The 6 types of cancelers

I did it yesterday. Correction, I did it Tuesday before the appointment on Friday. My schedule was choking me (Wednesday evening and Thursday evening information evenings at school, Friday a dinner with friends and Saturday the birthday of our Daniëlle), which also means four evenings of babysitting apart from myself. I always think of the director of a flexible daycare in the Gooi where people who work in TV can also pick up their children late. A rather enthusiastic woman inquired whether she could bring her children six days a week and whether she could pick them up at 9:00 PM. That was not possible, the director replied, and added: ’Then you should have gotten a parakeet.“ Moreover, my oldest is autistic and thrives on calm and not on four months of babysitting. Moral: I also cancel. Although it was with a pain in my stomach. With that, I immediately put myself in category 1.

1. The guilt-ridden canceler

When you cancel, you have a reason for it. You feel guilty and unpleasant anyway and become very unhappy when everyone tries to persuade you otherwise. You have gone through all the scenarios and canceling was really the only option. You will make it up!

2. The nonchalant canceler

You can't really imagine that someone finds it annoying if you don't come. Especially not if it's an event where multiple people are coming. Does it matter that you are missing? You're not that much of a party starter. You don't really have an idea of how important you are to others.

3. The something-better-came-up canceler

Yes, of course that appointment with your friend has been set for a long time, but hey, now you could suddenly go with another friend to the concert of Beyoncé and Jay-Z. She'll understand, right?

4. The there's-always-something canceler

You sprained your ankle, battery dead, acute migraine, your flight was delayed, the dog is sick... Really, you want to, but something always happens at the last minute that prevents it from happening.

5. The larger-than-life canceler

You don't just come up with an excuse, no, a complete Dan Brown novel unfolds for you to cancel your appointment. So you were walking with your mobile and two bottles of wine in a bag over the canals and then a crazy dog came running at you that had its sights set on your new Isabel Marant boots, causing you to stumble and scrape your face over the stones of the canal. And oh yes, the bottles of wine broke, so that's why you couldn't call and the rest of the group was waiting for you all evening.

6. The I-keep-all-options-open type

You don't really cancel but you never say yes either. You listen to the plans, end the conversation with “we'll keep in touch” and move on. At the end of the ride, you pick the best option and join the most fun party.