Woman Says Her Family Trades Off Hosting Dinner, but Everyone 'Always Bails' When It's Her Turn

Mar. 15, 2025

Stock photo of family meal.Photo:Getty

Getty

A woman says she’s done hosting family dinners because her loved ones keep finding reasons not to go.

In arecent poston Reddit’s “AITA” (which stands for Am I the A——?), a 24-year-old woman said she comes from a family that “values big Sunday dinners, and we’ve always rotated between whose house we gather at.”

The problem? “Every time it’s my turn to host, my siblings and even my parents seem to come up with last-minute excuses to skip,” she wrote.

The woman went on to say that the last time it was her turn, she “prepared a full meal,” but her sister “canceled an hour before because she ‘wasn’t feeling well.’ ”

Meanwhile, her brother couldn’t go because he “had ‘work stuff.’ ”

“I spent hours prepping and even made special dishes that everyone usually loves,” the woman wrote, adding that “this has happened several times now, and I’m starting to feel like my effort isn’t being appreciated.”

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The woman went on to note that this isn’t a problem everybody in the family deals with.

“Last week, it was my mom’s turn to host, and everyone showed up — no excuses, no last-minute cancellations,” she wrote.

Now, she said that her turn is coming up again, but she doesn’t “feel like going through all the effort” if everybody isn’t going to come.

However, when she told her family “that I was thinking of skipping my turn and letting someone else host,” she said they “got upset.”

“My dad said I was being dramatic and that it’s just how family is sometimes, but I can’t help but feel like I’m always the one getting the short end of the stick,” she wrote, before going on to ask what others thought.

Although the internet isn’t always the most understanding place, the majority of commenters took her side.

“So are you saying that there have been multiple instances in which you invited the whole family to dinner, they said they were coming, you spent lots of time and effort preparing dishes specially intended for them, and then everyone canceled on you at the last minute? That’s bonkers!” read one comment. “Not to mention utterly disrespectful of your efforts.”

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However, other commenters tried to see the family’s side.

“Do you live somewhere hard to get to? Are you a lousy housekeeper? Live someplace your family thinks is ‘scary?’ " read one reply. “Since it’s happened multiple times I wonder if your family is too embarrassed to tell you what the actual issue.”

Still, others shared some ideas on what the woman could try doing in the future. “You could just agree to host then, at the last minute, cancel because you are sick and have work stuff,” read one not so serious reply.

On a more helpful note, another commenter suggested that if the woman does decide to host another dinner, she should just “make a big pot of chili that you can freeze if they don’t come.”

source: people.com