MIL gave Dd a big present I hate, what to do?

[Mashedupbanana]

Today MIL turned up with a present for our 2 yo Dd. it's a bright pink slide (dd's not seen it yet). I know I will sound really ungrateful but it really is not something that I would want to look at in the garden. My tastes are very different from MIL, I prefer more natural, creative, gender neutral, well constructed toys whereas MIL is quite the opposite - if it's plastic, flashes and pink she loves it. I think dd would probably enjoy going on the slide and that's the most important thing, but it's really not my kind of thing.

Realistically I dont want a plastic slide in the garden, but I have come to the conclusion that i'm just going to have to suck it up and have it. I don't like pink things like this as I think they look tacky and if we have a son next it is too gender specific. It doesn't matter with little things I can pack in a box but with a slide it's very visible. If i have to keep the slide, would I be unreasonable to ask if I can swap for it for the more neutral red one. At Christmas they wanted to buy her a pink trike and we gently suggested something else as we'd prefer to buy a balance bike, but I can see this coming up every time. What would you do?

I'd say thank you for the slide.

I'd, after a decent interval, talk about how you don't want to go down the everything pink route as you disagree with gender stereotyping etc.

You will get your garden back in 10 years or so. In the meantime, accept that it is your children's playground

Keep it at your MILs for when you visit.

You keep mentioning how much you dislike toys that are gender specific, but surely if you have a son next he can play on the slide too? If you're worried about the pinkness being unsuitable for a possible son, surely you're the one pushing gender stereotypes...?
Having sad that, I wouldn't want a hunk of garish plastic shit on my garden either.

I'd count my blessings. I have a 10ft trampoline in my garden courtesy of dm!!

Your garden will be a playground for the foreseeable. The sooner you embrace this, the less stressed you will be

I don't think a boy would mind playing on a pink slide, but I have to say I prefer not to have too much pink stuff too, I always ask for the yellow/blue/red/green versions if I can.

On balance I think I would accept it and get DH to have a word about future pink purchases.

I would say thank you, and stick it in the garden (where, incidentally, any hypothetical future boy will not be remotely bothered that it's pink. And anyway, boys playing with pink things is good if you're not into gender-specific stuff, right? Pink is just a colour. He won't catch sissy.)

YOU may prefer natural, creative, etc etc - but it's a slide. Unclench.

It's a slide this time or a bit of plastic tat next time - It really isn't worth worrying about. Your DD getting some enjoyment out of it is what matters - I really don't understand the need for gender neutral toys.

(And I say this as the Mum of three boys, one who loves pink and his dolls and another who does ballet).

This is such a difficult one to deal with!

I think I'd agree with ImTooHecsy.

It's a slide, a temporary play feature which you can screen off if it offends and will probably fade . dc tend not fuss about gender specific colours unless you make a fuss !

Is it one of those little toddler slides? She will have outgrown it in 18 months max.

I think whilst you've got small children your natural and creative preferences might have to take a back seat. I've yet to see a really tasteful garden with toys in it - at least, mine never was!

She gave the slide to your DD, not you, as you say yourself in the title! Your taste is therefore irrelevant.
Suck it up.
(well i have to, so you should too)

it was a nice present and its for your DD not you. i dont have a daughter. i do have a son and remember there was a foam chair he loved at his cousins ... i couldnt get it in blue so i bought it in pink. no big deal. as she gets older be prepared for more pink and girly stuff. i think you should suck it up (in a nice way). surely seeing your DD's smiles and face playing with the slide is the main thing.

It's a bloody slide.
Don't be so ungrateful.

I had one of these in my garden for a few years

and a big slide.

Then came the swing set

and the massive bloody trampoline

Your garden is not your own for years!

Forget about tasteful.

that ship sailed the moment you had a child

Let dd enjoy it. Honestly it's not worth getting upset about.

I say that as the mother of a 10 year old dd who despite every influence I have had has now grown up into quite the opposite of everything I imagined.... loves everything pink, hates all vegetables, loves rap music blah blah.

Just let dd enjoy herself on it. It's a slide, you can get rid of it when the latest new thing is about.

For what its worth I have a big pink slide in my back garden. It's probably been the best outside toy my children have. They would play on it all day given the chance - glares at the very deep snow currently covering it. I am also at a loss as to why a future son couldn't play on it.

You could just say "aww it's lovely. Can we swap it for red in case we ever have a boy?"

I avoided pink clothes with my DD, also 2 yo, she also has a whole range of 'boy' toys to play with courtesy of an older brother. She now has days when she wants a 'pink' dress, pink is a girls colour and wants to be a princess. Quite frightening how much they pick up from around them. However she also has 'pirate' days so it evens out.

Short story, you cannot control what they are exposed to, just try to balance it out and not buy pink yourself. My ILs and parents don't buy a lot of pink though so I'm spared that.

You will also hate that they prefer plastic crap toys to lovely wooden toys. I did.

Just so you know....l...my neighbours bought their grandaughter a small red plastic slide for the garden. It is fading rapidly in the sun and is............turning pink !!

'I don't like pink things' Lol I bet your dd does though

So long as your mother doesn't get into competition with your MIL and buy an even bigger pink slide.

My mum bought my barely toddling DS a big yellow tractor (he was 2 and 5 before he could go on it). She knew that MIL had brought him a big red tractor (he was 4 before he could ride that on his own). I wanted beautiful organic landscaped in toys.

We now have a garden corner thats dedicated to plastic tat 'the tat shrine' lets say, then the rest of it is lovely to look at. The tat area is tucked round a corner so its not the first thing i see when i look out in the garden. I collect up the tat at the end of the day and tuck it away. The DC like the tat, the grandparents like the tat.