To be at the end of my tether with DPs?

[carlaCox]

I'll be spending Xmas with my late 60s parents. Ever since March they have been non-stop complaining about "selfish covidiots" and how we all have to "just get on with it".

For context - they both took early retirement last year and live mortgage-free in a house big enough to have a home gym and a "hobbies room". They managed to have two holidays over the summer (one abroad and one in the UK) and have spent the rest of the year having crates of wine delivered to drink with friends around their newly installed firepit.

I live in a one bed flat (no garden) with my partner and have had a year of worry about our jobs. Many of our friends have been made redundant or had to close down their small businesses. I really don't think I can sit through 5 days of them whinging about "people who care more about the economy than lives" while drinking champagne and eating Waitrose party food.

AIBU or are they being unreasonable? How do I avoid a Christmas row? I don't think I can bite my tongue for five whole days.

That’s why I can’t stand these “we’re all in this together” types when some of us are clearly in this deeper than others. Not all of us have spent this year baking banana bread and “making memories”.

However, you can’t blame them for retiring when they did. Let’s face it, all of us want to retire as soon as we can afford it. If they have worked their whole adult lives it’s not that unusual to be mortgage-free at that age. It sounds like you’re jealous. It sounds like they are generous with the money - buying wine to drink with friends, planning 5 days of Christmas menus, buying expensive food and wine that you will be enjoying.

This reminds me of the days of the 80% furlough people getting grief from those who were working that they were being paid to watch TV when no one chose to be furloughed and all those working would have happily watched TV for 80% of their salary, given half the chance, completely forgetting that those people were facing possible redundancy at any stage. It’s all jealousy.

It's all a bit dramatic over nothing.

Like Waaaah, my parents don't agree with me!! Who gives a shit if their parents see things differently? We all see things from our own position of bias. Such is life.

Go. Get your point across. Tell them how you're struggling. Point out their privilege but in a constructive, adult, non-argumentative way.

Then cane their champagne stash.

Surely this is just common sense?!

Another thread from someone bitter at what their parents have worked all their days for.

Way to miss a point!

Schedule in long walks and Netflix sessions in the spare room

Thanks everyone. I mainly just wanted to know if it was me or them being unreasonable and I feel better about it now I know it's not just me being bitter!

I honestly don't resent them for what they have, they did work crazy hard when I was younger and I'm glad they're happy and enjoying retirement. It's just the lack of empathy for others this year that's been getting to me.

I've decided I'm going to try for a "no covid chat over Christmas" rule and then if one of them starts doing the "covidiots" speech again I can say "woah woah what about the rule?". I will have a chat with them about all this next year and tell them how I really feel but I think Christmas is just not the right time.

Thanks for the feedback all.

Loud farts all the way. Ho ho ho.

Take cards against humanity to play with them