Overstaying guests

Dear Tita,

I am married to my wife, Emma, and we have two kids, a girl and a boy. We have a comfortable life here with our work and our friends. The kids enjoy our outings to the resorts and the restaurants on weekends.

Two months ago, Emma’s aunt, Dolor, arrived from their place in Cavite with her husband, Leo, and their three kids. They said they wanted to experience the MassKara Festival as they had heard so much about it. Our kids had to sleep in our room as our daughter’s room was given to our guests’ kids and our son’s room was given to Aunt Dolor and Tito Leo.

That was two months ago. It was a bit crowded and expensive as we had to spend more for the food budget and other extra expenses. But we didn’t mind as Aunt Dolor and Tito Leo were very close to Emma’s parents. When the MassKara Festival ended, they said they wanted to stay for All Souls’ Day so they could visit the graves of Aunt Dolor’s parents. It was okay with us and they seemed to be enjoying their stay here.

Our kids were beginning to feel uncomfortable as they miss their rooms where they had their privacy, but we explained to them that these were our guests and we couldn’t drive them away. Anyway, we told them that the guests would be going home soon.

Yesterday, we got a big shock when Aunt Dolor informed us that they planned to extend their stay until after New Year as they heard that the New Year’s celebration here is really fabulous. Emma and I talked about this and I told her that it is too much if they stay that long. The extra expenses we have incurred from their stay have reached a substantial amount. We now would like to enjoy our holidays in our house with our kids.

How do we tell them without hurting their feelings?

FED-UP HOSTS

Dear Fed-Up Hosts,

That is the problem with overstaying guests. They don’t know when to leave.

For your own good, you have to be frank with your guests. Tell them in a nice way that you loved having them visit you but that you had other plans this Christmas and your plans didn’t include having house guests. To avoid hurting their feelings, use diplomacy when you talk to them. They should understand and leave as soon as possible. But if they feel offended, then so be it. There’s nothing more you can do.

TITA