To hope ds (8) changes his mind about my birthday present!

[listsandbudgets]

Don't get me wrong I'm touched he's thinking about my birthday next month and I'm sure I will love whatever I end up with but this is not quite what I had in mind

Me what would you like to do tomorrow?
ds go with dad to buy your birthday present
me there's no need to worry about that love
ds but I saw an amazing powder for cleaning mugs on a youtube advert and I want to get you that.

How do I very gently lead my lovely boy to the idea mum prefers chocolate to mug cleaning powders?

Obviously whatever gets me he will get a huge hug and big thanks and I will use it

I just looked it up - I am actually going to get some!

Is now a good time to confess that I got my mum a tea towel for her birthday? I was 4. Granny went with me. The only shops we could walk to were the hardware shop, the petfood shop and the butchers'.
It was very bright pink and orange. She smiled so hard it looked like she was nearly laughing, I remember....
It turned out to be a very good tea towel and lasted easily until I was old enough to wash and dry everything, including the carving knife.

My brother thought we should get her get her dog biscuits. We didn't have a dog. For once granny was on my side.

If it’s the Astonish stuff it’s amazing though. (I use it at work and It’s very satisfying)
However, this way leads to buying rice steamers and vacuum cleaners for wives.(looking at you bil)

God I'd bloody love a rice steamer though. I'd be living off mango sticky rice for the rest of my days!

See i would let him buy me it, and make sure dad adds in chocolate. Also I would buy this for my dh and he would love it! But as part of a present rather than the only thing.

Tell DH to tell him cleaning items aren’t presents

@EveryDayIsADuvetDay

buy him a refill of the same powder when it gets to his birthday?

That's exactly what I thought. Mention it to him now.

Ah, let him buy it! Scrub the mugs together. It's so satisfying!

Reading a your replies I'm starting to think it will be a fun present after all

My daughter bought Vanish Gold when she was younger as the advert seemed to make it really exciting! I thought it was really sweet. Her dad did get me a good present to go with it though!

Last year, for my Birthday, my dgd got me a pack of 4 toilet rolls. Dd and sil were killing themselves laughing, when she gave me them. I however thought that’s the joke present, wonder what the real one is? No, no real present, just toilet rolls. I was not impressed, especially as sil’s dm and dsd both got expensive bottles of gin and taken out for dinner. My birthday is in June, so this year I got nothing, because of Covid! However the dsd, whose birthday is also in June was taken out for a meal as soon as lockdown was lifted.

There is no back story, we normally get on really well. I help with babysitting dgds and have their dinner ready when they come home from work when babysitting. However when it comes to birthday presents, my dh normally gets sfa, and I get whatever crap they can see in Tesco!

Let him get it for you then have him show you how to use it. Tell him you are amazed at what a great job he did & can he be in charge of descaling cups from now on. I hope you have a lovely birthday OP.

@SionnachRua I asked for one from my MIL a few years ago. IT'S AMAZING!!!! It does porridge and slow cooks and has a few other features I don't use much (you can use it to make cakes? and soup? and crust fry? if you spend as much time as you would in front of a hob/oven).
I think the brussel sprouts are adorable as a present, as long as they're accompanied by a proper present, and it sounds like they weren't!

Aw bless him, I think it’s sweet that he saw something that he thought was good and wants to buy it for you. I’d be really happy if my kids got me that.... and then laugh about it when they’re older.

I gave my parents all kind of weird stuff when I was a kid. It’s part of growing up and learning how to do things.... let him do it independently without being corrected, he’ll feel so proud.

Then next year, drop a couple of very unsubtle hints well in advance so he thinks he’s had the idea himself.

@wigglerose I never knew you could do porridge in them...you learn something new every day! Definitely must get one.

I think it’s hilarious.
Sweet, sweet boy. Something about the advert obviously caught his enthusiasm.

Please tell me, OP and PP, that you weren’t serious about all this po faced miserable ‘parenting’ advice?

It’s a little boy who thinks he had hit upon a product with near magical powers that makes adults very happy.

He won’t be buying the same thing at 21.

Ask him whether he thinks you enjoy cleaning?

And start thinking about role modellling a less archaic view of women

My DD gave me a swede for a birthday present around the same age, because she knows how much I loooooove trying new vegetables

I was really touched. She bought it with her own pocket money, had a well-thought-through rationale... And I made a great Facebook story!!

Sadly, as it turns out, as much as I love her to try new vegetables, swedes taste like shit. But it was definitely the thought that counted!!

Let him get it, it'll be hilarious.

I bought my auntie a container full of toothpicks that looked like tint swords, for her 21st birthday. I was 6 and would have loved them as a present myself .

You can clean the mugs together, whilst eating the chocolate that your DH is going to encourage him to buy.

Tiny swords!

He wouldn't buy his father amazing mug cleaning powder now would he
I think my DS would potentially buy something like this for his dad because his dad is the main washer upper in our house and he does get taken in by the ads. I don't think this is necessary a sexism thing. He knows you clean the mugs, he saw something that would make it easier for you, that's thoughtful

Just get your DH to explain that it's not really a birthday type gift. Perhaps DH could let him but it as well as something else as he chose it.

At about that age my ds was determined to get me a PedEgg to do the hard skin on my feet. He was gently steered in another direction, bless him.

Seriously? He's 8. Let him buy the cleaning powder. It's something he wants to get you, not generic crap chocolate. My DS once bought me a lampshade for my bedroom light 🤷🏼‍♀️ it was turquoise and I like turquoise. I treasure it because he thought of it himself. Don't ruin his thoughtfulness.

For Christmas i got kitchen spray and cloths, i was not impressed!!