Rubbish gift from MIL

[MyBabyAteTheDingo]

Son’s 19th birthday today, mil dropped his gift round. It’s a free Jesus audio CD that she receives from some Christian subscription.

I'm fucking fuming on his behalf. He has no interest in religion. This from a woman who spends over £300 on a small tube of eye wrinkle cream so money’s not the issue here. They get on well so I’m just puzzled at this.

I know it’s the thought that matters but this seems more like an insult.
She’ll be calling later so any suggestions on how to respond to this?

on mn there are coach loads of folk claiming they’d deliver these pithy responses right back at ya style. Nonsense of course. Only bombastic online. In real life they’d smile and do nowt

I think your reaction seems totally justified and quite normal.

MIL sounds a character.

Did you hear from mother in law again after? Did she ask whether DS liked the gift?

Blimey that's a bit rude.

alternatively, make her a nice cup of tea and use it as a coaster.. and ask if she has another five to make up the set.

OK... just messing about. But seriously... What was she thinking? He's off to uni and must need a load of kit for his room but new clothes... even £20 would have been appreciated.

Whatever the reason (and I would ask in a round about way) she must know that this is a rubbish gift.

I do like your Son's manners in sending a thank you text though. He sounds like a very mature young man.

You're making me wonder if it could be a sign of dementia....

No idea why you would thank her for that gift that’s practically okaying it. I would be calling her out on it for sure

No gift would have been better than this! It’s the worst.
Personally a gift that someone has put no care or thought into, particularly a freebie that they couldn’t be bothered to wrap is worse than not doing something at all because it’s actively insulting whereas not getting a gift might have been slightly passively insulting.

Yeah that's just so weird I'd actually wonder about cognitive decline.

I'd say thank you, I'm sure he'll treasure it but can't play it as we don't own a CD player. Maybe she will get him one and he can take it to Uni with him. Well, I did say maybe.

Is it possible that she may be in the early stages of dementia. My mum said the weirdest things at the start and I’m not sure why I didn’t figure it out earlier.

That’s hilarious. Still doesn’t beat the time my friend’s MIL gave her an expired botox voucher for Christmas.

That is an awful gift, but is really quite funny. I think it could become an annual game. Disguise it as something else and give it to someone at Christmas (appropriate timing). It can forever do its rounds! (I do mean only your ds/dh/you/ds siblings- I wouldn’t want to upset your mil).

What is meaningful for you and for her obviously are very different.
Just accept that.
I've heard absolutely fantastic Christian CDs before that have been life changing.
I don't know if it's a thoughtless gift or not. However I do think it could have been accompanied by an expensive gift that she knew he would like as well as CD.

Do you have a dvd player still or a console that takes discs? They will work

Tell her that the Lord came down and told you that you should give it back to her for Christmas

I’ve noticed the older threads get the more insane the responses. People presumably keep reading and getting more and more irate about something and then get rude.

Sounds like there was thought behind it but the thought was weird and minimal. I’d be annoyed too but I’m glad he wasn’t.

Some of the weird things my father and MIL have done or said have become hilarious family lore but they usually start with me being annoyed 😁

My DS is a bat shit gift giver, always has been. The list is long and we have a bit of a tradition in opening said gifts together.

Similar list

Key ring from australia, none of us have been. This hangs in the christmas tree each year.
Garden thermometer when i lived in a flat - and we have apps on our phones
Garden chair covers - same flat!!
How to knit book for things like a post box cover - mmmm
Hand made items (she must have had the same book) for things we don’t own. Think tall lamp shade - we had spot lights.
She gifted Grandad hair gel when he’s bald -
DS once got long girls school socks

These are just funny!

I would thank her and i’ve never asked!!

I come from a very religious family. My aunt gave me this sort of present the birthday before I went to uni to remind me to not succumb to temptation. She also tried to persuade me to live in the YWCA rather than the uni halls because I'd be with "my" type of people. Fat chance!

If it helps my dad never gave gifts until he married his new wife (the witch) she used to regift. My children were given all sorts from empty biscuits tins (the type you buy in a tin) random 80s Christmas decorations, religious ornaments etc and this was when they were toddlers?! Just crap she didn't want really. Wished they stuck to no presents!

Oh god this has just brought back a core memory.
my aunty, who was v cross my mum left and took us with her, sent my sister a make up case one year at Xmas. My sister has rosacea and very very sore skin flare ups. It was so thoughtless and a real f u present (it was also free from her Avon work lol )

ExH received a wrapped up tin of tuna from his nan’s cupboard once Christmas!

Maybe she imagines him with a coke habit and wants him to be reminded of the words of Jesus when cutting up lines?

At least she bothered.
It was my DS' 17th birthday on Friday and not one of his arsehole aunts (DHs sisters) even bothered to say happy birthday, no call, no message, fuck all.
In fact they have never once bothered as they conveniently "forget" every year, same as they do most times with DD.
What makes it worse is the day before DS' birthday is one of their sons birthday and they get the full Facebook post about how wonderful they are with photos from them all. Bunch of nasty hags.

With your MIL do not make effort with her gifts after that. How rude.

Perhaps she thought that opening his mind to the Christian Faith would help him in his adult life. Who is the one really objecting here? Just leave it be. Be thankful for small mercies. She remembered his birthday, and who knows what benefit it will carry when he does listen to it.

I don’t think you come across as entitled at all. My MIL is a taker. She wants to be taken out to fancy restaurants and theatre shows. Which for some bizarre reason we do. She was a shit mother to my husband and let his father emotionally abuse him and their other two children who now as adults are messed up. The “Taker” also gives shit presents that are either 2nd hand from the charity shop or found in a skip. It makes me very angry. Not entitled. Disgusted.