To not want to sit through IL's holiday photos?

[Hooli]

PIL's have just returned from the holiday of a lifetime to Australia. They've saved for years and been to see family they haven't seen in over a decade so it's all very exciting for them. They've been gone for just over a month so we popped over last night to see them.

We stayed for tea but wanted to get back for kids bedtime. However, FIL had spent two days putting all their photos on a presentation which he wanted to show us. Boring as fuck right?

Not only that, but whilst away, MIL posted every single picture on Instagram AND sent 10+ pics a day to both me and DH on WhatsApp. Ten pictures a day for a month. Of Australian scenery.

Five minutes into the slideshow, I said we needed to go (kids were close to kicking off and knackered). A few hours later I got a message from MIL to say she was really upset, that they'd been looking forward to showing the kids the pictures and talking us through their trip that was so special to them.

WIBU? Should I have feigned interest?? I haven't replied yet...

You don't seem particularly sorry OP.

That’s because she’s only typing with one hand. The other hand is brandishing the hemp rope wot she is flagellating herself with. 🤛

Cat o nine tails would be a bit extreme. A bit of remorse less so.

It's gone from 2 to 3 hours slide show grin

No, OP didn't say it was going to be a 3 hour show. She said they were already there for 3 hours, ao another 2+ hours on top.

Yes, I sent pics to the grandparents but wouldn't dream of collating them together into a three hour film for them and then forcing them to watch it.

Sorry post below was where I had interpreted the length of the film changing.

Oh yanbu op. Expecting 2 small children sit through 2 through that at 8pm is utterly selfish. They Obviously could see the kids getting restless.

Why didnt they arrange a more appropriate time?

I dont think you should apologize. Let your dh deal with this as he also left with you?

Sounds like you were really really cruel and thoughtless. Of course they were hurt. I can't really believe that you can be so flippant when you're clearly really upset and disappointed them. It wouldn't have hurt you to feign interest and they'd have been so pleased. Maybe I'm too sensitive but it makes me so upset that people can behave like this, with such little empathy or regard for other people's feelings. Really horrible.

Very rude indeed. And very unkind. I'm not surprised they were upset.

How old are the children? Because unless they are very young they really should be able to sit through.

Not because it’s interesting for them but because it’s important to their grandparents.

After all presumably you would expect your in-laws to sit through nativity plays, sports matches, dance shows and homemade puppet shows. Even if your kids are very little your in-laws have probably sat through a million Peppa Pigs or read the Gruffalo a hundred times.

We do boring things for the people we love. It’s not a bad lesson for your children to learn.

Arrange to drop the kids off so that they can enjoy the slideshow and go and do something more interesting. After all she only mentioned being excited to show them
Disclaimer: I haven't RTFT

IMO if the slideshow was indeed 2 hours it was very inconsiderate and selfish for the ILs to expect 2 young children to shut up and put up rather than being taken home to bed.

Hmmmmm I know it isn’t nice to hurt someone’s feelings... BUT really? A presentation of holiday photos? Surely everyone on the planet knows that’s so boring for anyone who wasn’t actually on the holiday. It’s massively self indulgent to want your family to sit through a 2 hour presentation.

I think ywnbu. Unless you were actually rude about it, which I don’t think you were.

My gran used to have a friend who did this to her and she went on A LOT of holidays. Poor gran. She dreaded it.

Lots of wine will help.

Sounds like you were really really cruel and thoughtless

No it doesn’t.

This wasn't just holiday photos, this was their trio of a lifetime. I would have showed an interest and asked questions about the pictures. You never know, you may have found it interesting, Australia's an amazing place! And if it was boring, so what? It was an hour of you time and it made them feel happy to tell you about it. And surely it doesn't matter if kids see a bit late to bed on a Saturday night? This is all part of a being a family.

This is all part of a being a family.

Not my family (including ILs). I thought everyone knew holiday photos are famously boring for everyone other than the holiday goer. I actually thought this might be a hoax thread as I thought surely NOBODY does this irl. But apparently they do!

Honestly OP, the more you post the more it is clear that you are 100% not U. They sound appallingly self-absorbed and it's clear you've already invested hours of your life in validating their holiday experiences.

Lol. OP's original question was about whether she should feign interest not even about the kids. She got told the truth and is now spinning a story for sympathy.

Honestly OP, the more you post the more it is clear that you are 100% not U. They sound appallingly self-absorbed and it's clear you've already invested hours of your life in validating their holiday experiences.

This. And what level of self-absorption do you need to start showing a two-hour slide show of holiday photos when it's almost eight o'clock and there are small children whose bedtime is already past, regardless of whether those present have already seen the photos on two different social media platforms as they were taken?

If the OP knew it was going to take at "least 2 hours" why didn't she say to PILs that it would be better to look through them another time as it was getting late? Instead of leaving after 5 mins because she was bored. No matter how you dress it up she was rude and unkind. They've been away for 4 weeks and obviously excited about their trip. Sometimes we have to realise it's not always about us.

You weren't rude op. You'd IL's would have to be lacking in any social awareness to not realise that it's crap to sit through someone's holiday photos, and much worse if you have two small children needing to go to bed.

Yes. The in-laws should have realised it wasn't about them. Its absolutely disgraceful to expect anyone to sit for hours whilst they drivel on about their holiday.

I find it funny people always jump to the conclusion that ILs or Parents are ‘old’ and therefore not on FB. Surely these are people in their 50s-70s, not exactly old?
OP you’ve had a hard time on this thread when in reality I’m sure all the PPs calling you rude etc etc would have done exactly the same thing. YANBU. Sounds excruciatingly BORING!

God no!! My parents are like this with their normal holiday photos and it drives me mad.

It’s fucking painful...”this was a lovely bridge we walked over every day” “there’s a lake” “oh there’s the bridge again” “there’s your dad...on he bridge”

They’re not even great photos, just random objects and scenery. Nothing spectacular!

I don't think you were entirely U, OP - that's a long time to see photos and explanations you've already seen. "Listen, this is hugely fascinating but the kids need to sleep - can we do this another time?" surely would have avoided all the hurt. If you said something like that then they were being a tad oversensitive even if it was a trip of a lifetime. Can they show it at yours so the kids can see some, go off to bed and you can have a glass of wine. "Oh I liked this shot when I saw it on WhatsApp" put in occasionally might help.