about my Christmas gift choice for this ungrateful child...

[Ggirl27]

Have a small relative aged 8 who I buy a Christmas and Birthday gift for every year. And every time he opens a gift he whispers to his parent that 'I've already got this' or 'I don't like this', he is encouraged by his parent to say thank you which he does. This Christmas I have bought him a dressing gown. I was going to spend a lot of time choosing him a suitable gift as I usually would but as I usually miss the mark with this child I thought I'd just save my time as he's probably going to hate his gift anyway. Am I being unreasonable?

Give him a card with money in it and let him choose his gift.

his parents always squabble about whose clothes are whose so I thought it might be good to have a spare.

The Dad is your relative (brother?) time to tell him to stop being an idiot and let his son take his clothes home if he wants to. Yes the mother is an idiot too if she does this but presumably you can't talk to her.

If I give him a voucher whatever he buys will stay at his Dads and not go home with him. So he gets a present he can use twice a month, it's a minefield...

Same again, tell his father the gift is not a weapon to use against the boys mother for his son to take home or keep at Dads if he chooses.

Finally you say the boy is spoilt, but it can't be that much fun having warring parents who won't even talk to each other when you have to have Xmas in two different places.

I ask people what they want. Most 7 or 8 year olds have plenty of ideas. Many kids 9 and above just love cash.
I give cash in all ds2's school friends birthday cards now. It's easier. And they prefer it. They tell me so!

I know this is missing the point of the thread but my 2DSs who are around that age would LOVE a marvel dressing gown.

My kids love fluffy dressing gowns. We very inappropriately call our 13-year-old Hugh (Heffner) as he is always wearing his.

Getting a dressing gown for a child is just mean.

Guess I am mean then. They've asked for them though.

If you really have no idea what to buy for him, give money or gift vouchers. Or ask his parents for ideas beforehand. Chances are he won’t be that impressed with a dressing gown.

The shitshow that are his parents and you're criticising a child for not fawning over what ever present you give him. Chances are as you have said yourself he won't be allowed bring it home anyway! FFS.

Give him the dressing gown, don't expect whoops of delight though! Chances are he'll have to take it off and leave it in Dads car when he gets home anyway.

Can you get vouchers for counseling with a long expiry date?

I know plenty of 8 year olds who would like a dressing gown especially if it was a themed one like unicorns or fortnite or some such

My kids also love their dressing gowns and their current ones were Christmas presents. Not sure why the OP is getting such a hard time. Not exactly the same as tampax.

It's one thing getting kids dressing gowns when you KNOW that they would love them, but if you don't know, then you're taking a risk.

I think an element of risk (or surprise as its otherwise known) is fine when buying presents.