To be irked at buying my 6-year-old a tablet without asking?

[ali23]

MIL is obsessed with shopping and everything is a competition - and every year Christmas stresses me out because of it. August, I know.
Anyway, she has been banging on about Christmas for weeks and, reluctantly, I told her that DH and I are planning on having Santa leave an IPad for the whole family's use. We'll buy the kids some bits and bobs but this will be the main pressie
In order to "stop fights" MIL has gone and bought our eldest a tablet, with the intention of giving it to her for Christmas. I don't really want to give a child that age a tablet for themselves. It's not a kiddie one, it's a prior one and I'm slightly pissed off. The more I think about it, the more uncomfortable I am. AIBU?

Sorry for typos. Writing on a cracked screen is no good for anyone. Should've read 'proper one'.

I wouldn't worry about it being a proper one as ds is 3 and plays proficiently on our smartphones. What I would be more concerned about is the control over screen time. Easier to control if need to share them and it seems meaner to restrict access to their own possession. Also is MIL going to be wanting to see her on it all the time.

YANBU. Say you're not comfortable about it and keep saying so. Thank her for telling you early enough so that you can say you aren't willing for this to happen, and wonder if perhaps she can either take it back or give it to someone else.

Your family, your house; you have a right to say what comes into it. Don't be anything other than polite, but don't allow any ambiguity.

WTF?!? 6 years old?!!!!

Don't get me wrong, my 18month DS can unlocks iPhone and my 3yo DD is proficient at Toddler apps.

However, giving a 6yo their own tablet is utterly insane. Firstly you'll have to live with trying to police the screen time. Then... hello, what about unsupervised Internet access?!?!

I would point blank tell her that it is not appropriate, end of.

My MIL started trying to outdo Santa, I ended up just giving her a massive list or something very expensive, knowing that dd/ds would not understand the value and much prefer the smaller more thoughtful gifts I had picked

The first year it happened my ds asked for lightening McQueen cars and I got him a few sets and told mil he would love a duvet set and she refused saying it was an awful idea and she wanted to buy him something more expensive. So I chose the most expensive bike and helmet combo I could find and emailed it to her. She bought it and then kicked herself when she realised how much ds loved his special Cars covers she even asked me to tone it down a bit when I stuck some 3DS's and a tv last year lol!

Hilarious tactics CaptainKirksNipples!!

OP, tell MIL Santas changed his mind and will be buying LOs 2 storey, luxury tree house!

Yabu I would chill and just let her, it's her money. Teach your dd to be careful with it, my Autstic dd 6 understands about being careful with my I pad and using it on the table

You could turn it round and say

''Oh great you have bought one! Now we don't need to, so if you could give it to all of them to share, then it is sorted, and we can get them something else. We only need one, if we had more than one, the other one would end up being taken off them.''

Well if she has bought it and intends to give it to DD then accept gracefully...but..once in your house, you have control. So maybe this tablet from MIL become the educational one. Put on lots of phonics and numeracy apps etc and allow eldest child 30 mins max a day.