My wife, Maggie, and I had been planning our dream 40th anniversary trip to Maine for years—just the two of us. But when our daughter, Jane, found out, she tried to manipulate us into letting her family join. She guilt-tripped us by claiming the kids would be hurt if they weren’t included. Despite our insistence that this was our special time, she ramped up her efforts, calling daily with demands.

Eventually, my wife was swayed, and we changed our plans to a family-friendly resort in Florida, where we ended up covering most of the costs. But Jane’s entitlement grew. She expected us to babysit, handle bedtimes, and take the kids to the pool so she and her husband could relax. That’s when I realized our romantic trip was turning into a family vacation for them, with us as free childcare.

I called Jane to confront her, explaining that this wasn’t what we wanted. She got angry, and I knew she’d never be satisfied. Without telling anyone, I called the airline and switched our tickets back to Maine. When I told Maggie, she was stunned but supported me.

On our anniversary trip, we had the peaceful, romantic getaway we’d dreamed of. Jane was furious when we told her, but we stood by our decision. The week was perfect, and while Jane might expect an apology, I believe sometimes you need to teach others that your time and boundaries matter too.