Am I to blame for the family rift?

my parents bought a holiday cottage when we were children and we used to stay there every summer. Three years ago it was falling down, so they offered it to the family to buy. I asked my brother and sister if they wanted to join in but they said no, so my husband and I bought it, and invested a lot to rebuild it. we let it out in the summer to cover costs and have had family to stay several times since. now my oldest nephew wants to take his college friends for a week in august. I pointed out it’s booked then but he can have a week before he goes back to college for a cheap rate. my sister screamed down the phone to me that it was a family home, how dare I charge him? my brother is on my side, my parents are embarrassed – what can I do?

Suzie says:

It was a family home but it now belongs to you. You paid your parents for it and have put your own money into it. Your brother and sister had the chance to buy into this proposal and refused. So the fact that you have invited them to share holidays there with you is a reason for them to thank you. That your nephew thinks he has the right to demand free time at peak holiday season for a teenage party, and feel aggrieved when you introduce him to the facts of life (while generously offering a discount), should be the cue for a loving parent to kick his behind and demand an apology on your behalf. Your brother understands this and I suspect your sister’s outburst is because she does too but feels called upon to defend her graceless son. Stand firm. If she calls again repeat your party line. You offered for it to be a joint enterprise, they refused, so you paid for the house, renovation and upkeep. Offering a family discount is more than generous.