You may be too busy to care, but your son is feeling alienated. The father looked at his wife like she had lost her mind. I thought you were dragging me away from my work for something really important. Not over a summer vacation. Home Leave is the biggest holiday break on the expat calendar.
Kids compare plans all the time.
One kid is going to Europe, another on an African safari, still another to New Zealand. The husband looked doubtful. I find it hard to believe that our son is even capable of looking that far ahead. If you tell him what he's going to do next week he can barely fathom the concept. And I keep telling you I don't know and won't know for weeks.