Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

DD birthday gift

26 replies

Rebecca198 · 04/11/2021 16:37

Hi there, I would genuinely appreciate some advice here, as I'm sure that I am not Being, but I have a tiny nagging bit of doubt, that I may be being entitled, I don't know if I am, or if I'm being manipulated to think that may be the case.

It's my daughters birthday on Sunday, the way my partner and I approach what gifts to get is that we make a list firstly including what has been asked for if appropriate, then things we'd like to get. We then go through what our budget is and if the list goes over budget then we prioritise.

This year in the list was a bundle of four children's 150 piece jigsaws. We chose to get her these as something my daughter and I enjoy together is doing jigsaws in the evening after the baby has gone to bed. We do this every night, and the ones she has no longer challenge her at all.

A couple of weeks ago MIL asked what gift to get for DD. I initially my partner and I suggested things that hadn't made the final cut... we suggested a firefighter costume, she didn't want to get it. Then we suggested magnetic tiles, she didn't want to get these. We suggested an art set, a doll, a science experiment kit, and loads of other things... for all of them she said no. Then asked if there was anything else.

We then moved in to suggestion from the gifts we intended to but her, a paw patroller, a dance game for our switch, a movie, an easel, some bored games... all no

So we suggested the jigsaws, I sent her the link so she could have a look, explained I intended to order that day, so please let me know as if not we were getting them. She said she'd like to get them for DD

Fast forward to seeing her a few days ago, she tells me when my partner left the room (as she does with everything), that the jigsaws had been delivered and she thought they were lovely.., she's going to give DD them but keep two at her house...

It really annoyed me, I have a thing about people not giving a child a gift and stating they can only have it in a place of the givers choosing. Which she knows, and I explained again. I'm also irritated that this is a gift that we intended to but our daughter, she didn't want to get anything else as it was either too boyish (!), or too messy etc. If I had known she'd decide to keep two, I wouldn't have made the suggestion.

My partner called her last night and explained that he was annoyed as she's taken a gift that we were going to get and then changed the gift (the jigsaws can not be bought individually at the moment, so she knows we can't get the other two). She told him it was ridiculous and two jigsaws is more than enough, and that wat she'd have something to enjoy with DD, but to keep peace she'll acquiesce to give 3 and keep one.

If she had been out off her own back and picked some jigsaws for DD, and then saw a couple of others and though "oh they're nice jigsaws that I like and that DD would enjoy doing with me".... not a problem

But what she's done just feels a little wrong to me, and I'd really like to know if it's a me problem, or if other people would be annoyed too

Also just before it's asked, no she does not intend to save two for Christmas and no money is in no way an issue to her

Anyhow, I'd really appreciate some outside perspective as it's really niggling me. Thank you x

OP posts:
Mumdiva99 · 04/11/2021 16:40

I get why you are annoyed. But....lesson learnt. Next year you will suggest 5 things and nothing else. You were too accommodating. Don't ruin what is otherwise probably an OK relationship with MiL....but live and learn.

Chocolatewheatos · 04/11/2021 16:45

You were far too accommodating and she took the piss.
Next time when she says no to your fist lot of suggestions just say "I don't know then, think of what you want to buy her"

Don't give up your gifts for her.

DrinkFeckArseBrick · 04/11/2021 16:48

It's a minor annoyance. That's all. Your daughter will be into doing something else in the evenings in a couple of months. Buy a charity shop jigsaw in the meantime for a couple of quid and let her keep them all, its shit splitting them up from a set as no spare box and only one of you would have the pictures. And next time just give her the list and if she doesnt like anything on it tell her to get something of her choosing or give your daughter a voucher for a toy shop

Merryoldgoat · 04/11/2021 17:03

Come on, OP - they’re jigsaw puzzles!

You can get her different ones. It’s not like it’s a bike or toy kitchen.

My PIL buy all sorts the boys have there which means I don’t have to cart stuff about.

I think YABU.

gingerbiscuits · 04/11/2021 17:04

My MIL used to do the opposite: say she'd get something we'd suggested (that we knew our kids would love) ...& then not! And buy something completely different!! Which meant that they then didn't have something that we would have bought, had we known!

At the end of the day, your daughter will have 4 lovely jigsaws, albeit at 2 different houses. Is it really that big a deal? I'm sure she won't notice or mind.

LettertoHermoine · 04/11/2021 17:09

It sounds like an AWFUL lot of over planning and overthinking for a small child's birthday to me.

AllWaxedOut · 04/11/2021 17:10

Is it that you feel she's trying to 'get in' on something that you see as you and DD's thing?

Anotherdayanotherdollar · 04/11/2021 17:16

Agreed with pp. A lot of overplanning and over thinking. I'm sure they're not the only 4 jigsaws in the world... Just get a different one? Maybe she could just make do with the 3 new ones until Christmas and choose more then?

Rebecca198 · 04/11/2021 17:25

@Merryoldgoat

Come on, OP - they’re jigsaw puzzles!

You can get her different ones. It’s not like it’s a bike or toy kitchen.

My PIL buy all sorts the boys have there which means I don’t have to cart stuff about.

I think YABU.

But the difference there is that you don't ind your PIL buying things for your children that are just for their house, I personally find it to be an unfair thing to do with things that you are gifting, which my MIL has understood for a long time. I'm not talking about colouring, and little bits and pieces. Typically I wouldn't talk about jigsaws either, if she'd picked up a jigsaw and thought if... it's about the jigsaws, but not about the jigsaws... it's about her knowing we intended to gift something to our child that we knew she would enjoy, she then decided to split the gift, if this had been said, then we would have said no, think of something else then. I'm not saying in that my emotional reaction is right, just that it's not really the physical item that is the issue per day.

However thank you for your perspective... it has helped me see a little more clearly that it's a somewhat minor transgression, but also helped me realise that my reaction to something so minor is a symptom of a much deeper issue, as I started trying to explain every reason why I'm irritated with MIL and all the history to my issue with MIL... I've obviously decided not to do that, as I need to address the issues rather than try and explain why my over reaction wasn't an over reaction, so in a very rambling, round about way. Thank you x

OP posts:
Rebecca198 · 04/11/2021 17:28

@LettertoHermoine

It sounds like an AWFUL lot of over planning and overthinking for a small child's birthday to me.
Planning that I enjoy doing, not really what I asked about, but thank you anyway
OP posts:
Rebecca198 · 04/11/2021 17:35

@AllWaxedOut

Is it that you feel she's trying to 'get in' on something that you see as you and DD's thing?
In its own way I think it could be a little to do with that, as a couple of PP's have helped me realise it's an over reaction to something quite small in the scheme of things. My MIL has crossed a lot of boundaries in the past and it's gotten much worse recently, it's a little bit death by a 1000 paper cuts, so I need to deal with the root issues rather than get upset about nothings

But on the other hand it's that she adamant about gifting my daughter all four and then taking one back away with her. I don't have an issue with her having jigsaws that she does with my daughter, I do have an issue with telling a child they've been given a gift, but you can only have it under the givers prerequisites x

OP posts:
Rebecca198 · 04/11/2021 17:51

@Anotherdayanotherdollar

Agreed with pp. A lot of overplanning and over thinking. I'm sure they're not the only 4 jigsaws in the world... Just get a different one? Maybe she could just make do with the 3 new ones until Christmas and choose more then?
Thank you for taking time to reply, as said to the other poster, I wasn't asking if my level of planning is unreasonable, because I enjoy it so have no intention of changing it any time soon, regardless of whether another deems it too much

And of course they aren't the only four jigsaws in the world, as stated earlier it's about the jigsaws but not. As said above it's about a lot of other things, which may have blown my reaction on this out of proportion, which I do now acknowledge, so thank you xx

OP posts:
FictionalCharacter · 04/11/2021 18:28

I disagree with PPs. She sounds very annoying. You gave her tons of ideas for things to buy and she said no to all of them. Does she not understand that birthdays are more about what the birthday child wants than what the giver wants to get? Then suddenly when you say what you’re going to get for DD, suddenly she wants to get it instead. Funny that.
And then she wants to keep some of it at her house. As you say, she’s giving a gift and then saying DD can only have part of it at her house. That’s not genuine giving IMO.
She’s playing games and it’s clearly part of a pattern. I don’t think you’re overreacting.

HeartvsBrain · 04/11/2021 19:05

Well I might be wrong to post this as I don't think it is worth falling out with your MiL over, but I do think she has a cheek, and that the way she kept manipulating you by saying no to all of your other suggestions, makes me think that she already knew what you wanted to get your Daughter, and that it is something that you and your DD do together. I would be very fed-up with her, but I wouldn"t tell her, I would just make sure, as others have suggested, to not tell her anything about any of your future choices of gifts for your DD, and I would ask my DP to make sure that (even if probed by his DM a few months before any upcoming birthdays or Christmas) he didn't let slip any ideas that either of you had for DD's next presents - I am not saying he did this time, it is quite possible that your DD has at some time mentioned your lovely hobby that you share, and your MiL wanted in on that - however as far as I am concerned that should stay special between you and your DD, and MiL can come up with something different to share with her Granddaughter, that she keeps at her home. I do think you would be unreasonable if you ask for that to not happen as it would be nice for them to have that, and it would save having to take things backwards and forwards all the time. I am a paternal grandmother myself.

LittleGwyneth · 04/11/2021 19:38

I totally agree with you about the stipulation thing - why would she want a present that she can only use at Granny's house?

TellMeItsNotTrue · 04/11/2021 23:24

Could you still get them, obviously she'll open your presents first and then later when MIL gives her a second set immediately & enthusiastically say "wow, you can have a set at home and a set at granny's House now"

Gets around a lot of things you've said here and stops your DD being upset that she's having one of her presents taken away... Because she's got a matching one that is staying

I hadn't thought about the box/pictures, but PP is right and I bet the box stays at MILs, making it hard to enjoy at home

justjuggling · 04/11/2021 23:31

Just buy a couple more jigsaw puzzles to keep at your house?

Chloemol · 04/11/2021 23:37

She’s annoying, you gave her loads of choice re rejected. The 4 jigsaws come as a group, why should they be split up, they shouldn’t be

Moving forward I would give suggestions and say it’s one of these or you find something yourself and make sure it’s stuff she can’t divvy up

steff13 · 04/11/2021 23:38

I don't see anything wrong with her keeping a couple at her house for your daughter to do while she's there. She's still getting to take two home. Could you buy her two others to keep at home if she needs to have four?

I get there's a backstory here, but this isn't a battle I would choose.

BeefSupreme · 04/11/2021 23:43
Confused

Why did you send her a link to the jigsaws? What was the point of that?

WithANameLikeDaniCalifornia · 04/11/2021 23:44

@steff13

I don't see anything wrong with her keeping a couple at her house for your daughter to do while she's there. She's still getting to take two home. Could you buy her two others to keep at home if she needs to have four?

I get there's a backstory here, but this isn't a battle I would choose.

I’m predicting a hell of a dripfeed coming
LittleOwl153 · 04/11/2021 23:56

I don't agree with presents that can only be used at certain houses. My MIL tried this - she insisted a toy was kept at her house - despite it being given to DD as a birthday present (the only present she got from MIL). MIL then allowed another child to play with it when DD wasn't there. Said child broke the toy so that it was no longer playable. Dd returned the following week asked for said toy. MIL said no. Dd asked why - was it because it was no longer her birthday? Would she be able to play with it on her next birthday etc... I think she was 3 at the time. Caused no end of bother.

LittleOwl153 · 04/11/2021 23:58

If you haven't already spent your budget and the jigsaws would have otherwise made the cut then I woukd tell MIL you are going to buy DD the jigsaws as you want her to have the full set of four. (Maybe from somewhere you can return if necessary).
Next year I'd not be giving up my gift ideas - she can think of her own.

Rebecca198 · 05/11/2021 00:20

@steff13

I don't see anything wrong with her keeping a couple at her house for your daughter to do while she's there. She's still getting to take two home. Could you buy her two others to keep at home if she needs to have four?

I get there's a backstory here, but this isn't a battle I would choose.

The issues isn't her having jigsaws at her house that she can do with DD. The issue is her asking for and rejecting options made, and then knowing we intended to get a particular gift said that she wanted to get it instead. If we're getting the jigsaws they wouldn't be getting split up unless DD made that choice. Giving a birthday gift to a child and then taking that gift away isn't right or fair. If MIL wanted jigsaws at her house that were appropriate for DD, she'd have already had them (which she does already, due to having her eldest grand child's old jigsaws which she's kept), or gone and got them separately.

Your right though, this one thing isn't worth falling out over, however all the other things that have built up to a point I've had this get so deeply under my skin, well those issues need dealing with.

OP posts:
Rebecca198 · 05/11/2021 00:26

@BeefSupreme

Confused

Why did you send her a link to the jigsaws? What was the point of that?

Because after the many faces pulled regarding other options, I suggested she gets jigsaws, and there was a particular bundle that my partner and I intended to get, she asked to see them and if she could get them instead. I sent her the link so she could see them and order them on the understanding that the bundle as a whole was being gifted as a birthday present. She decided she didn't want to do this and instead split them once she received the package and looked at them
OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread