Should I be bothered about the amount of money spent while my niece and nephew were visiting for my B-Day?
I have always been close with my niece and nephew and my S.O wanted to surprise me for my 50th Birthday and wanted them to be at my home to celebrate. My nephew has been off work ( construction - bad winter) and was collecting unemployement and my neice works full time but doesn't make a ton of money. In the planning of this.. my neice kept telling my S.O (significant other) that they were broke,, broke.. broke.. and that they didn't have any money to come visit. They have had to cancell credit cards.. and notices for late payments on motorcycles were received in the mail..etc.. My S,O, said that was fine.. she would cover them while they were here & offered to buy their plane tickets to get them here. My neices grandmother bought them their tickets and now they are all set to come and visit for a week and we were gonna foot thier bill for the whole week because my neice just kept stating that the only way they could make it here.was if she helped them out financially... They came.,... we paid everything ( booze, meals, travel back to airport..) and they bought one round of drinks and one lite luncheon. At this point.. we are fine with all of this.. My parents were here visiting in florida and while the "kids" were here we all had planned long ago to do Christmas and the money amount on each person was $50.00 and then we would all go out shopping.. We celebrated Christmas.. my folks gave them each $75.00 cash.. they put it in thier pockets... never gave the grandparents even so much as a card and we got nothing.. this was on the day that they were to go back to their home town..My S.O made a strong declaration that she was not footing the lunch bill for everyone.. We all go out to lunch before they head to the airport.. they have $150.00 in pockets cash.. never offered to pay even as much as thier beers they drank.. said thanks.. we paid their $75.00 shuttle fee to get them to the airport and off they go. We get a text with pictures from them in Atlanta at the airport .. and they are drinking Bloody Marys.. and beers.. having a great time.. we get a call a week later.. and they booked a trip back to come see us in May..( for two weeks) She went ahead and bought the tickets and everything .. we asked them how they could afford to do that and my neice proceeds to tell us that she has a stash of cash..from a bonus she received from year end at work.. and wanted to spend it on something she wanted to do .. so she bought them air fare to come back.. well.. we KNOW we could not afford them to come back.. so soon.. so now after asking them about what happened to Christmas.. ( no exchange of girfts or money like we had all planned) she proceeded to say she had the money in the back room that she just didn't feel like getting it... My S.O and I feel very used... I guess my question is do I have a right to feel used.. or am I over reacting? two things.. record breaking snow in Missouri... my nephew has a four wheeler with a snow blade and could have made $1,000.00s this winter in cash.. but did not work or do anything.. and since they have been home.. all we have heard about is all thier fancy dinners ( crab legs, steaks, stuffed flounder, shrimp, taking fancy dinners to the fire dept for the guys.) So do I have a right to feel taken advantage of and If I do .. do I have a right to have an adult conversation with my niece and nephew???
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