A man has been backed online after claiming his retired boomer parents were pressuring him into an unaffordable $12,000 family vacation.
The Redditor, posting under the username u/me315 on the ‘BoomersBeingFools’ subreddit, shared his frustration over his parents’ demands and subsequent guilt-tripping.
The post details how u/me315’s parents, now retired, decided to plan a two-week vacation in Hawaii over Thanksgiving and expected their child’s family of five to join them. However, the cost was simply out of reach.
“My boomer parents are mad that we ‘don’t want to spend time with them’ because we don’t want to pay $12,000+ to go on a family vacation,” the original poster (OP) wrote. “The airfare for 5 people plus 1/2 the cost of the condo is over $12,000, and that doesn’t include any activities or food while we’re there.”
A file photo of a conflict between generations. The original poster explained that his parents wanted his family of five to join them in Hawaii for two weeks.
Synthetic-Exposition
The Redditor, who is juggling the demands of work and family, explained that his children can’t afford to miss a week and a half of school and that taking two weeks off work is impractical.
Despite explaining these logistical and financial hurdles, u/me315 claims his parents responded with guilt-inducing phrases like “you only live once” and “you have to make memories with your kids while they’re young.”
“I flat out told them we can’t afford it and they’re trying to guilt-trip me,” the OP added. “I said, fine, if this is so important to you can you cover our airfare and we will still chip in for the condo. Of course that’s too expensive and they can’t afford such things.”
At the time of writing, the post had received 8,500 upvotes and over 350 comments from other Reddit users who sympathized with u/me315, sharing similar experiences of their parents not understanding the financial constraints of modern life.
One Gen Z user wrote that the poor attempt at manipulation after the OP explained why it’s not feasible for them to attend the family vacation was “peak boomer” behavior.
“You would be more than happy to spend time with them if it did not cost you $12k. THEY are the ones that don’t want to spend time with YOU as they are too selfish and obtuse to accept the fact that you cannot afford this,” they added.
Many also agreed that $12,000 for a family vacation is an excessive ask, especially on short notice. Some speculated that the boomers had overextended themselves and were hoping for a big contribution.
“They’re mad OP isn’t coming not because they believe any of the ‘make memories’… but because they need OP to cover some of the expenses,” one Redditor wrote.
Newsweek spoke to Daniel Levine, a generational expert and keynote speaker, who said that generational misunderstandings can play a role in this situation.
“Many boomers, who grew up in a different economic climate than their kids, don’t fully grasp the financial pressures faced by younger generations today. These boomers live in their own bubble of understanding.”
Levine added that boomers often remember a time when vacations and everyday expenses were more affordable. “This phenomenon has been called ‘gramnesia.’ It describes how older generations can forget the challenges of modern parenting and its financial constraints.”
He backed the OP and said his response was justified: “Being a millennial parent today means dealing with higher living costs and stagnant wages that make it difficult to afford luxuries like vacations, especially for a family of five.”
In the end, u/me315 expressed relief at declining the trip: “Frankly I’m glad because now I won’t have to put up with them on Thanksgiving. We can have a nice peaceful holiday at home without a side of guilt-tripping.”
