To ask friends to come back early to look after their DC?

[zazas]

Friends are going to a wedding this Saturday and I'm looking after their two children. The wedding is at 12.30 and they are staying the night in their campervan. It's about 35 mins from where we live. I have a DD who is the same age as their DD which is why I was asked but she has now had to go away and won't be with us. It's just unfortunate it's this weekend as it would have been a very very rare moment with my DH and DD away and with only my teenage DS in the house to have caught up on myself but it is what it is. Anyway tonight my friend has said that on the Sunday morning they were now going to meet with friends for brunch and will be home early afternoon. I was expecting them home mid morning to be honest. If my DD was with us I could probably stretch the time out but I will have worked over 50 hours this week (because she is away) and need time to get on top of things on Sunday plus get back to my DS. I'm really not being unreasonable to ask them to be home earlier am I?

YoureNotASausage that wasn't the case at all. It was always a morning pick up as they were planning to go away on holiday. Then my DD was away (and yes it was unfortunate as it meant I lost my own child free weekend) but I never ever said I wouldn't do it - that was never an option. I jus assumed it would be the same time as loosely discussed - around 10 until she said that actually as they were no longer going away the next day, they were going to do brunch with friends and be back in the afternoon. Yes if my DD was going to be there, I would have made it work (as happy to help them out) but the point was I was now on my own and needed to get back on top of things etc. Anyway thanks to people 'listening' to me on mumsnet I put my big pants on and asked them to stick to original plan - which they roughly did. Lessons learnt and all that.

Oh right, so there was an original time discussed. I'm not criticising you at all as I know well the feelings you've had about it but just can see it from the perspective of how different the whole atmosphere about it would have been if your situation with your dd hadn't changed. They are probably clueless to how much their pretty minor changes (oh as we're already with friends and in the wedding mode brunch before coming back would be fab, lets ask if kids can stay a few extra grs) have incited a mob to rage on mumsnet😅

YoureNotASausage - thanks you are probably right! Which I guess was my original issue - my circumstances has changed - hey maybe yours might need to do too - without me needing to spell it all out!

Sounds like the DH might be a bit entitled and rude which would rub me up wrong under the circumstances.

Adalind I think when you have children 830 is actually a wonderful lie in!

Oh come on it's not that bad in the end! Yes they were cheeky making plans for the Sunday but if your dd had been there that would have been fine. 10 is really early to get back from a night out and they were there by 11 so didn't steal your whole day. I think this was a storm in a teacup and it would be a shame if it stopped you doing favours for each other in future - oh FUCK OFF! If I'm doing a favour for someone, I expect them to honour the time that I ask them to be back!

My time is as precious to me as it is to them, and any piss-taking would definitely mean I don't do a fucking thing for them next time!

(And it has happened to me - but not more than once)

It's not just that they seemed to think it OK to add stuff on without checking first, but also that their daughter wasn't so happy to be going without Op's daughter being there.

Even if Op didn't have any plans for the Sunday, why would she want to spend it entertaining someone elses daughter?

When is your dd staying with them?

You've done the right thing. I wouldn't be so accommodating next time.