Before our greatest wedding anniversary, my wife and I wanted a romantic getaway for two. I finally put my foot down when our daughter tried to force herself and her family along, making all kinds of demands.

My wife and I planned our 40th-anniversary trip for years. Our fantasy vacation to commemorate 40 years of love and relationship was just the two of us. But when Jane, our daughter, heard our plans, everything went wrong.

I hired a charming Maine coast inn to have coffee on the veranda and watch the sunrise over the water with my wife, Maggie. A romantic holiday to recall our early marriage was great.

Jane rushed to our house unannounced when she heard our plans! She pressured my wife to let her, her husband, and their two children join!

“Mom, I just don’t understand how you could leave us out,” Jane exclaimed at dinner after her elder brother, Frank, said we were going on vacation.

“The kids adore and respect you! Imagine their pain if they found out you went on this fantastic trip without them.”