FURIOUS! My Mum just let my 3yr Old see her presents & Stocking!

[MotherofaSurvivor]

Staying at my Mums for Christmas. Brought presents the other day as all wrapped. Just finished putting everything in her Stocking in the spare room which was AGREED with my Mum that it was to be 'Present HQ' - For context, the house is a Bungalow, so I witnessed this from the kitchen and hit the roof.

So my 3yr Old follows my Mum around like a shadow as she adores her. Fine by me, gives me a bit of a break before I step in and take over.

So my Mum wanders into Present HQ (with my DD next to her) which has a Sofabed with all the presents on including the big polythene Stocking - FULL of presents!!!! My Mum turns away and starts gagging with something and I can see this in corner of my eye from Kitchen and just as I start to dive towards the room, my daughter exclaims "PRESENTS!!!!!! Stocking!!!!" and is sat looking through the stuff in the Stocking and admiring all her presents (wrapped, but still....) My Mum is stood next to her by time I shoot in and saying "Oooh! Isn't that nice!"

I. HIT. THE. ROOF.

I know that 'she's my daughter and I should've been watching her' but I was prepping veg for tomorrow and my Mum agreed to watch her whilst I did this. The door to the room has a swollen frame and so when shut, really takes quite a push to be opened. We had already spoken about how that would be perfect to hide the presents for this very reason!

AIBU to be not just upset with my Mum but bloody LIVID and feel like Christmas is ruined now? My Mum doesn't seem to see the big deal! I've spent months & Months buying bits towards Christmas as & when I could as I'm Disabled and so money is tight. SO upset

Please be kind (& festive?!) in your responses!

Yadnbu but try and calm down. Spin a tale to 3yo. What on earth is grandma's excuse?

It is bloody frustrating when people can’t manage to help with the littlest thing or show any common sense. I remember taking the baby out for a walk to get him to nap, leaving my mum, my then-husband, and my dd at home w the turkey in the oven. I get back and they’re all peacefully sitting in a lounge filled w smoke as no-one noticed a bit of oil had got on the cooker and spread smoke through the house.

Luckily my expectations are exceedingly low. But it is frustrating.

As people say, though, she will believe anything you tell her. And she will have many, many more christmases.

The ridiculous Christmas threads are coming thick and fast...

Empty the stocking and leave it where it was but empty. Hide all the presents somewhere else. Leave the door open to present HQ room and let her go in. Just shrug and say what presents? Distract, fib, distract again, say how strange etc she will forget. How mysterious etc

She’s THREE. She won’t care WHO sent the presents and when they arrived, just as long as they’re here.

Make peace with your mother, and dial it down a notch.

Christmas is not ruined. Get a sodding grip.

My 3 year old has also seen the presents under the tree (staying at the in laws) and got a glimpse of a stuffed stocking in the car on the way here. He didn't seem bothered to be honest! Just play it cool and make something up, she'll have forgotten by the morning!

Wow only the grinches left on this forum eh?

Yeah they believe any old crap at three , when ds1 was three I got his four year old cousin a present his mum didn't want it for some reason ds1 knew it was his cousins present but I told him Santa dropped at ours by mistake he played with it , when he was four he was ill with a chest infection the week before Xmas day i told him Santa dropped him off a present early to cheer him up he believed me.

feel like Christmas is ruined now?

Seriously, chill out and get a grip. I can see you are disappointed but get it into perspective, you have a lovely daughter and a mum to share Christmas with - don't let it spoil your evening.

I would also be absolutely fizzing with rage. Your mother has behaved like a dick. I promise you your DD won’t notice or care that much and you can spin it.

But your mother is still a dick.

I can't understand why it's such a big deal and I'm confused by "starts gagging with something". What does that mean?

Hope your mum is ok. A choking fit sounds scary.

Dd will not give a shit. Do you remember the Christmas when you were 3? This is for you not your daughter, I love it now that the kids in my family are grown and it’s now about laughing and chilling.

Hang on a sec - your mum was gagging? Like choking?

Please be kind (& festive?!) in your responses!

Then
chill the fuck down

OP it’s OK , she is tiny and will have a lovely day

Nerves are fraught this time
Of year

You "can't understand why it's such a big deal"? I mean, fair enough if it wouldn't be a big deal to you - but you genuinely don't understand why the OP may be upset?

My MIL did this but let my dd open them without us on xmas morning ! She said well you were sleeping ! It was v early and I had been up
Late wrapping the presents I I was v upset at the time I had wanted to see her wee face
But she's much older now and doesn't even remember it so don't worry your Christmas isn't ruined ! There are few photos of me looking red eyed that morning and I made it v clear I wasn't happy but it's all been forgotten about in the mistd of time so just relax and enjoy xx

Pixie Grow up! You don't know the backstory or me! Bully.

Didn't think this was relevant to mention in OP but my post natal Anxiety & OCD is still RIFE. Also, this is my first proper Xmas as a single parent with zero input from her Dad or his family. I really wanted it to be special.

It probably still will be but my OCD & Anxiety will still tell me it is/was ruined. I can be my own worst enemy at times

Hang on a sec - your mum was gagging? Like choking? confused

A near death choking fit is NO excuse for allowing a toddler to have a momentary glimpse of wrapped Christmas presents!

Get with the programme!

I can understand why you're upset. I remember a couple of years ago on Xmas eve my then 4 year old walked into my room where some of her presents were and I was gutted. It sort of ruins the has the excitement of coming down stairs to see in the morning to see if Santa has been. I think I tried to fob her of and said something like they were presents I was giving to other people and not her Santa presents and she seemed to accept it and was still overjoyed on Xmas morning.

It's your mums house

I feel sorry for her, it wasn't intentional!

I've got visions of the grandma requiring the Heimlich manoeuvre, whilst the little girl is enthralled by a pile of wrapped presents.

I get it must have been difficult to know which was the priority here. Not.

Insomniac Sorry autocorrect changed playing to gagging