Family shuts off hot water heater for 9 hours a day, gets offended when visiting son-in-law complains: '3 days, 3 freezing showers, 0 heads up'

A lot of people just aren't cut out to be good hosts, but that doesn't exempt them from the duties of hosting.

The reality is that anybody who is a responsible, active part of a family will likely find themselves expected to welcome relatives to stay at one point or another. It is one of the shared responsibilities that comes from an average family life, especially when people live far away from one another. While it is true that it is not always an enjoyable experience, it often proves to be a necessary one for those who want to spend time with their relatives occasionally.

Unless somebody is a truly skilled host, it can be difficult to feel 100% comfortable in a relative's home. If they happen to be your in-laws, that can make the prospect even more daunting. Certain people have a way of making guests feel like they are not meant to be there with their actions, even if their words say otherwise. Having guests can be awkward, but by agreeing to them, a host should also do their best to make them comfortable. When these visits happen to celebrate the holidays, the importance of this is only amplified.

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Arguably, it can be worse to feel like an unwelcome guest than to be a reluctant host. It is confusing when somebody supposedly wants you to stay in their home, then acts the complete opposite when you are there. One man began to suspect this was the case with his in-laws when he and his wife went to stay with them over Christmas. For the three days they had been there, he had faced a cold shower every day and wasn't sure why.
It transpired that his parents-in-law turned off the hot water heater for most of the day, and they were not clear about the timing of this action, either. He was frustrated at this strict but hazy rule, but his in-laws seemed apathetic to how he felt. He wondered if he was just being dramatic or if they were the ones being odd.
AIO for being annoyed that my in-laws keep shutting off their hot water?

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