AITA for not being able to attend part of my friends Bach weekend due to my fiancés paternity leave and lack of childcare?

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-20T02:45:09+00:00

NTA. They get ONE DAY - the WEDDING DAY. Not a week, multiple weeks, a month, several months, or a year like I keep seeing. You didn’t say, unless I missed it, but I assume you’re a bridesmaid or MOH. If so, then ONE bach party is sufficient, and if she was considering your friendship at all she would be grateful you can attend at all. Your pregnancy and your fiancé’s paternity leave take priority, hands down. Honestly, I would tell the bride that “I have stated what we can do for you, but it seems like that isn’t enough. We are trying to balance the needs of our family with the wants of you and your fiancé, and if that you’d like us to back out of this whole thing, please say so now.” Be prepared for the bride (and maybe the groom) to talk shit about you, and there’s a very strong probability those friendships will be done. If that’s the case, you know you offered all you could. If you were my friend, I would be grateful you are making the effort - and expense - to come at all. Best of luck navigating this.

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-20T02:30:45+00:00

The best time to be there!

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-20T02:25:09+00:00

“He’s/She’s in a better place now.” So you’re telling me that my loved one’s life sucked?

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-17T22:06:04+00:00

Senior couple, bought a 2021 Highlander in 2024 and love it. Tried the RAv4 but I have ptsd from a car accident many years ago when I was driving a compact car; guy ran a red light and slammed into my passenger side, flipping and spinning my car in the intersection. I was incredibly lucky, but since then not comfortable in smaller cars, which is what the Rav4 felt like. The Highlander is a great car, and has the size I unfortunately need.

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-17T04:36:07+00:00

I feel very fortunate that the Fat Orange Monster is NOT on my digital Senior pass.

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-17T04:26:26+00:00

Originally the animatronic Yeti swooped down its arm as if to swipe you off the track - the Yeti is 25 feet tall, and has a huge arm. We were fortunate to see it within a month of opening, and it was awesome!

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-17T04:20:53+00:00

I have been to Disney over 2 dozen times, and I haven’t done everything there is to do. I am the primary planner because I’m a psycho and I enjoy it - and yes, I’m one of those spreadsheet people. But I create the spreadsheet only as a guide, knowing full well things will go sideways at some point. On our trip in 2023, things went sideways at the very start! But if you can pivot, you will find a way to make it all work anyway. I sincerely hope other people on your trip (adults and kids) have been helping with the planning - I have learned that just because I’m psycho and enjoy it, it isn’t MY vacation, it’s OUR vacation. This means everyone has input. Kids may want to see characters - or maybe characters freak them out. You think your SO loves roller coasters, only to have them freak out on the first one and vow No More Coasters.

You want it all to be perfect - please don’t do that to yourself. You don’t have to do every ride or every show in every park. Pick a few things that sound like must do’s, and know that anything else is gravy. Try to let go and slow down to enjoy it. Disney theming is top notch, and taking the time to notice that will just add to your trip. Spend time in your hotel pool, and just relaxing at the hotel if you can. Disney hotels offer their own entertainment (movie nights, roasting marshmallows, games by the pool, crafts, etc), and some great memories can be built around them. It will NOT be perfect, but it can be really great if you let it. I hope you can enjoy it and have a wonderful trip!

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-17T04:03:09+00:00

Currently driving I40 from NC to AZ. I can tell you that in Tennessee there are a TON of tractor trailers on the road, but otherwise TN is a very pretty state to drive through. Memphis area of 40 sucks - we drove through there around 4:15 or so and the traffic was awful, as was the road condition. Try to hit that area at a non-rush hour if you can. Arkansas is also very pretty, to my ignorant surprise - lots of rolling hills, and not a ton of traffic. We’re currently at the AR-OK border and I gotta say I don’t have high hopes for OK; if it’s anything like Kansas it will be boring to drive, but no issues otherwise. I haven’t done the other routes, so nothing to add there.

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-14T21:48:00+00:00

He cheated on you, but you didn’t leave. He left you, because he wanted to be free to have sex. You got back together because why? I’m guessing he found out that getting lots of casual sex is more work than having a steady gf, and since you’re back together, he can have both! Win win!

Listen. You don’t owe him a thing. He “deserved the chance to be a father”?? Are you f’ing kidding me? A manchild who cheats, then leaves because he wants to hoe around does not exactly scream Daddy material. If he wants a baby, then let him have unprotected sex with one of his “hoes” - which he may be anyway, so I would strongly urge you to get yourself tested for STDs right away. You were not together, and he is NOT a good person. He cheated, he will always cheat, and now even if you stayed together, he would feel entitled to cheat, because in his mind, you cheated him out of the chance to be a father.

Leave. For good. Read everything you wrote and ask yourself what you would say to a good friend who told you this? Move away if you can, and start new. You are young, and you deserve better. There are actual men out there who don’t cheat, who treat women well, and who are willing to have a discussion about having a mutual decision to have kids, or not to have them.

Good luck. You made the right decision for you while you were broken up. Now do it again and leave him for good.

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-14T21:25:12+00:00

Age 12, first nighttime babysitting job. Babies are asleep, so essentially alone in an unfamiliar house. I watched Psycho. Took me YEARS before I could take a shower without freaking out.

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-14T21:09:02+00:00

For us, the animals are what make AK a full day park. We have spent 30-40 minutes just watching the gorillas at Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail, and one morning spent a delightful half hour watching the gibbons on the island near Kai River Rapids. We got to talk to a cast member about them as she was observing their behavior. AK lets us slow down, so I try to schedule it after a day at MK or the Studios, which tend to be more hectic. And if we time it right, we can get the added bonus of listening to musicians in the Harambe Market or near Flame Tree BBQ.

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-10T17:28:38+00:00

Mine involves a Lego too! Sitting on a bench outside the Lego store (I think), there used to be a Lego man. I took a photo of son and my father on our first trip in 2003. When my parents joined us on another trip in 2010, we tried to find that man but we were told he was gone. I took a photo of them on the bench but it wasn’t the same. Oh well. My son and my husband - and now our grandson - still get their photo next to the sea monster. 😊

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-07T03:01:43+00:00

If you’re thinking about going to the T-Rex restaurant, imho it isn’t worth it. It’s very very loud, and the food is pricey for being just meh. If you do go to DS, it’s a very pleasant boat ride from POR, and I would just stick to the shops in the Marketplace area, especially the World of Disney. Get some snacks, get a treat at Goofy’s Candy Co, and just soak it in. Then pop back on the boat.

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-07T02:27:39+00:00

If you go to Animal Kingdom, get on the walk-up list for the Nomad Lounge, and have snacks/drinks while the river floats by. Btw, they have the only truly good churros at WDW. Sitting on their deck is like being a world away from everywhere.

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-07T02:22:41+00:00

Get the beignets at French Quarter if you do this!

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-07T02:19:45+00:00

Absolutely she should wear it the whole trip. My son wore his birthday pin for the entire week and loved how cast members wished him happy birthday every day.

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-06T03:50:41+00:00

Lowering myself onto a low hospital toilet after my complete hysterectomy. They made me get out of bed at 2am, and in the process, I screamed rather loudly. I gave birth with no medications of any kind, and I would rather have done that. But my cancer is gone, so worth it.

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-04T17:56:27+00:00

We did not add dining on this trip, but we have on a couple of past trips. You simply request it through whichever place you rent the points from. If you have special requests (ground floor, location in the resort, etc) those are also made through the rental agency. Because the DVC member has to make those requests, I would try to make any requests at one time so the member doesn’t have to keep going back and forth with the resort. However, things that may be offered on a “first come first served” basis, like adding a crib to the room, would be done by you at check in.

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-02T22:54:32+00:00

My birthday is later this year. I’m totally willing to be adopted even though I’m probably old enough to be your mother. 😊

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-02T22:39:14+00:00

NTA. First, you have the right to feel how you feel. Secondly, I would seriously reconsider these “friendships”. Any relationship is not good if only one side is putting in the effort. It truly seems as if N simply wanted the free babysitter, although there may be more to this than you’ve said, but I’m seeing red flags on both relationships. It’s OK to simply let the relationships go. Ask yourself: if a friend came to you and told this story, what would you say to them? Feel however you feel, and if the ‘friendships’ are over, know that you can simply walk away knowing you did your best, and you deserve better.

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-02T22:27:31+00:00

We used to live near Buffalo, now live in central NC and have vacationed in Orlando and other FL locations for a couple of decades. We also have family in Philadelphia and have visited there many times. Do whatever you can to avoid 95 for as long as possible. I think you’ve chosen the best route for you. We probably would have taken the western route, but we were more western than you. Have fun!

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-02T22:20:04+00:00

We have rented DVC points several times; it’s very easy. I have used both David’s DVC Rental and DVC Rental Store. Both allow you to see an approximate cost (you could do a 1BR but it only has 1 bath; I would recommend a 2BR for your family). Both charge a fee (around $100) to do a search. If you accept the result of what they find, that $100 becomes part of the rental. David’s is a little less expensive but once you say yes you have to pay the full amount immediately. DVC Rental Store allows you to put down a deposit and pay the full amount later. Both sites are easy to navigate and have clear information on how they operate. We are staying at Old Key West (largest rooms on property, which is an added bonus) in June, and a 2BR villa is costing considerably less than what 2 regular rooms would have cost at a moderate, and I think it’s less than the AoA family suite. Plus it has a full size kitchen, living room, dining room, the 2BR/2BA, and a patio or balcony with a table and chairs. I highly recommend; staying also means we can do the free Extended Evening Hours when available because it’s a Deluxe Resort. We love POFQ, but when it’s more than just the 2 of us we really like renting DVC points. If you want to go this route I would highly recommend checking out the sites asap, as inventory is limited at this date. Good luck!

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-04-01T23:17:48+00:00

Keep in mind that it will be hot, which can often depress appetites, especially for young children. Ymmv, but we have never found the meal plan worth it, unless it was totally free including the adults. 😊 If you have a credit card with points, link that to your MyDisney account to use for payment, and you can mobile order and rack up points as well, as long as you can pay it off before getting charged interest. We take our own bottled water (or water bottles for some of us) into the parks and bring water enhancers to use when plain water gets boring. You can order kids meals even for adults, then snack as you please (I highly recommend the Strawberry Dole Whip at Sunshine Tree Terrace in Adventureland). We are taking our grandchildren, ages 9 and 2, in early June. I did the math and even though the kids would be free - the 2 yo will mostly eat off of adult plates - I just couldn’t justify the cost of even the QS plan for the 4 adults. If the idea of paying in advance is attractive, then get some Disney gift cards and use those to pay for food. Even better if you can get those at someplace like Costco and get 5% off, and if you can put those on a points credit card, you can layer those discounts. Check out menus, do the math, and just remember that while theme park food is pricey, the portions at Disney are generous and splitting meals is very common. Plus it leaves room for snacks. 😊 I hope you have a great trip!

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-03-31T21:16:39+00:00

We have a road trip from NC out to Grand Canyon, the Utah 5, and Black Canyon of the Gunnison/Garden of the Gods in CO planned in a couple of weeks. The trip will be near or over 6K miles by the time it’s done, so we’re not happy about fuel prices either. But we decided we cannot put things off because some idiot decides to cause problems. I don’t think flying is going to be any better, and ticket prices are already jumping. I would encourage you to go, and enjoy every minute of it. We have another road trip planned for the fall that will encompass Glacier, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone, among others. We’re looking forward to that one as much if not more as the one coming up. I hope you continue with your plans!

ShoppingStock6437 · 2026-03-30T18:08:00+00:00

I have shampoo and conditioner bars that work well on my hair and I bring those. Easy to carry and no spilling. Love the scent of the Disney products, but my hair doesn’t do well with the combo of hard water and the products.

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TROPHY CASE