AIBU to not wrap MIL's presents?

[Zoidbergonthehalfshell]

I have done most of the decorating, food and present shopping, and have made a start on wrapping some presents. As DH's contribution to Christmas thus far has been to get the decorations out of the garage and plug in the outside lights, I thought it would be nice if he at least wrapped his Mum's presents - we're seeing her tomorrow.

He eventually rolled in from playing with his new car about an hour ago, made a big song and dance about finding the paper, and the scissors, and the sellotape, and has proceeded to get sellotape stuck to everything, tear big holes in the paper, and generally get himself into a thoroughly unpleasant mood, ending up ripping all the paper off his latest attempt, balling it up, throwing it across the room and giving up, all the while making comments like, "you're so good at this...", and "be nice to me, I'm really struggling."

I've sweetly suggested he leaves it and comes back to it in the morning. It's bleedin' obvious that what he wants is for me to take over and do it for him, poor lamb. AIBU not to offer unless he actually asks me, using his words, including the "please" one?

Tell him YouTube is his friend 😂

There are some easy but stunning wrapping techniques, he might even end up asking if he can wrap some more!

Ha! In your dreams! YouTube!!

My ex is dreadful at wrapping. He generally jokes that he can make a standard cuboid look like an alien probe, but he still cracks on and tries.

I’m quite looking forward to seeing this season’s offerings :o

My DH chucked a massive mantrum when he noticed that I hadn’t posted the expensive l’Occitane gift set that he bought his mum last Christmas. (He keeps conveniently forgetting that I won’t have anything to do with her since she called our then 11y/o DD a slut and other dreadful things, and he bought me shitty, last-minute crap for Christmas that weren’t worth the paper they were wrapped in, AND HE HADN’T EVEN ASKED ME TO.) It could have been sent to her in February for her birthday, or sent for Mother’s Day. It’s still here, so not going to be sent this year either. If I am given a L’Occitane gift set for Christmas, will you vipers please be my alibi?

The vast majority of people can wrap a present. This is not rocket science. What he means is that he is too important to do such a menial task and that you should do it for him, and that he doesn’t care enough to do it himself. Children can wrap presents for heavens sake. Leave him to it. If he does a terrible job just tell your MIL that you’re going to help him get better for next year.

Just another pathetic husband feigning that he’s not capable to do something a three year old could do. Boils my blood.

Haha. I’ve got an image of that in my head.

Give him a list of jobs that still need doing and do it for him. He may well be incapable of the fine motor skills required to wrap presents but that doesn’t mean he gets to relax while you do everything.

My husband tries that on with me often. It used to work. But I no longer add to my load and instead delegate now. “Sure, I’ll wrap the present if you clean the fridge.” Can’t argue with that!

Send him to the tesco 24/7 for a gift bag

don't do it for him even if he does all nicely.

it sounds to me like he needs more practice to help develop his present-wrapping skills - are there any other items not yet wrapped which he could practice on? nobody is born already complete with skills. we acquire skills by practice.

doing it for him is denying him the opportunity to grow and develop. that would be unkind.

My 3.5 years has graduated from using masking tape to using celotape. Maybe suggest masking to him or tell him to just buy gift bags.

Pathetic.

Morning all!

Thankyou for your contrbutions/suggestions - he's not a bad lad, and I actually don't mind wrapping presents. It was the feigned incompetence (great phrase!) that got me. After all, as PPs have said, he manages to wrap mine!