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Original poster

What is the most random gift your children have ever got you?

31 replies

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 19/12/2025 18:24

DH and I obviously help our primary aged children with appropriate gifts for birthdays, Christmas. But they like to do their own thing too.

Last birthday, I opened an "extra" gift from 6yo DD2. It appeared to be a scrap of blue latex. Closer inspection showed it was the tied-off end of a defunct balloon.

She was absolutely swelling with pride - "I got you a balloon, but this way, you don't need to worry about it bursting and making you jump!"

Very thoughtful in its way. What are your best random child offerings?

OP posts:
PatChaunceysFruitCake · 19/12/2025 18:26

When my daughter was about 2 / 3 DH took her to Sainsburys to choose a Mother’s Day gift. He said she could choose anything in the shop that she thought I’d like. She chose a jar of Branston’s pickle.

‘Mummy really likes this in sandwiches’

bloomchamp · 19/12/2025 18:28

I got a skipping rope. Not for me to use, it was gifted to me by my then 6 year old so I could have a nice sit down and count how many skips she did lol

Redheadedstepchild · 19/12/2025 19:07

Not my child but many years ago, my friend took her eight year old son back to Strasbourg to have an operation to correct his eyes a bit.

He came back with a toothpick holder in the shape of half timbered Strasbourg house with a chimney full of of wooden picks and an outsized stork with a big beak stuck on the side all gift wrapped "For Tatie Kathy."

It was a lovely thought and I treasure it to this day nearly twenty years later but I did think, "You're a tough one, Audrey. Poor kid's just been through surgery and now he's had to go out souvenir shopping with his pocket money."

Maybe they went out before the operation but still. He's all grown up now with a son of his own.

Picture the scene:

"Are you alright? You must be tired? Here's a chocolate for being brave."
"Oh no, Tatie, I got you this!"

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Christmas General shopping
blankcanvas3 · 19/12/2025 19:14

DS used to collect his favourite piece of rubbish that he spotted at school for me. Highlights include: multiple crisp packets, an alarming amount of pencil shavings and another child’s lost birthday card

Astrial · 19/12/2025 19:21

Not exactly random, but my 3 year old gas started proudly bringing home "baking" from nursery. I am eying these misshapen products up as biohazards. She is super excited and thrilled with her creations. I have been wracking my brains as to how to dispose of them.

My genius sister's proposed we leave them out on Christmas eve "for santa".

Any ideas what to do with them after Christmas, though?

TheNightingalesStarling · 19/12/2025 19:23

I got a Minions Easter egg for Mothers Day.

Original poster
JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 19/12/2025 20:19

The Branston pickle and random bits of rubbish are killing me!

OP posts:
FuckoffeeBeforeCoffee · 19/12/2025 20:20

A 6ft inflatable giraffe.

It went straight in the loft, unopened, where it remains.

VioletBelle · 19/12/2025 20:23

I’m a single parent so just me, so we started going to the shops and my kids would choose things for me, as my birthday is in October it sort of became a thing that they started buying me Halloween related stuff, they are preteens now and they still do it, I got a Halloween pumpkin bucket one year.

LML1989AL · 19/12/2025 20:25

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 19/12/2025 18:24

DH and I obviously help our primary aged children with appropriate gifts for birthdays, Christmas. But they like to do their own thing too.

Last birthday, I opened an "extra" gift from 6yo DD2. It appeared to be a scrap of blue latex. Closer inspection showed it was the tied-off end of a defunct balloon.

She was absolutely swelling with pride - "I got you a balloon, but this way, you don't need to worry about it bursting and making you jump!"

Very thoughtful in its way. What are your best random child offerings?

Not exactly random, but definitely not wanted

Last year my toddler gave me an address book, yes a 2 year old. And it was hideous leather thing.

DH had taken him to Waterstones and laid out 3 books for him to pick from to gift me, well he spotted a random book and insisted he wanted that one, apparently proceeded to have the mother all melt downs, DH just paid for the book, forget what had happened until 11pm Christmas Eve (he was planning on ordering one of the books - which were the only things I’d asked for) so had to wrap the address book.

IidentifyastheGrinch · 19/12/2025 20:26

I bought my mum an ashtray as a gift when I was a child- she detested smoking to the point we never went to restaurants etc because it was before the time indoor smoking was banned . In my defence I just thought it was a pretty dish!

Orangepate · 19/12/2025 20:27

When I was a child we lived in Belgium, I bought my mother a stainless steel snail dish with 9 indentations in it, because I liked the shape. 50 years later she still laughs about it.

nbee84 · 19/12/2025 20:28

My nephew bought his mother (named Carol) a lovely necklace with an 'M' on it. After she gently questioned him why 'M' he said it was M for Mummy 😆

Christmaseree · 19/12/2025 20:30

Three years ago my then mid 20’s DC bought me a Sylvanian Family kitchen set complete with four little Sylvanians!

sharkstale · 19/12/2025 20:32

When my brother was about 6, my step dad took us shopping to get xmas presents for my mum. My brother chose her a giant plastic grasshopper 😂 she still has it 30 years later lol

Orangepate · 19/12/2025 20:32

I had three siblings, every birthday and Mothers Day my Dad would buy a box of Milk Tray, a bunch of spray carnations, a pair of tights(!) and a bottle of Aqua Manda perfume, we each had to give her one thing and always fought over who would give her the chocolates.
I’m retrospect I feel a bit sorry for her..

Christmaseree · 19/12/2025 20:33

Orangepate · 19/12/2025 20:32

I had three siblings, every birthday and Mothers Day my Dad would buy a box of Milk Tray, a bunch of spray carnations, a pair of tights(!) and a bottle of Aqua Manda perfume, we each had to give her one thing and always fought over who would give her the chocolates.
I’m retrospect I feel a bit sorry for her..

They sound like nice presents.

TheChosenTwo · 19/12/2025 20:34

A yellow squirrel candle - because he knew my favourite colour was yellow and I also love candles so not totally off the wall. The squirrel shape however… 😂

Returnedforthefudge · 19/12/2025 20:37

I once got some light up spokey-dokeys . The ones you put on bike wheels. My exh was the purchaser though so I blame him ( I did have a bike for occasional rides but was also 45 at the time!)

Original poster
JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 19/12/2025 20:56

M is for Mummy is so cute 😍

Also the giant plastic grasshopper.

DS is currently making DH a "beautiful Christmas picture of a spiked worm". I'm just kinda letting that one go

OP posts:
MargaretThursday · 19/12/2025 21:02

My favourite child present was getting dh a birthday present. She must have been about 2 or 3 at the time. She chose it herself and we talked about keeping it secret as a surprise.
Dh was hardly in the door when she flung herself at him and said.
"We've bought you a present. It's a surprise. It's a tie and it's pink..."

Ds has a funny talent for presents. He thinks about it and goes for odd ideas, but they somehow often work. He got dd2 a t-shirt that said "I'm more right than you" (dd is missing her left hand) which they both thought funny.

nbee84 · 20/12/2025 18:06

MargaretThursday · 19/12/2025 21:02

My favourite child present was getting dh a birthday present. She must have been about 2 or 3 at the time. She chose it herself and we talked about keeping it secret as a surprise.
Dh was hardly in the door when she flung herself at him and said.
"We've bought you a present. It's a surprise. It's a tie and it's pink..."

Ds has a funny talent for presents. He thinks about it and goes for odd ideas, but they somehow often work. He got dd2 a t-shirt that said "I'm more right than you" (dd is missing her left hand) which they both thought funny.

This reminded me of my niece who was about 4 at the time. Mum had bought Dad a present and put it under the tree - it was in a square box about 5 inches wide. Niece was desperate to know what it was so her Mum (who knew she wouldn't be able to keep it secret) told her it was Boxing gloves and not to tell her Dad.

Dad got home from work and the first words out of niece's mouth were;

"We got you a present Dad, and it's NOT boxing gloves" 😂

MargaretThursday · 20/12/2025 22:33

nbee84 · 20/12/2025 18:06

This reminded me of my niece who was about 4 at the time. Mum had bought Dad a present and put it under the tree - it was in a square box about 5 inches wide. Niece was desperate to know what it was so her Mum (who knew she wouldn't be able to keep it secret) told her it was Boxing gloves and not to tell her Dad.

Dad got home from work and the first words out of niece's mouth were;

"We got you a present Dad, and it's NOT boxing gloves" 😂

Show quote history

That's funny!

My brother aged about 8 was terrible at keeping secrets. Me and dsis had clubbed together and bought Mum a new laundry basket we were terribly proud of. He begged to know what it was, and we knew, from past experience, that he would literally walk straight downstairs and tell her. So we refused to say. He stropped.

So very quickly, Mum appears and tells us it isn't fair for us to have a secret and we're to tell him, and of course he won't tell her; we are being so unfair, and she will leave us to tell him.

So we told him that Dad was buying Mum a dog, and we'd got the basket for the dog.

Within the minute, Mum is up again, asking why dbro is saying that Dad is buying her a dog... We looked at her and pointed out this was exactly why we hadn't told him what we'd really got. She didn't ask us to tell him again. 😂

Whichone2024 · 23/12/2025 15:53

A witches hat

CloseEncountersOfTheTurdKind · 23/12/2025 16:16

DH took the kids to WH smiths on Christmas eve last year to choose my presents. I ended up with a lurid pink lockable notebook, a rubber in the shape of a panda and a box of tic tacs. Today, they have been in poundland with him to choose my presents..