My wife's family has a 'points system' for chores at the lake house and it's getting ridiculous.
By @liamfr · Family
Every summer we go to her parents' lake house. For years, they've had this chart on the fridge where you get points for doing stuff like dishes or mowing. Now they're trying to use it to decide who gets the best bedrooms.
The full story
My wife's family owns a lake house. It's a nice place. We go up there a few times every summer, usually with her siblings and their families. Years ago, my mother-in-law made this chore chart. It started as a joke, I think. A way to get the grandkids to help out. You get points for doing stuff. 1 point for taking out the trash. 5 for cleaning a bathroom. 10 for mowing the lawn. You get the idea. At the end of the weekend, the person with the most points would get a gag gift or something. It was fine. But it's turned into something else. Her brother is super competitive about it. He'll race to do the dishes after dinner just to log the points. His wife is just as bad. They keep a running tally on their phones. This year, they decided the points will determine who gets what room for next summer's big family week. The master bedroom with the private bathroom is now the grand prize for the family with the most points for the whole season. The room with the busted air conditioner and lumpy mattress? That's for last place. I refuse to participate. I do my share. I clean up my family's mess, I help carry the boat cover, I grill when it's my turn. I'm not a freeloader. But I'm not going to run around like a maniac trying to rack up points so I don't have to sleep in the hot room. I'm a grown man. I told my wife this is stupid. We're on vacation. It should be relaxing, not some competition to see who can scrub the most toilets. they says I'm being a bad sport and making things awkward. She wants me to just play along so we can get a decent room next year. I told her I'd rather sleep in the car. It's turned into a real standoff. Now I'm the bad guy because I won't 'participate in family fun.' This isn't fun, it's a job.
How people voted
- OP Is Right — 29% (24 votes)
- Both Messy — 33% (27 votes)
- OP Is Wrong — 39% (32 votes)
Readers are split: “OP Is Wrong” leads with 39% — 83 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@colemaybe — On their side. That sounds exhausting. A vacation shouldn't feel like a second job with a performance review.
@sashaee — What happens if there's a tie in points?
@laneliterally — nothing says relaxing vacation like competing for a bedroom.
@kim — my family did this with a white elephant gift exchange and two of my aunts didn't speak for six months lol.
@remyok2 — L brother in law.
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