Husband wants to make 3-year-old wait to open presents

[DucklingDaisy]

Please help me settle a disagreement. We have a 3-year-old and a one-year-old. The older one is extremely excited about Christmas.

Tomorrow morning, my husband wants to make her have breakfast and wait an hour or two before opening presents. He wants to do this so his sister, who is our only guest, can sleep in a bit and then come down and participate in the whole thing. Also because he seems to just believe it's a good rule.

I think that's going to feel torturous for an excited 3-year-old. I think it's setting us up for unnecessary conflict and stress, and getting Christmas off to a terrible start. If she was a bit older it might be different. I think an acceptable compromise would be allowing her to open one present before Breakfast, then waiting no more than about an hour to do the rest. I feel really strongly about this.

Who is being unreasonable?

Nope his sister gets a lovely wake up call. I would send the kids in to wake her

His sister needs to get up or miss out.

Exactly how is it a good rule?? If sister wants to see the presents being opened then she can get up.

Firm. No. It’s cruel. Let them open as soon as they realise Father Christmas has been.
Even if they have to stagger the rest throughout day.

Guest falls into what child needs.

He is being an absolute dick and potentially ruining a child's Christmas.

No wake the sister up or she misses them opening the Santa presents. Other presents can wait till she’s awake

Sister can get up, watch 3yo rip paper off some boxes, then bugger off back to bed.

We always used to do stocking and Santa present first thing, then breakfast and get ready for the day and then tree presents slowly over the course of the morning.

I think a compromise where she opens something early and then waits for the rest is the right way to go.

Your DH is BVVVU your SIL either laus in and misses it or gets up with the children. No it's not buts, no discussion.

We do stockings first thing but presents wait until after the Kings speech - it stretches out the excitement and means that it isn't all over before lunchtime.

Your husbands being ridiculous - of course your 3 yr old will want to open her presents as soon as she wakes up. Give the sister's door a knock and it's up to her if she gets up and joins in, or not.

Isn't this why you have stockings? They open some gifts and then you bring out the rest later.

SIL and DH are being unreasonable.

She can either get up or miss out.

Tell his sister your plans and that she gets up if she wants to see the children open their presents, then it's up to her what she does.

Yes this is what we do. Presents are after breakfast but there's stocking stuff to play with beforehand. Never had any probs doing it this way!

I agree, we always had stockings we could open when we woke up, presents under the tree waited till we got home from church.

Bring out the rest later??

Santa puts them all under the tree to be see and make the magic.... Not in a cupboard to bring out later ....
.

It would mean that instead of starting the day with excitement and fun it will start with crying and disappointment.

Your compromise sounds sensible.

Just to note: we've not done stockings as it seemed OTT at the ages at they are. She has 5 presents to open from us and a couple from grandparents and SIL.

I've always done a stocking for DD since her second Xmas (first she was under 1). She loved rummaging in it to find things. The toothbrush was her fave thing the first year

The sister gets up and can go back to bed if she wants. My sil was warned that she had to get up and that's what she did. She went back to bed for a couple of hours everyone was happy. Your dh needs to stop being victorian on this or till have 2 very unhappy children and a screaming match. Which would he prefer dsis witness ?

Now you know what the purpose of the stocking is!

What's the back story with DSIS needing to sleep in? Has she just flown in from Aus? Finishing an overnight hour shift as a hospital Dr? Doesn't like getting up before 10?

Ours aren't allowed down ridiculously early, and they're allowed to play with toys as they open them so we'll start about 7, eat bfast alongside it and it'll take a while. No reason a guest couldn't watch it all in PJs on the sofa

Can’t make a 3 year old who has anticipated this day for weeks to wait a second longer than is necessary. It’s too much to ask of a little kid who has been so excited for so long. Sis gets up or misses out.