To think it's pretty dickish to have toys you can look at...

[mynameissleepy]

But not play with?

My parents are extremely precious over material things. Example..Their car is very basic, 15 years old but my Dad will park it miles away from anyone to make sure it's "safe".

They refuse to come to my house unless I move one of our cars onto the road outside and free up a space on the driveway. It's a very quiet road, not main road or anything.

They have a toy at their house...a particular vehicle that my just turned 2 year old is obsessed with. Every time he goes to touch the toy they are repeatedly saying be careful, ignoring conversation around them and watching him closely, then grabbing it at every opportunity.

I lost it this morning and said to hide the sodding thing and to put it away when we visit because it caused a huge tantrum. He was playing with it nicely and they snatched it when he was distracted. Annoying when I'm teaching him that we don't snatch etc.

It's worth about £15, not a collectible. Something that if he did break it, I would replace immediately.

They've always been tight but this is too far imo. But I'm also very laid back about material things so might be being unreasonable.

It's because he can't have it and all the energy in the room is directed towards not having it - poor child!

maybe to save any drama just ask them to toddler proof their lounge.

But they sound like hard work and it is devastating not having doting grandparents to share your love for your chid so i feel for you x

Some people are like that.

My grandparents got a huge playmobile mansion when I was about 6 and never let anyone play with it, it was to be looked at.

@ TheViceOfReason Cheers for the clarity - unfortunately threads dont hold in suspended animation whilst someone is typing merrily away to the Op - her update came later.

As you were!

I was thinking maybe it was an antique victorian doll or a steiff bear of some such. A plastic truck? YANBU and they are nuts.

My in-laws are totally like this, they are right dickheads when it comes to material things. My kids went to visit them for the first time and they literally covered everything in protective plastic so as to not damage anything. They had a designated spot on the floor for them to play within and low and behold if they didn't stick to that square meter, they were hopping mad! First and last time we're going round...

Too many to say bookworm

That's them pineapple!! They are like it even for themselves. So they got a light carpet in the lounge about 5 years ago and have a strict drinks ban in there. So they don't even sit and chill with a cuppa or a glass of wine.

They drink it standing in the kitchen and then go through. It's so bizarre and probably why I don't care if things get broken. Accidents can't be helped but in their opinion they can!!!

They don't sit in their own living room? Do they have a tendency to throw drinks about? They do know carpets can be cleaned? Sound very OCD.

Sound very OCD

Sound like utterly miserable intolerable bellends.

We’ve got family like that. It’s been ingrained in us that you save everything for best (but best never comes) and do not use stuff in case it breaks. Everything has the original protective stuff on it and as soon as you’ve used say a computer, you have to put the original packaging back on it.

I live in a ‘well lived in house’ and care not if it breaks (so long as you’re not being a dick) as stuff is for using. I don’t buy a toaster to look good- I buy it to cook bloody toast.

It really is infuriating...how can people be so precious about things around young kids? I love that description @BeanTownNancy...that's how I'll call them out in a heated argument "miserable intolerable bell ends". Life is too short for all this so we resort to not seeing them much (and thankfully we live far enough away) which I'm perfectly happy with.

I have a couple of model trucks. Not particularly valuable, but they have sentimental value. I wouldn’t want a kid to break them.

But, If kids are visiting, I put them away.

@glueandstick
I'm curious; put a computer back in packaging? What like a lapto back in cardboard box?

I would have to call them out on it. I would have got to the point of not caring a bloody long time ago. It would go something like this:

"It's clear that you only put these toys out to make it look like you are caring grandparents, when in fact you care more about objects than your grandson. Your behaviour is ridiculous, and is ruining our relationship with you. Sort it out."

First off, I wouldn't be moving my car for someone else to park on my drive unless they had a Rolls or something.......nah, not even then.

As far as the toy, getting one yourself is the best idea. Otherwise, I'd be running to the toy box the second I got there, grabbing the toy and putting it in a cupboard somewhere and then 'forget' which cupboard I put it in.

Ask them to remove the toy from the toy basket

I would move my car for guests, I thought it was just something you did

I will just buy the toy and turn up with it next. They'll probably put it away sharpish in fear of it being mixed up with theirs

Do it!😄

Your parents do sound extremely uptight op. I quite pity them actually,what an awful way to live! I would refuse to take my child round again, unless they agreed to hide all their precious toys away if they didn't want them to be played with, and then just bring along child's own toys from home.
As daft as it is.I would move my car for them however just because that's really not too much of a hardship and if it keeps the peace why not.

Op i get this! My mums husband collects models of cars and the house is also filled with hundreds of plastic toy buses, trains, cars and little animals. My 3 year old obviously wants to play with them and he spends the entire time jumping around screeching if he picks anything up but it is physically impossible to move everything out of reach. Nightmare. I've just had to limit my visits as its too stressful

A friend of mine has a little toy lorry out on display which was her late husband’s as a child in the 1950s, and so quite precious to her. But even so, visiting children are allowed to play with it, just with a gentle reminder to play nicely with an explanation of why. Toys are to be played with, or removed out of sight of children.

Sounds like a nightmare. My parents are like this with presents, not to sound ungrateful but they buy my kids stuff they can't use and I suspect it's all in a bid to show off to their friends. When my DD was 2 they bought her a Swarovski Crystal Olaf. And then couldn't understand why I put it in the attic. No way was she getting her hands on that. They also get mardy when the Steiff bears aren't kept in perfect condition. My kids are 5 and 2, don't buy them a £100 bear and expect them not to get a bit of yoghurt on it

Buy another car, then he can bash them against each other repeatedly!
And I wouldn't move my car.

@bookworm4

Pretty much yes. Original screen protection put on. Don’t use an iPad without the original screen packaging (you can’t swipe anything)

Every last piece of everything accounted for and in original packaging.

@glue
I suppose they'll always be able to get refunds since they'll always have original packaging 😂

@bookworm4

Think you might be bang on the money there.

My mother in law shouted at my 5 year old for accidentally breaking a 35+ year old butter tub that had some Lego in it. By butter tub I mean like a plastic tub your butter comes in from Tesco.

I feel your pain OP