To not want to hear all about how much a blardy present cost?

[muffle]

My mum and my MIL both do this and I just can't bear it. Have just had DS birthday and mum to stay so have had a bout of it.

With my mum it's always how cheap it was "I couldn't believe how cheap it was, the stallholder said it's very good quality but they gave me a special price (yes they would say that mum ), there was another one that DS would have loved but it was soooo much more expensive" (goes on to describe the one she didn't get in great detail ).

With MIL it's usually how expensive it was and what a terrible hassle it has been for her to sort out a pressie "I hope the parcel has arrived, you'll see it's not wrapped, that's because I had a DREADFUL rush to get to the post office and it was TERRIBLY expensive to get next-day delivery so it would arrive on time / I hope it hasn't broken because it was JOLLY EXPENSIVE"

Aaarrrrggggh! Do other people's rellies do this? How the hell have they both got to 70-ish without realising that discussing the price of your pressie/what a PITA it was for you to have to buy it/etc. is not good manners? I just find it sooo embarrassing. It's not that I want posh pressies, for me or DS, honestly I would be fine if they sent something small or just a card, but I do not wish to be regaled with the excruciating financial details. Or am I being oversensitive?

[dawntigga]

You're being over sensitive with your mum - she may be proud she got such a good bargain.

As for your MIL she may just want you to know how much she values you - that of course depends on the rest of your relationship with her.

dxx

[christiana]

Message withdrawn

[muffle]

I get on reasonably OK with them both, but find them both pretty stressful. Yes MIL always wants people to know how much money she has spent - but I find it annoying when she focuses on that but can't be arsed to wrap DS's present.

[makipuppy]

There there muffle, has she gone now?

[Itsjustafleshwound]

But do they get on?

Perhaps the thing to do in future is to set out some ground rules or suggestions next time they need to buy presents??

[muffle]

Yes this morning.

I admit I have been wound up by several other things too which probably made it seem worse.

[makipuppy]

I always need to rock myself in a darkened room for an hour or so after such a visit.

DP and I went to see my parents the other day and DP said he wanted to go to the bathroom. My mother told him where it was and how the lightswitch worked (er, you pull the string) but was apparently not convinced he would get the hang of it, so she went right in there with him to make sure.

You have to laugh .

[muffle]

It works well if they ask what DS would like and sometimes they are lovely pressies. I'm not complaining about the pressies themselves - they are sometimes unnecessary or inappropriate but whatever, I'm sure that's normal with grandparents. It is knowing I will have to listen to a great long explanation about the expense and just want the ground to swallow me up and not know what to say. I would never do that to anyone - I wouldn't want to embarrass them.

[muffle]

Oh god yes makipuppy. My mum (my sister does this too) manages to combine instructing everyone on the simplest matters with being quite astonishingly clueless herself about things like how the telly works or how to get to the park that's 2 mins away that she has been to countless times.

[makipuppy]

The best is, you do something really great and all they want to know is which train you got or which airport you went through. Why? Why?

My mother went on a trip to France recently and she's still banging on about how there wasn't enough luggage space on eurostar and the guard had to put it in the next carriage.
My oh my, if he'd know how many times we'd all have to hear that story he'd have squashed it in somehow.

[muffle]

see this is what I was after maki. A lovley rant in like-minded company

[makipuppy]

[christiana]

Message withdrawn

[muffle]

Oh yes my mum (and sister) will do that too but instead of something from home it will usually be something from a charity shop - "I saw this badly broken toy/really useless sling particularly since DS is now 4/hideous coat that you probably would have liked when you were 15 and a goth and thought you might like it" Why? Why did you think that? Now I have to be grateful and haul the fucker out when you come round. Or else say "No, actually I don't want it at all thanks" and you will be all offended. Gah!

[christiana]

Message withdrawn