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?

No one is entitled to gifts, are they? Appreciate what was given? I don't like socks but I smile and thank those who give them to me. They didn't have to give anything.

Ffs lol. If the gift was socks I wouldn’t have made a thread. Socks are great!

Yeah, but I don't like socks so the point is I don't think people giving me socks are deliberately trying to insult me?

They are if they know you don’t like socks! 🤣 and that was my point. Of course no one is entitled to a gift but over my dead body would I get such a rubbish gift for someone I profess to love… until today!

Is she a Christian? Does she want to share her faith with him? Is he going through something she thinks he might need help with? There's lots of reasons that could explain the gift unless you've ruled these out already?

Aww, sorry 💓

I’m sorry but this is actually hilarious.

Love the fact that she spends 300 quid on eye cream. Nan is living her best life and putting herself first.

So previous years, air pods and JD vouchers. Now he’s an adult he is given something that is meaningful to his grandmother but with no monetary value so you are fuming that the money’s dried up. It does come across a touch entitled.

For her bday or Xmas buy her a shit gift / maybe a book on how to clean the u-bend or something! 😂

Ignore it.Nothing else you can do. You don't mention your son's dad's reaction. If he is in the picture ,he is the one to mention it.

A cd because he likes podcasts 😂😂😂 classic nan logic

My MIL gave my son some children’s books for his 19th birthday

AirPods for his 18th as it was a milestone birthday and that is what he was saving for. JD vouchers were £20/30 that went towards his birthday money for a hoody etc. it's not about the monetary value at all. But I can see how my post can come across like that.

With politeness???? You sound so entitled, as least she's popping round, she doesn't have to give him anything.

I don’t agree with this at all . It’s the fact that he’s not religious, and it’s not meaningful to him in the slightest , and the grandmother surely knows that . You don’t give a gift to someone because it’s meaningful to yourself .

I come across as entitled? For wanting my son to receive a meaningful gift on his birthday from his gran rather than her try and push her beliefs on him when he needs family support more than ever as he’s about to leave home. Ok, hun.

My great Aunt used to get all the adults in our family crap gifts for Christmas. We'd have a do at hers on boxing day every year and her prezzies were the best part of the day. Useless gadgets from mail order catalogs nobody has heard of, the most awful tat. She really made the effort trying to find stuff she thought people would like, and everything came with a long winded explanation. By the end of it everyone was in tears laughing.

That's a crap present. A CD that came with a magazine is a piss take. I'd rather she got him nothing if I were you. Assuming she's not hit hard times or something.

If you can't be arsed to pick a gift, at least bung him some cash.

When he was born my Mother gave my son a second hand peach coloured hat in the cheapest brushed polyester, More recently, at age15 year she gave him a pad of paper with pink and purple unicorns on it for Christmas. Since she died I am going through her house and looking at all the beautiful, thoughtful and expensive gifts family members gave her. Money was never an issue. She had plenty. I suppose some people are givers and other people...are not. I don't think she meant badly. She just had no concept of other people. It was like they were an alien species.

What if it is the early stages of dementia? It is a cruel disease that sneak’s up on families. Your son is a man, he can surely cope with a poor present from an elderly grandmother.

I’d be gutted. It’s a present that lacks thought or care… A freebie and no consideration of the recipient’s tastes or interests!

My sister in law gave me a secondhand book with missing pages for my bday. I know she probably didn’t realise about the pages but I felt hurt she’d just picked up something lying around the house rather than making the effort to choose something. These little things do matter.

It is definitely a rubbish, thoughtless, cheapskate gift. Would be crazy to dispute that… your son is 19 though, so pretty much an adult, ie he can be outraged or disappointed himself, you don’t have to do it on his behalf!

Why are you getting yourself involved?

Your son is an adult, he's chosen how he wants to handle it.

It’s a batshit, crap gift. Not only that but it’s a mean gift to a teenager embarking on independence.

I’d be biting my tongue not to say something if it were mentioned, especially about not being able to listen to it.

Donald Trump gave his niece a hamper with the caviar removed. Her brother got last year's diary. Does your MIL vote Reform?

MIL, I have to be honest with you. James is not interested in religion. I know you would like him to be, but he isn't. The cd will go to charity or the trash unless you want it back. If you really want to give him a gift he will use and appreciate then I suggest a gift certificate for X.

Who cares how much money she spends on herself? It is hers to spend.