MIL and the chocolate advent calendar

[toomanydaisies]

My MIL has given us chocolate advent calendars for our dc. Dc have seen them. And will want them because of the chocolate.

But I'd already bought advent calendars to give to them ON 1ST DECEMBER!!! Beautiful (non chocolate) ones.

I hate chocolate advent calendars - dc aged 5 can have a small chocolate every day but dc aged 1? No way. But I'd rather the excitement was about seeing which picture they had, not just cramming chocolate into their mouths.

More than anything I'm annoyed that my MIL has (yet again) done things her way without checking with me (the parent) first.

Her other DIL gave the chocolate advent calendars back to MIL and said that no, her children were not having chocolate ones. This has really hurt MIL so I can't do the same - I know she means well. But I feel like our new family traditions are not bring allowed to develop because MIL intervenes.

I know I'm overreacting. But aibu to feel a BIT annoyed about this?!

I think people are awfully mean to parents who don't want their children to have chocolate regularly. Poor OP. At least no one could accuse you of being all PFB.

Stick to your guns and let them have just what you think is acceptable.

Mosman, I saw a tea one in TK Maxx this morning. Each date was a tiny box of tea leaves, only £3.99.

Have you read the thread Aitch? This is what OP was planning but her MIL has sent a chocolate one!

I would live that Molly brilliant idea

she sent two chocolate ones, iirc, exoticfruits, for the two children. because no child can delay their gratification by One Day any more.

MIL gives us choc advent calendars every year. TBH I don't have the time nor the energy to get worked up about it.

It's just chocolate. And they really look forward to it.

Sorry-2 chocolate ones. The 5 year old eats chocolate the baby doesn't so Mum gets a chocolate a day-simple.

Mind you Easer is an effin nightmare with DP's huge extended family providing so many eggs we are stil eating them when Halloween comes round. Sigh.

YANBU

I would be cross about this too.

it's simple if you like them, exotic. i can see that. i don't, though. i think they look like shit and they encourage our kids to see the whole month of december and part of january as a total blow-out.

Aitch, are this miserable in RL? You sound like Eeyore.

no personal attacks, you old slag.

So is it genetics then herecomesthesun? My 2.8yr old has choc or cakes every day but is nowhere near overweight in any form (91st for length, 75th for weight). She literally never stops moving though.

I have cake or choc every day, stop moving quite often and am nowhere near overweight....

So for me, when people say that they and their children move, dont eat sugary treats and are still overwight/bordering on overweight I come to the conclusion that it is either genetics or they are eating masses of savory stuff. Calories is calories at the end of the day.

miserable is a mood not a character flaw. Therefore not a personal attack.

oh wheesht.

I'd hardly call a button sized piece of chocolate per day a total blow out, Aitch

Send them to my DC, my 18 mth old loves chocolate and will munch away at it for you.

Aaah, such deep joy that mintyy has started a thread about this (and other) thread(s).

Lots of people seem to see my point. I'm so over this (I posted ages ago now) and have moved on. Still interested to see what people have to say, but it's a non-issue for me really.

As I said up thread, the dc now have 4 calendars each. Sort of takes the shine off I think! Hey ho. Never mind.

salem I will happily send you my baby's chocolate calendar

For me, part genetics, part being overfed as a child, and i was a bookish rather than athletic child, with some serious other illness, and cumulatively this was not a good starting point. I want a better starting point for my DC.

It also occurs to me that as I got older I used to enjoy taking my parents out at Xmas. I used to get seats at the National Theatre on Xmas Day. There are lots of lovely things families can do with grandparents that don't involve eating. Ice skating. Nativity plays. Carol concerts. Carol singing in village/ town centre etc. Listening to bands playing Xmas music. Xmas children's films. Christingle services. Visiting a Xmas market or 2. Long walk at some point over festivities. These also make lovely memories. Maybe an occasional mince pie might be consumed but the point is not eating.(I take fruit into cinema/theatre as snacks).

TOTALLY agree on doing things that don't involve eating all the time. Local attractions (farm parks etc) that have Santa's grottos currently where we are due to girls still being littlies but so looking forward to all the things on your list!

actually, i didn't call one piece of chocolate a total blow-out... i said the whole month and a half is a blow out. there's school fayres and nursery parties and days out and selection boxes and biscuits and tree decorations and christmas cake and christmas dinner and leftovers and going to grannie's house and visiting auntie's place and off to the panto with bags of sweeties and Just Food Everywhere...

so no, i don't want it on the advent calendar, if possible. not that i get the chance, because someone else has taken it upon themselves to buy them... but if it were up to me i'd like my children to find magic in somethign that didn't involve eating.

I don't like them Aitch- but not enough to fall out with a grandparent!

NOR does the OP, fgs. nor do i. hence the fact that we all still have these bloody naff advent calendars in our houses.

the op's sil might be in line for some of the opprobrium on this thread, perhaps, but not the OP.

Meant to say Boxing Day, theatre not open Xmas Day...