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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Why do people feel ok to extend their stay / outstay their welcome? And how to handle it .

185 replies

Boomboomi · 16/03/2026 14:22

Aibu to get impatient when people who visit ( family) stay longer than period agreed.
Our relatives live a 3 hr drive away.
They have history of comming at Christmas and ending up staying until the new year and beyond.
We are finding that hard as ita a long time and v expensive , plus we also just want our house back . So this year we told them that period is too long for us - its either Christmas or new year not both In one stretch .
We will see how it goes this year based on this .
They came again last weekend. i had specially said yes you can come but will it just be the weekend, they said ‘yes’ . They arrived sat am and to me the weekend ends sun eve. They then said can we stay Sunday evening as the drive is too far to drive on a sat and a Sunday.
I said yes - reluctantly- as we had been trying to establish boundaries. ( my dh said some people think a weekend is sun eve , go home mon? And therefore nothing had changed?)
I was trying to find out when they were leaving and it was , oh we will need lunch, we may chill for a bit after lunch , we womt affect you/ be in your way … carry on with what you need to do ….

  • aibu when people say / do things like this ?( they clearly enjoy coming, but i feel tnese when they extend the stay or drift around not going?
  • am I totally un flexible or is it ok to want people to go when we agreed?!
OP posts:
candycane222 · 16/03/2026 14:34

I'd be hoovering very noisily round wherever they are sitting. I'd also have had their bedding in the wash first thing Sunday morning as soon as they were dressed....

outerspacepotato · 16/03/2026 14:34

Hey, I've got stuff to do so time to wrap it up now.

Figcherry · 16/03/2026 14:33

I think it depends on who the visitor is.
My dm never stayed long enough for me.
Dh's parents usually only stayed 3 days maximum.
However, when dd was little if they stayed then I got them to walk her to school instead of doing breakfast club.

I say, as long as they're staying then use them to your advantage. Pil's were good at wallpapering. 😆

Terriblytwee · 16/03/2026 14:33

In laws?

Anewerforest · 16/03/2026 14:32

Honesty is the best policy. Say you have things to do on Monday that you can't do with visitors in the house. Say that you find it tiring being on call to chat. Say you like seeing them but you need more downtime than you used to.

HornyHornersPinkyWinky · 16/03/2026 14:32

Sympathies OP, I’m guessing these are your in laws who are retired, or don’t have jobs to go to.

Very frustrating as it means you can’t really rekax until they’re gone… I personally hate that whole ‘oh just carry on as you were and pretend were not here’, it’s totally unrealistic.

Lmnop22 · 16/03/2026 14:28

With people like this just say “what time are you expecting to arrive and when are you planning to drive back?” as you make the plan and then you can make sure that’s there’s something going on the evening after they’ve said they’ll leave which would make it difficult for them to stay (sleepover of DC or you and DH going to the theatre or something) that way they can’t outstay their welcome

Shoxfordian · 16/03/2026 14:28

Establishing boundaries means saying no so yabu

StormInaDcup99 · 16/03/2026 14:28

This would drive me insane

I think I'd try to set my stall out before they arrive

Eg really looking forward to see you on fri night . Ill make sure your room is all ready for you and will make a light dinner of xxxxx for 7pm

I'll make an early dinner on sun at 3pm as I know you've got a decent drive back and that'll still give you enough time to get home before it's too dark and give us a chance to get sorted for the start of the working week again and school, creche etc etc

We could maybe all go out on the sat and do X or Y?

Something along those lines???

thinkyone · 16/03/2026 14:27

I think rather than say weekend or a few days you need to give specifics.

Examples:-

You're very welcome to stay Friday and Saturday night, leaving around 11 am on Sunday morning.

You're very welcome to stay Monday night until Wednesday morning around 10:30 am.