Often, parents bring along a child’s friend to make the trip more pleasurable for their very own child. And, paying for some or all of the expenses isn’t unusual,” she said.
And while the difficulty of asking a friend’s parents to cover a number of the costs is OK — timing matters.
“Budgets are different, but a number doesn’t ask after the very fact for money unless it was clearly communicated upfront,” Gottsman told Fox News Digital.
“The moral of the story is rarely assume anything when expenses are involved.”
One other essential matter: Parents of the invited child should give their children a sum of cash for any extras.
“Whenever you send your child off with one other family, even when the opposite family has offered to cover many of the costs, it’s essential to send enough spending money together with your children in order that they can offer to pay their very own way for particular activities, buy a treat or dessert for themselves and the opposite relations, or have spending money for souvenirs,” Gottsman said.
“You wish to be sure your child feels comfortable and has some spending money of their wallet for an unexpected emergency.”
