How do guests drive you mad....

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Now Xmas/NY is out the way, guests are returning home. It's so difficult having others in the house and in your space .
People live so differently !!!!!!
how have your guests drove you mad or what weird things have they done?

needing a laugh to breath through multiple things broken/wrecked before I deep clean HAHA
NC just incase!

My hero

@fatfacemumma because I love them, I was excited to show them my first house.

I just refuse all guests now apart from my parents (in-laws live close enough not to stay). As I hate it so much. We do half way meet ups or book an Airbnb near friends as I also hate staying at others houses. Works much better. Can get away with this now as friends kids are much older and harder to accommodate teenagers than toddlers.

I don't anymore. I hate it so much. I told my family I don't have space (due to husband working from home), also avoid sleepovers at someone else's house. Would rather book a hotel. I did it last time when visiting with my parents 😂

Why didn't you say it was your chair? Channel Sheldon!

Staying for eight days and expecting;-
The fridge to be full of delicious food without bringing any, doing any shopping whilst here or offering to pay for anything.
Expecting a tasty dinner every day without offering to cook or clean up or even make any suggestions of what to have.
Asking every day ‘what are we doing today’ so wanting me to have arranged, drive to and pay for a full schedule of interesting activities.
Coming in from walks with muddy boots and spreading mud throughout the house.
Using several clean towels and lots of hot water for showers every day without once gathering them up and pushing them in the machine.
When I am rushing around cleaning, cooking etc telling me I need to chill and relax!

I don't hate hosting. MIL comes to our house regularly and I love having her. She is a lovely thoughtful guest. My brother visits regularly and is also a helpful and easy guest.We had a family of 5 visiting recently and had lots of fun. It's specifically BIL who is particularly thoughtless and rude but if we refuse to have him (we have tried this previously) he expects MIL to not come to us but to stay at home and host him instead despite being in her 80s and beginning to slow down. So we host him to save her from being expected to do all the work for him.

Standing. Just standing. Wherever I need to be. Coupled with 2 dogs mooching about the place it's a wonder I've never broken my neck. DH does this anyway so it's a joy when DM arrives to join the ranks of static standers.

DM also has the clicky clicks on her phone, and texts at the speed of a blind man with hooks for hands <screams>

Turned up empty-handed
Ate and drank copious amounts
Expected to be waited on hand and foot
On the rare occasion he had the initiative to make a cup of tea for himself, didn’t offer me one
Turned off the fan in bathroom after showering but left the light on
Made unnecessary mess and didn’t tidy it
Left piss on the floor by the toilet (stand closer mate, it’s not as long as you think it is)
Feigned helplessness when it came to tidying/meal prep
Nearly broke the handle on the back door due to sheer carelessness

Why do I have this person to stay?! 🤦‍♀️

MIL is the loveliest woman on the planet, but to a fault, and it drives me insane when she visits. She's too polite to so much as ask for a glass of water, so we always end up waiting on her hand and foot when she visits. Being 33 weeks pregnant last time she came to visit, I was somewhat grumpy about it and did in the end ask her why on earth she thought she'd be inconveniencing us by making herself a cup of tea. I had to really insist that she used one our towels when she'd forgotten hers and needed shower, fgs.

I much prefer guests to ask for things, get their own drinks etc and not be polite about small things that don't matter.

Other things that guests, in general do that annoy me:

Saying 'I don't mind' in response to ANY question about preferences - do you want to walk or drive to x place, shall we eat in or go out, do you want to do x or y. PLEASE JUST HAVE A PREFERENCE. I want to be a good host and accommodate my guests!

Constant chatting. Fine if you're in for a flying visit for the evening, but I'm an autistic introvert and incessant small talk for 3 days isn't my jam. Sometimes I just want to be quiet for half an hour.

Ignoring my requests to ignore the dog when they meet him - he's touch-sensitive and there are a few rules around petting that need to be explained before people go bombing over to him for cuddles. He has growled at multiple guests who have ignored those boundaries and been way too touchy feely with him.

@rosemarycait96 your dog sounds like me , hate all that hugging on arrival .... that was the only good thing about covid ... distance!

Ha, totally get that. There were certain benefits to lockdown weren't there. 😂

Here's mine (not all the same guest, and not all at the same time thankfully)

• bringing numerous bags/coats etc and distributing them liberally around the downstairs rooms. Any suggestion of moving them upstairs out of the way is met with 'no, that's alright, I like to have them handy'
• following me around constantly chattering about people I have never met and offering tips on how to do everything. I can understand that this person likes to have a chat but it really is like having a toddler in tow- and there are numerous other less busy people in the house that she could chat to. On several occasions she even chatted at me through the bathroom door when I went to the loo.
• Having constant whatsapp conversations with people who are in the same room.

I find guests trying to help in the kitchen drive me potty as they don't know where things are, etc so I either keep them out or ask them to help with specific tasks that keep them from under my feet. I do as much prep as possible in advance which allows me to potter without feeling pressured before they arrive and means I'm freed up to spend time with them relaxing over a drink, etc.

We had someone leave an oil filled radiator on full blast all day in a bedroom when the central heating was on which was really annoying. I think the temperature wasn't hot enough for them when they got up and they forgot to turn it off.

Honestly I think all this hosting is a historical hangover from when the stately home rich lot used to have house guests and then the 1970s middle classes started joining in with dinner parties and weekend stays. If you don't have a 'wing' to put guests in or maids to serve them or a chef/cook and a butler I think it's a one night stay is definitely plenty.

I won't host anyone that's a pain these days and certainly not FIL with his racist comments and rubby hands 'ooh I'm spitting feathers' comments at me and never his son. Bog off.

DBIL...
'Hovering'.. he came for 3 nights and brought nothing to do.. no book to read, has no interest in telly or the internet. He just hovered, expecting us to entertain him all the time. He literally followed me round the house, not trying to make conversation, just quietly hovering, while i emptied laundry, sorted ironing and loaded the dishwasher. DH took to hiding, leaving me to look after DBIL for most of the time.

As much as we love him, we were both ready to see him go..

"Honestly I think all this hosting is a historical hangover from when the stately home rich lot used to have house guests and then the 1970s middle classes started joining in with dinner parties and weekend stays. If you don't have a 'wing' to put guests in or maids to serve them or a chef/cook and a butler I think it's a one night stay is definitely plenty."

Don't be silly. People stay with family and friends all over the world and through different time periods.

My best guests are also kids ! 13 yo niece and 16 yo nephew. Niece is my sisters daughter and nephew is DP’s brother’s son. They are great so self sufficient all the ask for is a plug socket for their chargers. Not the best at getting their own food but we usually do pasta bake one night (easiest meal ever), and takeout pizza the next and they act like it’s Michelin star level food, lol. Get a 6 pack of diet cokes in and a bag of skittles and they are absolutely happy as Larry. Tidy, don’t take long in the shower, make the bed every morning. Just such lovely kids. And keep baby dd entertained. They don’t stay at the same time but both a pleasure to have.