To think that my mum should stay where she is

[AmandaCooper]

My parents are waiting for a plane home from Malaga after their flight was delayed by the ash cloud. They are very lucky in that they are at their holiday home so it's not costing them anything and they are perfectly safe etc thank goodness. But mum is a primary school teacher and DH is furious with my "selfish mother" (they don't get on at the best of times) and thinks she should be making more of an effort to get home because she's a public servant etc. He's been researching coaches and trains by which she could make her way north through Europe. He read on the Internet about two teachers who'd spent £2,000 travelling home to get back for work and he's decided that this is the standard to which my mum should be held.

But it's not like they knew the delay would be so long, their flight just keeps being put back. And if they did set off on one of the coaches DH has found, who's to say they wouldn't end up stuck at some ferry port with nowhere to sleep? My Dad's 62 and my mum's 59. I just want them to stay where it's safe and fly home as soon as the planes get going.

It sounds stupid but DH and I have had big rows about this. Am I (and is mum) being unreasonable?

I agree it's just an excuse to have a go at her. He is right about the dog though, it is massively inconvenient and very impractical for us to look after her. We live in a flat, DH works from home but is often out all day at meetings and I work 12 hour days. If we stayed at my parents' house to look after the dog we'd have to take a stupid amount of stuff with us, including DH's office supplies and all our work clothes and she'd still be left all day. In fairness my parents have been very selfish about dumping the dog on me long before I met DH.

Much better for them to stay put and wait for their own airline to sort them out.

If they make their own arrangements they are unlikely to get reimbursement from their insurance company or the airline.

And exactly why has it anything at all to do with your DH what they choose to do?

Your DH is being quite UR, but it may not be that much of a free holiday... my mum works as a teacher and she told me that the LEA have sent an email out saying that anyone stranded abroad will have to take the time as unpaid leave!

there are 3 teachers at ds's school stuck, no-ones that bothered, not their fault, sure they will be back as soon as they can

Thanks for all your comments. Will tell DH to shut up.

Your Dh is being totally unreasonable - wtf is this to do with him? He's not being inconvenienced - sounds like jealousy that he isn;t on an extended holiday!

I honestly can;t see the point of them trying to get back any other way, it could take them just as long (or even longer) cause a lot of stress and cost loads of money.

Very telling that he was an indulged child don;t you think?

My dd's techer is stuck too. I have not heard anyone complain.

Your DH would have your parents both around 60 crammed into a bus for god knows how many hours to wait around for a flight/sailing home?

or, worse..

that they should blow a few grand - that they will most likely never see again - when they are sat in their own place, safe and comfortable, with a flight held, but not sticking, just cos he says so?

Seriously, talking to your DH STARTS with STFU

of course YANBU. Withold all 'privileges' from DH if I were you!

Littlemisshissyfit that made me smile!

My PIL get all uppity about public servants as well (I am one) and how we should prostrate ourselves before private sector employees like him who pay our wages etc etc.

Public servants are all corrupt apparently.

Says PIL, who just employed his own son at the company he works for above loads of other candidates

Well the dog thing, if they fob it onto yuo is not on, but if they can't get back, they can't get back.

I am a public secote worker stuck in SE Asia and have no idea how long I will be here.I would dearly love to get back to work but can't.

I think your mum is wise to have stayed put. I'm a teacher and seven of my colleagues have been stranded this week, including our headteacher. One of them is a good friend of mine and she has been going hither and tither to try to get back and it has cost her a lot. Interestingly, one of my students who had been stranded in Spain got back yesterday on an Easyjet flight, when I said that it must have cost his folks a fortune he told me they had laid on extra flights and it cost £90 per head!