A woman is devastated after her romantic trip away was ruined by her stepdaughter - in response the mum wants to cancel a birthday surprise she arranged for her.
The woman's husband booked a surprise weekend getaway in the same destination they enjoyed their honeymoon as a birthday gift.
He asked the stepdaughter months in advance if she could come to babysit their younger daughter while the pair were away - and she happily agreed.
But on the woman's actual birthday when the surprise was unveiled, the stepdaughter phoned to ask which dates she would be needed to babysit and dropped the bomb that she could no longer do those dates.
In the Mumsnet post, the woman said her husband was devastated and she now wants to cancel a surprise she has planned for her stepdaughter's upcoming birthday.
The woman, who remained anonymous, wrote: "My Husband had arranged a surprise weekend away for me and him to go back to where we honeymooned (short haul destination), and organised for stepdaughter (20) to come and stay to look after daughter (11).
"He'd arranged it months in advance and arranged the date with stepdaughter prior to booking (I've seen text messages plus a calendar invite which she'd accepted), he says he's also repeatedly discussed it over the phone."
On her birthday, she was over the moon with the present as they had not been on a weekend away in many years.
"When stepdaughter called to wish me happy birthday I thanked her for having daughter whilst we go away, 'aww no problem' she said," wrote the woman.
"Within minutes she phoned my husband asking when we go, she said she could no longer do that date as she had plans that couldn't be changed (night out/seeing friends). There was no apology to either of us, I've not heard from her since, she would normally wish me happy Mother's Day but I didn't hear from her."
At such sort notice there was no other caregiver the couple could turn to. Their daughter is autistic so needs somebody she is comfortable with.
So, unfortunately, they have had to cancel and lose all of the money as no date change was possible.
The woman still feels gutted by the situation and let down by her stepdaughter.
She said: "Her 21st is coming up and I had booked a gorgeous big cottage for a long weekend for us to celebrate, there's room for her to bring her boyfriend and a couple of friends and for some extended family to join us too.
"I paid the deposit last year and now the balance is due and in all honesty I don't want to pay it any more, I feel like cancelling and losing the deposit. Not out of spite, but just a feeling of 'why should I bloody bother?'"
In response, many sided with the frustrated woman and said she should cancel the cottage.
One person wrote: "I think you'd be unreasonable if you didn't cancel the reservation. What she did was so out of order."
While another stated: "You can simply cancel on the basis that she’s not reliably prepared to save dates."
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