Rubbish gift from MIL

Get her an AC/DC highway to hell song on CD and matching Tshirt. For birthday or Christmas, whichever comes first.

Or just smile and wave, your son will get over it and has lots to focus on with Uni and will have awsome gifts from you and others. That’s what counts.

@GrandmaJowa I'm guessing you're based in the US? There's a huge cultural difference, with the UK being much more secular. Christian religious gifts are unusual here, and tend to be associated with dogmatic eccentricity rather than family values 😊

Good on grandma? She is a stingy and difficult woman and Christians who force their beliefs on other people are the worst. Plus OP has said her MIL has regular cheek/lip fillers and Botox. Why isn't she happy with the aging face that God gave her?

Agree . AND she knows he’s not religious. A bit forward on her part .

@GrandmaJowa

There's no real evidence that there is a God though, is there?
Or that the bible was written by God?
Or the ten commandments?

So your Christian Faith is make believe.
So, seeing as it's make believe with no actual evidence, MIL gifted something to her grandson which has no use or meaning.

Well, he’ll need Jesus and all the Saints going out into the wild to uni. So better take it as a sign.

I don't think it is judgmental to want to hear both sides of the story. I defend my right, while we are still a democracy, to defend the Christian Faith, no matter how irrelevant it seems to you, in this context. The writer was criticizing her M.I.L.for offering her Grandson a connection she thought would help him in college. Anyway this is simply going round in circles.

Are you not able see how judgemental you’ve been on this very thread? And how you’ve deflected from the GM’s own unchristian behaviour to the church as an institution? (Irrelevant here.)

and from the chaz shop straight to their bin no doubt. There's a bit of irony in your process.

I think I would like to hear Grandma's side of the story. Clearly some serious family issues here. On the subject of 'pushing religion and the criticism from those who expect more of Christians. Don't forget those in church are 'practising' Christians, If they were perfect they wouldn't need to be there. All institutions have imperfections and the church ,at least, tries to put the issues right. Judge not least you yourself are judged and found wanting.

There’s a reason ‘some ‘ well off people are well off and that’s because they are total tightwads when it comes to others but not themselves

I would just mention that you don't have a CD player so she would get more out of it than him as you can't play it.

That sort of patronising comment, very much looking down from the great height of your own religious certainty, really puts people off, @GrandmaJowa.

As for this Grandma, showing some Christian kindness might have got her GS’s attention more effectively - showing interest in him as a person, in what he might need in his future studies. Showing a bit of generosity of spirit. But no, she used her own grandson’s 18th birthday as a chance to attempt to push her religion. It certainly doesn't show her faith at its best.

Then I feel so sorry for him. It happens, but if he does decide to listen to the CD, at least he knows what he is rejecting; he has a choice. From the tone of the post, it seems as if he hasn't been brought up in a Christian home. Good on Grandma, at least she is trying to get his attention. Surely this is between the boy and his Grandmother and doesn't need his Mummy to intervene, especially as he is a grown man, not a child.

The GS has no interest in religion, @GrandmaJowa. OP has made that abundantly clear.

If the USA Thrift Shops are like our UK charity shop then picking up a CD player won't be a problem, especially as the cost of the present is an issue, they can afford to get buy one from a thrift store at least.

I got an oversized polyester jumper from MiL that smelt of body odor one Christmas! This was years before she developed alzheimers.

Are you offering to donate a CD player?

Religious people are weird.

Definitely regift it back to her

I was once gifted a very obviously used and old travel hairdryer in a box that was so battered and falling apart it had been sellotaped together. I mean wtah……. Seriously I would honestly rather she hadn’t bothered getting me anything at all than passing off her old tat as a gift. (It was nothing to do with money either, she was very well able to afford a decent gift) It went straight to the charity shop!

I don’t think you come across as entitled at all. My MIL is a taker. She wants to be taken out to fancy restaurants and theatre shows. Which for some bizarre reason we do. She was a shit mother to my husband and let his father emotionally abuse him and their other two children who now as adults are messed up. The “Taker” also gives shit presents that are either 2nd hand from the charity shop or found in a skip. It makes me very angry. Not entitled. Disgusted.

Perhaps she thought that opening his mind to the Christian Faith would help him in his adult life. Who is the one really objecting here? Just leave it be. Be thankful for small mercies. She remembered his birthday, and who knows what benefit it will carry when he does listen to it.

At least she bothered.
It was my DS' 17th birthday on Friday and not one of his arsehole aunts (DHs sisters) even bothered to say happy birthday, no call, no message, fuck all.
In fact they have never once bothered as they conveniently "forget" every year, same as they do most times with DD.
What makes it worse is the day before DS' birthday is one of their sons birthday and they get the full Facebook post about how wonderful they are with photos from them all. Bunch of nasty hags.

With your MIL do not make effort with her gifts after that. How rude.

Maybe she imagines him with a coke habit and wants him to be reminded of the words of Jesus when cutting up lines?