fatties in the back

The question:
My aunt and uncle are "large" people. In the past we have had to be extremely cautious about where they sit when they come visit. Our furniture is mostly hand-me-downs and not overly sturdy.

They have, on occasion, broken the furniture because of their weight. We have had to have our kitchen chairs reglued, and once a chair was destroyed beyond repair. They have never ever offered to make amends for the furniture they have damaged.

We are about to order a new dining room set and living room furniture. Naturally, we don't want these broken. My husband has suggested giving them only sturdy folding chairs to sit on, but I don't want to embarrass them or make them feel unwelcome.

Is there a way to protect our furniture without hurting or offending my aunt and uncle? We don't have the money to constantly replace broken items. --

The answer:

Wow! You must have huge relatives or, really crappy furniture. Either way I am sure it is an embarrassing situation for all involved.

Suggesting they only sit on folding chairs would be rude and hurtful. You may need to reinforce your furniture and caution all in attendance at a family gathering that, your furniture is frail and fragile and make a public declaration that only certain chairs are reliable. It is a tricky situation when some fattys break your furniture.

As far as them never offering to pay to replace anything that you received second hand in the first place, well I guess they felt it was the defective chair who was at fault. It is the job of a good host or hostess to insure the comfort of all guests. If some of your stuff cant take the heat, keep it out of the kitchen.