Dear Abby,
My father and stepmother own a vacation home in another state, and they kindly invite us to visit every year. While I genuinely appreciate the gesture, there’s one ongoing issue that’s making these trips difficult: the guest room sofa bed is incredibly uncomfortable—so much so that I can’t get a decent night’s sleep.
They seem convinced the bed is wonderful, likely because other guests have told them so. Personally, I suspect those guests were just being polite. I can’t imagine anyone actually sleeping well on it.
Since we have to fly in, dropping by for just the day isn’t realistic. But the thought of several sleepless nights is enough to make me dread the trip. At the same time, I feel guilty even thinking about telling them the real reason I hesitate to visit. I don’t want to seem ungrateful or offend them, but I’m running out of polite excuses.
How can I be honest without hurting their feelings? Or is there another way to approach this situation?
Sincerely,
Sleepless in New York