to think this is a bit much?

[baffledbureaucrat]

Long - I don't think IABU but you never know!

I used to live near a family with a DS about the same age as mine. We weren't especially close friends, I knew them from NCT and bumped into them every now and again afterwards. They moved to China when the boys were just two, we swapped emails and I offered to put them up if they ever wanted to come back to visit the UK.

They want to take me up on the offer, but now I've said yes, I find there's a lot more expected than I thought.

The dad will not be staying; however he will be stopping over in London on his way back from the USA. As he's been away for a few weeks, the mum wants to have a bit of 'alone time' with him in London, so will leave her DS with me for 'a sleepover' while she stays in London with her husband. She will be back to stay with me on day 2.

The mum also works with a multinational company and wants to visit their offices in Paris while she's in Europe. She wants to leave her DS with me while she does this for 'a week or so - maybe two'.

Apparently their DS speaks very little/no English as they speak Swedish at home. He also gets anxious at being left without his parents so I'm just to tell him they've gone to the shops if he gets tearful. They want him to have a total immersion experience to 'bring his English back' - he is 4.

Apparently they think this will benefit my DS because 'it will give him a playmate and take the pressure off you'.

AIBU to think they're taking the piss?

I'd be telling the cheeky cah to get a taxi from the airport aswelll!

Presumably you're now emailing with links to taxi companies that pick up from the airport?!

'Overnight whilst you are all here = fine
Childminding for x days is at £25 per hour. Payable in advance. Plus £200 deposit for food, any remaining funds will be returned to you after collection of child along with receipts.

HTH'

My husband and I have discussed this and we feel used and taken advantage of. We offered to host you as friends, not an airport shuttle service, hotel and nanny. Your tone is so demanding, you issue directives to us as if we were hired hands. It's very impolite and off-putting. It's too bad, but we cannot host people who treat us this way, so you need to make other arrangements for your stay here. Best of luck, OP

The end. You owe these people nothing.

Gosh, poor boy. :(

What expat said.

I really think that if you let her stay she will take the piss, once she's with you I think it will hard to get rid of her and I reckon she'll end up leaving the little boy with you anyway

I would definitely cancel the whole thing

Yip, cancel the whole thing. Especially with that attempt at a guilt trip she batted back to you.

I just don't understand how people think that kind of behaviour is ok.

THat poor little boy is going to be traumatised, whoever she leaves him with in the end. Unbelievable.

Ha! She's the one who needs to get her English back up to speed if she thinks, 'Oh, you must come and stay next time you're in the UK!' actually means that...

You were generous to offer them a place to stay, they are BU to make further demands. And she's planning to dump her poor son on another acquaintance, who she thinks would "love to have him around"! She acts as if being an unpaid baby sitter for 2 weeks is some kind of honour! She's deluded and self absorbed.

Thinking about it, apart from how her poor little boy is going to feel, when she's in Paris and he's with strangers he can't communicate with, I wouldn't even want to leave my child for that long. He's only 4

Oh my god!

I would send what expat said

except i would bottle it and seethe for the whole weekend

Oh God, OP, do not let this woman into your house until you have a cast iron guarantee that she has childcare in place for when she's off touring the European offices for a fortnight. Although she's said she'll ask this woman in Southampton its a big ask. When she was discussing her trip I bet she sounded pretty confident you'd say yes and you didn't.
I'd be really concerned she'll turn up with no childcare in place and present you with a fait accompli as she skips of out the door.

I second that. She is going to leave this poor little boy with you despite your refusal.

without wanting to get too Health and Safety, what's the official take on having someone else's child in your house for a unspecified amount of time a fortnight? If he's suddenly taken ill, have you got the authority to admit him to hospital? Is he a foreign national?

Hi there....

Just had the worst news, my MIL has been struck down with a terrible illness and myself and my OH and DC are going there for a week.

You will have to go to yoru firend in southamption a few days as we wont be in our town, but instead will be in (far away) town..

she is still gonna stiff youi

Tell them no. End of.

I wouldn't let her stay at all. She will pull a fast one - "Just popping to the shops" ...........

On the day she is due to arrive, unplug your landline and switch your mibile off.

Then go out - or preferably away for the weekend.

You probably offered to let her stay in a moment of madness and didn't think she'd take you up on the offer. I would stop all this right now and don't let them stay at all. Make up an excuse of some sort. Because once they're in your house you might not be able to get rid of them. I just wouldn't get involved.

If you won't be my hotel and nanny, will you at least be my chauffeur and maid...

Oh my god. Some people are so cheeky!

No way can you trust her and her husband to get their poor child over your threshold. They will dump and run. Poor kid!

I think she'll go and see her DH in a hotel and go straight from there to visit her work offices leaving you with the child!

I really would cancel now. I hear there's a nasty strain of d and v going around....