To think no one does this - Christmas toys related

[EvilsElsasPetSnowman]

So MIL once did a judgy shock-face at me when, after asking if I take all the toys out the boxes and test them before Christmas Day, before wrapping them, i said “No of course not!”. She said “Oh I did with all of my kids’ toys! I made sure they had batteries in and that they worked because there’s nothing sadder than if a child can’t enjoy their present on Christmas Day”.

I pointed out that as a SAHM she probably had more time to do stuff like that than I do, and that if a toy doesn’t work I’ll replace it at the earliest opportunity, and the kids will have to live with the disappointment and that it won’t kill them, that’s life.

Anyway she went on to say that not only did she un box and then re box the toys, she would also read Lego instructions so she knew how to build the sets, and get this - if they were getting a computer game she’d set up their consoles and play the game so that if they needed help on a level she’d know what to do to help

She just kept (rather smugly) saying “I always made sure I was prepared when it came to Christmas and that my kids knew I was always there for them if they needed my help with something”. I REALLY felt like saying “Funny how you weren’t there for them when you left their dad and moved in with your new fella and his kids for a year, completely ignoring their existence and not even turning up to parents evening or their sports matches, emotionally scarring all 4 of them, but the real failure as a mother is me as I don’t play Animal Crossing before my son gets to”. But I didn’t.

I think this is totally bonkers? Does anyone actually do this?

Also how in the actual fuck would you ever get toys back in the box?! I asked this and she says “it’s easy they just go in the same as they came out”. She clearly hasn’t met vacuumed toy packaging of the 2020’s some of which needs a hacksaw to even open

YABU = Yep I do this you slovenly woman
YANBU = that’s bat shit crazy and no one does it.

I’ve never ever checked toys worked before wrapping them. I’ve never encountered a toy that doesn’t work straight from the box, it wouldn’t even occur to me.

I can’t even picture the last thing that has needed batteries, all noisy light up toys come already working these days.

Isn’t the point of building toys to build them though?

We always built the big playmobil sets (castles, farm etc) and took the cable ties off things. Games we installed on the console xmas eve and then put the disc back in box and wrapped it - started doing this after eldest had to wait 6hrs for the game to download and update on xmas day but we live in a rural area and Internet speeds are not good. Never built lego though as that's part the fun and I've never played their video games.

For us it was more that we had 3 boys and not enough hands to build everything at the same time on the morning, especially if i was on shift. Christmas eve night used to be an endurance test!

There's a big gap between DS3 and DS4 so this year it will just be having the batteries, screwdrivers and scissors ready.

I'm a sahm and trust me I don't have time to do that. Yabu to be judgy towards sahms.

I'd set up a games console and install games in advance. Otherwise you could be waiting hours for downloads and patches.

I also always checked batteries.

Not only did I do this but I made it into the Washington Post. Back in my day toys came wired to a really thick cardboard that I couldn't cut with scissors.
I opened everything before Christmas to remove the wires, sort batteries out and so on.
The Washington Post ask for stories and I made it into print.

Your MIL had way too much time on her hands.

Clearly if you’re a SAHM to kids in school then you’ve got roughly 6hrs more a day to do it? When are people claiming SAHM’s don’t have more time? Yeah if you’ve got a toddler and a baby no, but older kids, of course you have a LOT more time.

Well I'm a sahm and I do/did a lot of this, probably needed to fill my time with real jobs.

I took cable ties off everything because there's always 9 million on everything and it takes fuckin ages to cut them off. I also put batteries in, saves looking for screwdrivers on the morning and trying to fit batteries into everything that needed them, which was basically nearly everything ! I put them all back into the boxes which was easy so when my 5 came down they could play with their stuff straight away.

Consoles well you'll soon find out that you can't just plug them in and start playing 😂

I know you're right, and I know that rising above it is the mature thing to do, but equally the MIL is then allowed to throw digs and hurts left, right and center without any backlash?! I personally couldn't bite my tongue! I couldn't resist pointing out how hypocritical she is, tbh.

We used to remove most of the cable ties, and put batteries in.
With tech we would pre charge, turn on and upload software updates.
We wouldn't have thought of learning games or reading lego instructions however.

She was a SAHM until DH her youngest was 8 so yes she did, they were all in school 5 days a week

I think she probably needs someone to tell her explicitly that she was a shit mum if she's so confident making comments to you after abandoning her kids.

The playing the games thing is obviously a bit mad. Why can't they struggle with a level?

But we do get toys out of the box, put batteries in if necessary, build things if they need building etc. Basically, we get the toys to a state where they can be played with immediately because I don't want to spend Christmas morning building a sodding car garage with working lift. I don't put them back in the box. (And I work full time..)

Sadly it as, and she said it with such confidence as if everyone does it

I loved getting things out of boxes as a kid. It was half the fun!

Well a stay at home mum with the kids in school probably would have more time for that than someone working full time. Obviously depends on if they have other responsibilities etc but surely in general it must be pretty accurate

I had this with the sims!!

I remember my mum buying a new computer like a day or two later though. I didn’t ask, beg, suggest at all, and they were far from well off but that’s the sort of person she was.
Only now looking back do I realise how nuts it was!
The lengths we go to as parents sometimes.

The Playmobile thing ..it varies. Some of the sets, and some kids, like my DD, loved the building process and we didn't build her stuff but my ds, who has dyspraxia and the castle that was v v fiddly, it would have been a disaster and ending in tears. Horses for courses.

Whatever she did or didn't do, what she is really saying is " I' m better than you, I did a better job of mothering than you, you are inadequate ".

My parents did, (I'm 36) all toys were checked and batteries, stickers done - dolls houses etc built. Not sure they read the Lego instructions mind you.
We did for our DC when they were small. Not Lego instructions though

I didn’t see it as judgy

I always opened my daughter's presents before wrapping them to make sure nothing was missing, put batteries in, and make sure things worked. I always did it very carefully and put everything back so thst she didn't know things had been opened. It didn't exactly take long and it was well worth it to avoid her being disappointed on Christmas Day if there was a problem with one of her presents.

Not even proper school but they are in school nursery from 3, in some cases 2.

I’ve done 2 years with baby, then baby and older toddler at home and there’s much more time available for me to carve out during the day than when I’m working full time.

It’s quite a small window of babyhood when sahm’s have absolutely no spare time whatsoever.

I do unwrap them and make sure they can play with them straight away, whether it's putting batteries in or getting rid of complicated packaging (NB I don't do this with wrapped gifts others have given). Otherwise I'd be frazzled on Christmas day trying to find batteries. My kids are too young, but I can't see myself doing the other things.

Every toy, apparently. Times 4. I asked about the levels, I said what every Mario level, it would’ve taken her days and on the old Sega Mega Drives you couldn’t save levels and she said ”They never had Mario” 🤣 which DH says is a lie. I think she has a short memory and is a tad deluded