The homecomings of many Irish people living abroad for Christmas and during the summer can pose problems for relatives who, however warm their welcome, may not have enough space for a growing family of grandchildren.
This summer, rather than staying with my loving parents, I tried out house-sitting instead.
It was probably the memory of my father shaking his head as my 2 1/2-year-old daughter had yet another temper tantrum. Or maybe we stayed too long.
Whatever it was with last year's visit, I decided that my parents needed a break from us this year.
It wasn't that we didn't want to see them virtually every day when we made our annual trip to Dublin. But I no longer wanted to subject them to the unpredictable routine that is young children on holiday: early mornings running around the house, lazy breakfasts that run into adult lunches, before a decision is made about what to do with the rest of the day.
Tea, bath time, supper, and could granny and granddad perhaps babysit tonight . . .?
Summer Camp Option
No, we had decided, This year the children would all go to a summer camp and enjoy plenty of daily activities such as swimming and art, the kind of things their school timetable in Paris does not allow for. And this year we would all stay elsewhere.
So it was all arranged in advance. We tried house-sitting for a friend who had kindly offered us her home while she was away. And this would also mean that there would not be the expense of a hotel or the oppression of a B & B.
There are in fact short-lets available in Dublin now, such as that provided by Brookman, in Donnybrook Manor, where we stayed for our first week. It is an excellent service, providing everything you could possibly need including a breakfast pack on late arrival. But I couldn't afford a three-week stay there.
While I was price-checking I spoke to another agency which said it was receiving a lot of inquiries from people living abroad like me.
It also received polite inquiries from women looking for a house to let for their sons' family because the (foreign) wife was a "a bit difficult".
Apparently it is still the pressure on bathrooms when the house is full that causes the most tension.
House-sitters Preferred
During my trip I discovered that house-owners are, in fact, often relieved to have their homes occupied while they are away because of the growing fear of crime in Dublin.
This was reconfirmed for me when I told one friend where I was staying. She thought it was such a good way of overcoming the worry about a break-in while on holiday and begged me to house-sit for her next year. She was fed up interviewing students staying in town for the summer to repeat their exams in the autumn, to see if they might be suitable. Another friend complained that she had actually decided to pay somebody to mind her house and even needed to leave a full freezer. The student, however, felt rather put upon to be asked to feed the pet rabbit.
So what's the deal? From talking to friends it appears that it is generally understood that the house comes as is; nobody expects the departing family to have freshly decorated the place. House sitters should replace anything they use, however, and leave it somewhat tidier than they found it, with the linen washed and hung out.
A bonus would be to make up the beds for the returning family. Plants need to be watered, goldfish fed and money left for any telephone calls made. A token present for the returning family was considered a must.
The only real downside to house-sitting is that you really must be organised well in advance. You obviously have to co-ordinate holiday plans with the friends whose house you are staying in early on and that is not always easy for the returning emigrant. Persevere, I say. It worked extremely well for us and I know that my parents would agree wholeheartedly.