Stories. Questions. Different perspectives.
Browse WAURE
← Advice & Questions
Parenting · Advice & Questions ·

How do I undo a family holiday vote when we hadn't agreed what we could afford?

Parenting category photographParenting

My ten-year-old taped the family ballot to the fridge. "The resort won. You said we all got a vote."

I had put three holiday ideas on the table because I wanted the children involved. Two picked the resort, my partner chose the cabin and I chose a city break. I called that a win before checking the full cost. The resort now looks beyond what we can spend without dropping other plans we value.

My partner says we should simply explain that parents make the final decision. I agree that the adults own the budget, but we introduced a vote as though the options were already workable. My daughter has started telling her cousin where we're going.

Nothing is booked. How would you withdraw the result and offer a real choice within the limits, without teaching the children that a family vote counts only when it gives the answer the adults wanted?

Discussion

1 community replies

Own the order of events: you invited a vote before checking whether each option was available. That is different from the children choosing badly. Say that you announced a result too soon, rather than blaming their votes for the budget problem.

Join the discussion

More in Parenting