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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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To be annoyed grandparents just gave DD something from her santa list?

109 replies

cruisepool · 27/11/2014 20:55

Visiting grandparents at the moment. They are spending christmas with us. DD (4) has had a small thing she has wanted for a little while and she put it in her letter to santa. Grandparents knew this. They just gave her said item.

OP posts:
BendyBusBuggy · 28/11/2014 20:26

I'd be annoyed too

KatriKling · 28/11/2014 20:56

To be clear, did they know the item was on her list and that you had already bought it?

If yes, then that's a very ungracious act and that would incite anger in most of us I think and I would understand you feeling upset about it.

If they didn't know you'd bought it, then perhaps they misunderstood the sharing of the letter to Santa? Perhaps they took it as the go ahead to buy something on the list. Or may be they felt they didn't have anything really special to give her — and wanted to give her one of the really 'special' presents. I can understand them wanting do to that — but I don't really understand why they did it ahead of Christmas.

GP's want their GC's to love them and sometimes they do that by showering them with gifts. My MIL has always done that and I can see she does it to see their faces light up and to feel appreciated. I'm not saying it's the only way they appreciate her, but it definitely makes both my MIL and my DC's feel good! I've never minded and I've always given her items from Santa's list for her to purchase so that she can give them something they really, really want. She always wants to know that what she gives them for Xmas and B'days is something they will be excited to receive. But then I've always been happy to fudge the Santa presents — Santa couldn't get all the presents on your list so Grandma got you that one.

KatriKling · 28/11/2014 21:01

Sorry, just realised I missed ALL the other posts! Always late to the party.

I realise the Santa list was small, but next year, it might be an idea to say to them — this item is on the Santa list if you would like to get that, we will be getting the rest.

2468Motorway · 28/11/2014 21:10

Anyone else really want to know what it was?

Only1scoop · 28/11/2014 21:14

Not really

MiddletonPink · 28/11/2014 21:44

In laws or your parents? I'm guessing in laws.

Do you get on in general?

cruisepool · 29/11/2014 18:10

My parents. Not sure that is relevant though?

OP posts:
AliceLidl · 29/11/2014 19:08

OP YANBU.

They were in the wrong, and I agree with a previous poster who said that in these circumstances, the grandparents buying a present doesn't automatically mean it was done with the best intentions and that they are good grandparents as opposed to bad ones who show no interest.

I have experience of a relative who tries to control people through giving/withholding things and it's not a good place to be. Knowing that everything they do give comes with conditions and expectations can put pressure on everybody.

Okay, the OP didn't explain well in her first post, but this obsession with drip feeding invalidating any further information goes too far sometimes. It's not how real conversations work and sometimes it's not how things go on here.

I think you may have disappointed people by saying the grandparents are your parents OP, you've taken away the opportunity to be accused of MIL bashing and favouritism to your own parents.

They knew you had already bought the gift.

They knew you had asked them to stop spoiling your DD with too many presents for no reason.

They asked her what she wanted from Father Christmas, then bought the gift they knew you'd already got for her.

Most people ask children what they've asked for from Father Christmas and then check with the child's parents if it's something they can buy for the child or if it's already been bought.

They don't go out and buy it knowing that the parents have already bought it as well and then give it to the child weeks before Christmas and to me that feels as though they wanted to buy the thing they knew she wanted the most as a way to show you they won't stick to your request to buy her less.

That's not what good grandparents do. That's what controlling people do.

WyrdByrd · 29/11/2014 20:47

Thank your lucky stars it was a small thing.

We had planned to get DD a Raspberry Pi for Christmas, until my mum announced in front of her that they were getting her a laptop, even after I'd explained that I was setting money aside so I could get her one as a special gift from us when she goes to high school (we have a desktop & laptop and she has her own iPad already courtesy of ILs so doesn't even need one) Angry .

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