THE HOLIDAY ISN’T PANNING OUT

Q My boyfriend and I have just finished Grade 11. My family and I invited him to enjoy a holiday with us in July when we went to the coast and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. His family is planning their summer holiday and I had hoped they would invite me, but it doesn’t seem to be happening.

What can I do to get them to invite me? My boyfriend and I had such a fun time in July, and I would want to repeat the experience. His family is very friendly and nice, so I do believe that holidaying with them would be fun too. Zandra, email

A There are many possible reasons why his family can’t or don’t want to invite you on their summer holiday.

It could be that they don’t have enough space to accommodate you. Or perhaps they can’t afford to take you along.

It could also be that they want to spend some family time alone. They may also think that your parents would want you to be with them during the summer holidays.

The fact that they have not invited you along doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t like you. It may simply be that they want to be on their own as a family, and you need to honour this. It’s not necessarily about you and your boyfriend, or about your relationship.

Whether they invite you or not is their decision to make, and you shouldn’t try to influence it in any way. Accept that they may have legitimate reasons for doing so.

Try to keep an open mind and don’t let this issue get in the way of you enjoying your holiday.

‘BE HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU HAVE WHILE WORKING FOR WHAT YOU WANT’

– HELEN KELLER, AMERICAN AUTHOR AND ACTIVIST