Help! My Mother is difficult!!

[Emmalee]

For Thanksgiving my mother is planning to fly down to visit me, and I have agreed to pay for her ticket.. which is not a problem for me. She doesn't do well with changing planes so she has asked if I could find a round trip flight with no layovers and flight changes.. so I said ok.. I will be looking. She calls me this afternoon and says her friend has found a non-stop ticket on the exact dates that she wanted to fly and she wants me to buy the ticket NOW.. I explained to her that I cant and I will have to buy the ticket next Friday when I am paid.. she's now fuming. She's afraid that if I wait that long that the flight will be gone and she'll have to choose a flight with a plane change.... she makes changing planes a lot harder then it really is I don't want to make her mad, and I want her to visit, but I can't pay NOW because it will throw my budget off. What can I do?

 

[HoundedByHounds]

sorry, but as a Mom...and having a Mom I love a bunch, I winced at your title. Don't know what else to tell ya.

Good luck sorting things out.

 

[Emmalee]

sorry, but as a Mom...and having a Mom I love a bunch, I winced at your title. Don't know what else to tell ya.

Good luck sorting things out.

I know what you mean.. sorry to offend. I changed the title..

 

[malmo]

You're doing her a favor by buying the ticket. If she could pay for it, she could be really picky with when and what gets purchased. Unfortunately, she needs to work within your timeframe. There is nothing which says that a non-stop flight won't be available next Friday. You'll do your best to find one, but she has to understand your budget.

I guess what I'm saying is -- I think it's okay to stick to your guns.

 

[HoundedByHounds]

Is she AFRAID to change planes or what?
That is stressful..I hate doing it myself...I'm so morbid I think that's twice the chance for crashing LOL.

 

[Emmalee]

You're doing her a favor by buying the ticket. If she could pay for it, she could be really picky with when and what gets purchased. Unfortunately, she needs to work within your timeframe. There is nothing which says that a non-stop flight won't be available next Friday. You'll do your best to find one, but she has to understand your budget.

I guess what I'm saying is -- I think it's okay to stick to your guns.

There is another ticket that is $100 dollars less then the one she wants, I'd rather buy that one.. but there is a plane change..

I think I'll have to stick to my guns like you said.

 

[Emmalee]

Is she AFRAID to change planes or what?

Yes.. lol She's very afraid of changing planes but she CAN do it because she has done it before and she did just fine. She gets confused easily, and because it will be the holiday season it means lots of extra travelers, and that makes her very nervous.. thats why she wants a non-stop flight.

 

[~Jessie~]

She should be thankful that you are paying for her ticket... it seems so rude of her to be that picky when she is getting a FREE ticket.

I'd stick to your guns if I were you. Or, tell your mom that she can pay the extra $100 for the flight she wants.

 

[bubbatd]

How old is she ??? I asked for assistance when my Mom couldn't get through flights . One Christmas during a storm , she had a through flight from Toronto to Indy . Couldn't land here , so went to Ft. Wayne ...then Atlanta and finally Indy . Fun part ... she called me from above ( regular phone on plane ) because she'd never done it before !!! BTW...does she or you have a credit card ?? Payment won't be due for a month . Good luck !!!

 

[Emmalee]

How old is she ??? I asked for assistance when my Mom couldn't get through flights . One Christmas during a storm , she had a through flight from Toronto to Indy . Couldn't land here , so went to Ft. Wayne ...then Atlanta and finally Indy . Fun part ... she called me from above ( regular phone on plane ) because she'd never done it before !!! BTW...does she or you have a credit card ?? Payment won't be due for a month . Good luck !!!

She's in her 40's. Yes I have a credit card but she doesn't, but I want to fit this fight into my budget.. that way I still have enough for upcoming bills, and rent.

Jessie, the $100 is a good idea..

 

[malmo]

I agree with asking her to foot the $100. Tell her you found something in your budget but that it has a layover. If she can fork over the $100 you'll be happy to get her the non-stop flight.

Then stick to your guns. I adore my mom... I think she would understand this even if it frustrated her at first. I hope your mom is the same.

 

[M&M's Mommy]

can you pay with your credit card? This way, you don't really have to pay until it's due..

 

[bubbatd]

You might still get her assistance .......... if she has mental problems . Otherwise , she has to grow up or she's going to really lose out alot in life !!

 

[squirtsmom]

You s hould meet my mother.

 

[smkie]

You might still get her assistance .......... if she has mental problems . Otherwise , she has to grow up or she's going to really lose out alot in life !!

that is what i was thinking Grammy . If it were my mother you wouldn't get her on the plane in the first place nor travel period but she is 82 and that is a good enough excuse. But shoot your mama is 5 years younger then me! She needs to get over it, flip in the 100 and learn to expand her horizons.

 

[Emmalee]

You might still get her assistance .......... if she has mental problems . Otherwise , she has to grow up or she's going to really lose out alot in life !!

She recently flew to Arizona to visit her brother and she had a layover, but she did it.. and she got there safely and back home safely to despite having to change planes, so I KNOW she can do it.. she just thinks she can't.

How can I get assistance? How do I do that. Thats a good idea.

 

[Renee750il]

My mother does that sort of thing all the time. She wouldn't even dial a long distance call herself . . . until my sister went to college. Funny how they can do things when they want

Stick to your guns. If she can't cross the street by herself then I guess she needs to stay in her own yard.

 

[Samantha's pet]

How old is she ??? I asked for assistance when my Mom couldn't get through flights . One Christmas during a storm , she had a through flight from Toronto to Indy . Couldn't land here , so went to Ft. Wayne ...then Atlanta and finally Indy . Fun part ... she called me from above ( regular phone on plane ) because she'd never done it before !!! BTW...does she or you have a credit card ?? Payment won't be due for a month . Good luck !!!

Man, Grammy. You are all about the credit cards. You are going to get us all in debt, lol!

 

[Emmalee]

I talked to my mom again just a few minutes ago. She's pretty frantic.. so afraid the ticket won't be there next Friday. I said it would be there and if it wasn't I would try my best to find her another ticket on A/A (american airlines). She will just have to hold her horses till next weekend.

 

[bubbatd]

#1 ... when you buy your ticket you ask for assistance .... in my case it was a wheel chair for my Mom . #2 Credit cards are ONLY to delay a payment . Example , I had a huge vet bill once and my SS for month had been used up . By puting it on a card , I had 3 weeks to organize my budget . I owe no interest what so ever !!! I pay off monthly , but it gives me enough time to organize .