The prosecution: Marlene
double quotation markDani is 24 – if she makes a mess, she needs to clean it up herself. Let this be a learning experience
For our 10-day summer holiday, I booked and paid for an Airbnb villa in Malta. In total it cost €1,100 for our family of four: me, my husband, Derek, and our two kids, Dani, 24, and Jamie, 19. Dani came for four days and the rest of us stayed for the entirety.We had a nice time, but Dani and Jamie left their part of the villa in a complete mess, and I only found out after we’d left. Dani had her own wing, which I didn’t check, and after we got home I received a message from the host. They sent pictures of her room, with rubbish bags and crumbs all over the counter and a broken vase. She hadn’t told us about the vase; I only found out from the host.There was a £100 cleaning fee included in the booking, but they said that only covers basics like washing bed linen and cleaning the floors. It doesn’t cover damage, so I was charged an extra £50 for the broken vase.Dani says I should have disputed it, but I just wanted to get it sorted. I told her that actions have consequences, and asked her to pay the extra fee for the breakage. She did, but now says we should dispute the charge through Airbnb.Dani said she broke the vase by accident, which I believe of course. But at 24, she’s not a child any more. If you make a mess, you clean up after yourself. Jamie also got a telling off for leaving his room in a mess, but he didn’t break anything.Dani is a working girl, so asking her to pay isn’t too big a deal. That’s what being an adult means: you contribute fairly, and you take responsibility when you mess up. I shouldn’t have to check on my grown-up children when we go away. We paid for the holiday so they should show us some gratitude. I’m not going to shoulder the cost of their mistakes.I think this is about more than money – it’s about respect and responsibility. I organised this trip to bring us together as a family, but instead I’ve ended up being embarrassed by the host’s complaint and stuck with an extra bill.The defence: Dani
