AIBU to count my son’s bedroom makeover as a birthday gift?

I did this for my DD’s birthday when she was younger and she still talks about how great it was even now. Did the same for my DSs one Christmas and ditto.

I think the gaming furniture and light count as they are exciting things. If you were just repainting his room and getting boring new drawers etc then no.

I'd count it. Certainly when we most recently did it for our kid they were more excited by that than any present.

The privilege on this thread is astounding & certainly explains why entitlement is rife these days.

OP, YANBU to include your child’s bedroom-makeover as a partial birthday gift. It sounds like this makeover includes many items that exceed the basics & what is truly necessary for a child’s bedroom. Moreover, you have also organised a party for your child & bought additional gifts. This is plenty. Following on from your further posts, anyone who suggests your DS doesn’t have enough birthday gifts, including the bedroom upgrade, clearly has no concept of ‘enough’. It’s genuinely sad to see so many people confusing love, thoughtfulness & care with material items & excess.

Consequently, I feel YADBU for allowing yourself to be so heavily influenced by people who do not know you, your child or your personal circumstances. You appear to have ignored everyone who has suggested that what you have already purchased & arranged for your Child’s birthday is enough. Some of the responses upthread are wild & wrongly suggest that a parent who includes a bedroom makeover as a birthday gift, partial or otherwise, is doing something wrong. This is not true & people should do what they can without the pressure to spend more or, potentially, get into debt. This demonstrates a shocking lack of awareness where the current financial pressures associated with life & parenting are concerned. This is very much a first world problem & our children are being failed by adults who are fixated on all the wrong things; that is, more gifts, more stuff.

I genuinely hope your DS has a lovely birthday.

Yabu

I did my sons as a birthday gift around that age. Yes, it’s fine and lovely. Choose some cool stuff, cool lighting, rug, bedding, some cool accessories relating to his hobbies, I think it’s a nice thing to have for a kids birthday.

What’s wrong with you??? OP doesn’t need people being rude. And there’s plenty of people on here whose children have loved having their room redecorated as a present.

Exactly, a room drcoriatikn can mean different things to different people though. Some people would only decorate their kids bedrooms in line with their aesthetics for their home and choices.thats not really a present.
but if you are going to decorate it so it’s personal to your child, a mural, bedding of their team or characters they like, cushions, cool lighting, rug of their teams or interests, then that’s a personal present and over and above just repainting the room with blue and white stripes and replacing the wardrobe for example.

Yes absolutely fine. My daughter asked for a room makeover for her 6th birthday. She got to pick it all out along with a few surprise presents and a garden party with friends. Birthdays don’t have to be over the top.
She told us her favourite present was getting to sleep in our bedroom whilst it was being done!

Things to go in his room = yes they can be presents.
Painting the walls, replacing the rug etc = no, not presents.

I think YABU but I have friends who told me quite happily that their DDs birthday present was a new bed (or carpet, I can’t remember which) - I found it really odd but if it worked for them (&you) then fine.

I agree with this. It’s not fair at that age to make it a birthday treat.

It just seems like redecorating/updating to me, not birthday related.
Nice that it's his choice etc.
If you already have gifts for him and party surely that's the birthday bit

We revamped DD for her 8th birthday last year. Admittedly the room didn't need painting or carpet, but we bought a wardrobe with mirrored doors, a small desk & chair, small bookcase and a bedside table (she was desperate for one!). We also bought new curtains, lampshade, duvet cover & bedside light. I set it all up whilst she was at school and then covered the doorway with birthday wrapping paper so she could 'open' her present.
We also bought her a few other gifts (including a couple of decorative items for her room) and put them all on the floor in the middle of her room. She absolutely loved it, and was extremely happy & excited with her birthday bedroom makeover! We all sat on the bedroom floor whilst she opened her gifts & explored her new room.
Could you do the painting beforehand and then add the new furniture etc on the day of him birthday? Hope he loves it!

i think the trick is to wrap up stuff that's going in his room. if it doesn't work as a wrapped up present then it doesn't count. a cool Minecraft lamp would work, a green floor rug not so much.

but he is getting presents and a party so I don't think you need to go out and spend more just so you can say you spent X in him. no one cares. is it cos you're trying to even put spending with a sibling?

The OP is absolutely free to remind him on the day that his main birthday present is his renovated room.

But this Isn’t an 18 year old we’re talking about here. This is a 7 year old turning 8…. It’s all about walking in and seeing your presents and having the thrill of unwrapping them!

Good question

This happened to me when I was a kid and I thought it was great, I got a small budget and could pick things out @QuirksAndCardigans and I was fine with it being part of my present. I was about 9 I think.

We did this for our DS when he turned 9. Painted, new bed, gaming desk and then got some cool wall stickers and led lights etc. he absolutely loved it and was so proud of his new room. He's just turning 13 and we are planning the next room upgrade. He still had presents to open on his birthday but the room makeover was definitely part of his present. I have a video of the big reveal and he was delighted! You know your DS and what he would like, go with what you feel.

i don’t get why decorating and providing furniture is a gift? Shouldn’t you be doing that anyway? Is new school clothes a gift too?

I redecorated DS' room this year, it was quite babyish lots of rainbows , clouds etc and he's 7 now, so his new room just has plain walls and everything else is done with accessories that can be changed, he's gone for a nautical theme, and got to choose bedding, curtains, rug, accessories, mainly from a selection I found or for example he said I want a really cool picture of a giant squid so I found one and framed it. He also got a high sleeper with a desk underneath and storage. It's a life stage change, I wouldn't count it as a birthday present. Maybe something like the neon light as an extra present or Christmas stocking filler, but an 8 year old doesn't want a rug and some Dulux for his birthday.

I think some posters are being a bit harsh. DS5 had a Toy Story bedroom makeover as his main present this year. He fell asleep and we very quietly changed his duvet and put wall stickers, a new clock and light up and put his new toy Buzz and Woody in bed with him and loads of balloons so the whole room was themed. He loved it when he woke up and thought it was magic. I patted myself on the back that it was a really creative way to give him his toys, NOT that I was being tight and palming off decorating as a present. (If the room had needed painting/furniture we’d have still done similar just we’d have sent him out with the grandparents in the day and done it whilst he was out.) I certainly didn’t stress that he didn’t have many other presents from us. I think PP are right that wrapping items for the room or having to ribbon cut the room is a great way to add excitement and make it into a treat. Our DS did have a couple of other small bits to open from us, and tickets for a day out, but because saw friends/family he also got lots of other presents NOT from us and to be honest I don’t think he ever even considered how much we “got” him. You know your own child OP and you know your own budget. Do what works for you.

I don’t really understand your problem, you’ve already got him other gifts to open. How many presents does he need?

if you want the room to be a gift to bulk up the present so he can say he got a bigger number of gifts just wrap up some of the cool things he choose like the gaming chair, the new art work or the other gaming theme things you got him.

Oh gosh, no. Sorry, but I think that’s a bit unreasonable.

I agree with this.
Decorating a room isn't really a birthday present.