To find letters from babies and toddlers written in the first person absolutely nauseating?

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Just got the first batch of thank you letters from the youngest members of the family / godchildren.

Many of them aren't even speaking yet, but ALL of them have written to us in the first person, "humorously" retelling us their Christmas adventures at some length, poking fun of Mummy and Daddy etc etc etc.

It's just so utterly nauseating, but I can't quite put my finger on why. Is it all a bit PFB? (Our DS is 19 but I can't remember writing stuff like this -or receiving it - back in the 1990s).

I'd be so touched if a friend actually wrote back as herself, but no, a nice exercise in good manners and appreciation just becomes another opportunity to showcase your child .

Galaxy I love getting cards and letters from children as they're learning to write. A card with just a name in it, picked out with such concentration, is delightful.

A "look at ickle me, aren't I the cutest lickle fing that ever was born?" letter written by grown adults on behalf of a weeks-old baby is just grim, just as baby talk between adults always is.

Well do you like being a godparent or not?

If you have this many "rules" about what is and isn't acceptable then I'd suggest that you just send the parents of your godchildren a list of rules and see how that goes for you.

If I understand you, it's okay for a parent to write and say thanks, it's okay for a child to write and say thanks, but it isn't okay for a parent to write on behalf of the child?

You don't have enough to worry about!

Entirely agree with you OP and I have small DC. It's ridiculously twee.

You're very angry at something or someone, VBisme, aren't you?

I adore the godchildren and children in my family, it's their parents using Christmas cards and thank you letters to make their "quirky" presence felt that irritates me.

As others have pointed out, it's patronising for the children and desperately twee. It also makes the adults writing seem a bit attention seeking and that's always tedious.

It wasn't something I encountered when my own son was little, so what's suddenly changed to make all this "look at me!!!" behaviour acceptable?

I get a few thank you cards in this style (thank you for my wuvverley sorting set, Auntie Grendel, etc from an 18 month old baby). I think the problem is that they come across as very impersonal - the baby hasn't actually thanked you (obviously!) but its not a card from the person writing it either.

Mind you, as a bitter childless old spinster, perhaps I should start sending presents from my cat.

"Dear GrendelNiece, I am sending you this wuvverley dead mouse and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did when I first chewed its head off. Love, GrendelCat"

Guilty of doing it

'thanks so much for my jingle bells Aunty Carol, I love making lots of noise and hitting myself randomly on the head with them'

Polite and true - will continue doing it until he can tell me what to write / write them himself :-)

I just feel very sorry for the people who are making the effort to say thank you to you and are getting abuse (albeit on an anonomous forum) for it.

I'm not angry at anyone, I just think you're being incredibly ungrateful. I dread to think what would happen if no-one thanked you?

wow do people actually do this vom

The letter from Grendel's cat, however, is delightful

Going off at a tangent slightly, but I'm surprised how many of you think we should be "grateful" for receiving a thank you letter.

Isn't that just what you do when someone gives you a present? Do people just not say, "thank you" for presents any more?

Should I just be jolly grateful for the opportunity to spend time, trouble and money on children that aren't ours?

I feel old. And tired.

Yes yes agree totally op.. Very funny post re bath.

So, how many thank you letters do you write? I mean yourself, for the gifts you recieved?

I get the kids to write them to everyone who bought them a present, I get thank you letters from my godchildren, written either by themselves or from their parents.

I write to everyone who bought me a present regardless of if I was able to say thank you to them at the time, because my relatives tend to be elderly and appreciate it.

Vbisme, we just say thank you at the time or phone or text.

Just don't have time or inclination to write thank you letters.

If we stay at friends for a few days I would send thank you flowered but to write a letter of thanks for a Christmas gift of chocs and smellies well that's insane. We are a large family.

A dozen personalised thank you letters takes less than an hour, how many presents do you get?

I certainly wouldn't ask the kids to write thank you letters unless I was doiong the same. We sit round the table together and remember the enjoyment we got from opening each gift.

I don't think its 'showing off'.
A bit silly maybe.
But imo you are allowed to be a bit silly when you fall in love or you 've just had a baby or you 've just bought your first house or got a new job.

The only thing that used to REALLY have me running for the sick bucket was answering machines that had recorded messages from all the family chirruping together.

ROAR, I know somebody who does this and find it fanny clenchingly cringe some to have to listen to.

YABU if you are talking about me doing it. My letters in DS's voice are legendary for their wit, savage irony and Matt Groening-esque duality.

However, wrt other people doing it, YADNBU. Some people just don't have my epistolary talents.

I didn't do it when mine were preschoolers but now ds is capable of writing thank you and his name but not a lot else I do. He writes "thank you" I write "for the xyz. I really like it blah blah blah"and he writes love ds

I'm really laughing at having to 'block the baby'

Be glad you have received thank you letters by 29/12. I don't mind ickle tweeness or printed posed festive snaps or even cutesy stationery, better than text speak or blatant non acknowledgment of gifts!