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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to ask for money of gift vouchers for ds's birthday

22 replies

Jane4 · 27/09/2007 23:19

My ds will be 6 on the 30th December, so all of his presents come at once, then he has to wait a whole year before getting any more, last year he got so many presents he hardly looked at them, he's also not really into toys and prefers educational toys & books. So I was thinking of asking people to give gift vouchers or money, which I could keep for him to spend in June or July, when he gets fed up with his Christmas presents.
Also how would I word it on the invitation?

OP posts:

Original poster

Jane4 · 27/09/2007 23:20

sorry or not of gift vouchers

OP posts:

moondog · 27/09/2007 23:23

I think you can ask family but not really on to ask friends (unless they ask what he wants.)

Tortington · 27/09/2007 23:25

i think its crass. if he doesn' like presents - take to charity shop.

its not the present but rather the effort people have put into buying it.

besides - i rarely buy birthday presents and if someone send an invitation with "i want xxx" no matter how micely worded i would think " mother funking cheeky funker you can funk straight off"

sorry!

moondog · 27/09/2007 23:32

I tell people not to bring presents.Can't tolerate thoguht of more plastic tat cluttering my house.

KerryMum · 27/09/2007 23:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fortyplus · 27/09/2007 23:34

ds1 has his b-d on 27/12. I think it's lovely to have a few presents to open, even though it's so soon after Christmas, but at 6 your son is old enough to appreciate saving his birthday money for summer fun.

ChasingSquirrels · 27/09/2007 23:36

yup, family (who ask), not friends.
Friends who ask - give ideas of the sort of things he would like, my 5yo just had a make your own solar system model - because my friend asked if there was anything specific he would like - so I told her. If she hadn't asked I wouldn't have said anything - and he could have brought it himself with his bithday money from distant relatives

stealthsquiggle · 27/09/2007 23:41

You can't put it on the invitation, IMO. However, if anyone asks I think it would be entirely reasonable to say that since his birthday is so close to Christmas it would be really nice for him to have money/vouchers to spend on summer stuff.

ChasingSquirrels · 27/09/2007 23:44

hum, rethinking I probably agree with that stealthsquiggle.
It was putting it on the invite that got me.

glitterchick · 28/09/2007 09:50

My DD will be 4 on 25th December. Between Christmas and Birthday the amount of stuff she gets is a sin. Am very tempted to hold on to some of her b'day pressies and give to her later on in the year - then everyone's happy. Could you do something like that. My DD gets so much stuff she actually wouldn't notice.

HappyMummyOfOne · 28/09/2007 10:25

I would only ask close relatives for vouchers, ie grandparents. If anybody asked what to get, I would then suggest vouchers if this is what DS wanted.

Have to say, if DS had an invite and it stated vouchers instead of presents I would not buy a voucher on principle. Unless I ask for ideas i'm not keen on being told what to buy.

sagitta · 28/09/2007 10:32

Hi, My dd has same problem. We are going to tell everyone Christmas presents only, then have a summer party where she can have birthday presents.

Original poster

Jane4 · 28/09/2007 17:34

Thanks for your feedback ladies

OP posts:

fortyplus · 28/09/2007 20:52

Oh yes - definitely agree only to ask for money from close friends and relatives, not school friends! You'll still have to put up with the plastic trash from them!

glitterchick · 30/09/2007 13:02

Sounds like good idea saggita.

LazyLinePainterJane · 30/09/2007 13:12

Personally, I would give him his presents from other people on his birthday. I would keep anything that you buy for him and give them in a few months time.

Twiglett · 30/09/2007 13:22

you cannot ask for money or vouchers

that's gauche

every parent has the same issue .. put all birthday presents in a black bin bag and let him open one every so often

LIZS · 30/09/2007 13:30

Sorry but I'd be offended if I were a friend or friend's parent. By all means if they ask or for family , otherwise take those he isn't immediately keen on and stagger when you give them to him. tbh I sometimes do that anyway for dc's rather than get them all out at once.

zookeeper · 30/09/2007 13:37

I wish I had the nerve to do this but I don't because it's just seems so grasping somehow. It would really annoy me to get an invitation with this on although I can understand why you would want to do it.

mylittlefreya · 30/09/2007 16:22

Maybe have his birthday party in the summer? You could save the bulk of your presents for then too?

nappyaddict · 06/10/2007 14:49

if its family or people ask then fine otherwise no.

glaskham · 06/10/2007 14:56

i dont think its nice to ask unless they ask you what he'd like..... or clothes in his next size always come in handy!!! my ds is 3 on 21/12 and i have asked granny and grandad to put half of the xmas money they'd spend on them into their trust funds...... my parents spend around £200 on them each (yes makes us gasp too!!!) so i have also asked her to get a lot of clothes and shoes etc for them so they dont get as many toys..... at least then if they get toys off friends etc then it wont matter so much as he's not got shed loads of ourselves and grandparents!!!

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