Not to buy new wrapping paper for SC?

[readystdygo]

Every year I buy new wrapping paper for my two kids. I wrap each kids in different paper so they can tell whos is whos.

I then wrap my step childs in whatever paper I have left. Step child is not here on christmas day.

I was discussing this with a friend and she said its wrong that step child dont get new paper too? I cant see how it makes any difference?

Oh my, and there lies the issue you are telling people you don’t think your partners child is as deserving as your own!!!!!
If I was your partner I’d kick you to the kerb, they came before you and deserve respect.

Oh get out of it 🤣do you heck! Not buying a word lol

It’s hardly a mix of scraps

it’s 2 rolld

maybe one red and one green

or One with Santa and one with Christmas trees

But your children see your step child doesn't have different paper like them, they may not be able to articulate that they have noticed a difference (and they will), but it will form part of a bigger picture over time. Kids pick up on more things than we give them credit for

Two lots of "guessing" in the same post. Or "Making stuff up" as I prefer to call it

Children don't see practicalities. They see actions and non actions. In a child's eyes not having their own wrapping paper is being treated less than. Yes, in our eyes it's silly but to a child it would mean the world not to be treated differently. Please treat them the same as yours and get them their own paper.

Just so.
My DSDs gifts won’t come to even half a roll of paper (we don’t get specific paper for her either) but she’s had more than twice as much spent on her than my own kids (and I’m not talking about the small fortune her DM has also spent on her). Poor child will be traumatised 😱

Your OP makes it sound as though you give your kids the good stuff and SC last year's leftovers and I would have said it shows how you value your SC. But, I think from your updates, you give your kids a mix of old and new - so not much of a dilemma.

Don't know why anyone wouldn't use labels on presents (unless you are marking the paper directly?). Must cause a bit of confusion and occasional mis-opening? Just buy a strip of bog standard (plain) label strips if you can't be bothered with the tie ons. How on earth do you know which is which and DC/SC know it's from you?

The wrapping paper is a red herring! You obviously treat them differently in other ways/situations. Wrong! They are all just children.

Aren’t there three children when your step child is there? Where do the other two go?

She didn’t say her two children aren’t there, just that step child is the only one opening presents?

Unless you quoted the wrong post.

It’s literally wrapping paper that gets torn to shreds and thrown in the bin. It’s not that deep.

I wonder if it could go the other way

”I have three rolls of paper I’m using to wrap presents for my DSD, DM, DDad, and DH. They are red, gold, and blue.

AIBU to buy a roll of green for my DD and a roll of white for my DS so that I can easily identify their presents on Christmas Day; even though it’s boring to use all the same paper?

For clarity, they are the only ones there on Christmas Day so won’t see that other family members have more variety of paper.”

😂😂😂

OP we do the same; though have no step children

Really.... The papers have different patterns on...

For example

Child 1 - xmas trees on wrapping paper
child 2 - snowmans on wrapping paper.
DSD - Not wrapped in either of the above.

How would anyone get confused with that?!

Not sure how its relevant but yes when step child opens presents all children are here... sometimes they watch, sometimes they go up to their rooms, something they go and get some food.
They dont care that DSD is opening presents as they understand they already had theirs.

Oh thats a bit crap. They cannot even pretend to be interested?

Not everyone likes being watched opening presents, plus can make it a bit more special with their dad who they didn’t see on Christmas Day.

I doubt DSD cares

Why is that an issue? My siblings were never interested in watching me open presents and vice versa

Anyone else thinking this family is really unblended, I feel so sorry for the stepchild who is clearly so unvalued by stepmom and her children

😂

I do this too. I use different paper per child so I know who's is whos not to single them out. Who gets this ramped up over her being unfair to the step child?!
Either you didn't understand what she meant or you're just looking for anything to have a go at.

I use the same paper from Christmas day for anyone not there on Christmas day when I need to know who's is who.
Not on person yet, child or adult, has made a big deal about not getting new paper when they weren't even there on the day..
Seriously people.. Drop the pitchforks.

No. They are kids, they are not forced to sit and watch others open their gifts... just like DSD never watches them open their gifts.
If they want to sit and watch, they can... if they dont, then they are free to get up and move around.

Plus, DSD doesn't care. She's more bothered about her pile of presents then whos watching.

Yes, I did.

And she isn't wrong. It isn't up to her to purchase wrapping paper for the DSC's presents. It's up to their parent to organise this if they want to buy special new wrapping paper.

It is not wrong for a parent to focus their energy and attention on their own children. That doesn't mean neglecting DSC or treating them badly. In this circumstance, the OP wants to buy wrapping paper for her children's gifts. She will use that same wrapping paper for her DSC, but without needing to use a separate paper because there is no risk of confusion over presents. She is literally buying new paper and using it for all of the children. So get a grip. But even if she weren't doing that, she wouldn't be doing anything wrong unless she wasn't bothering to wrap the DSC's at all (although even that is really the responsibility of their parent) or if she was fishing used wrapping paper from the bin bags to reuse for the DSC or wrapping them in tin foil or something.

Here's the thing: nothing is ever equal in a blended family. It's simply impossible and trying to pretend that it is equal is silly. All the children involved have to understand and accept their situation and the adults involved have a responsibility to help them to do that in a supportive and mature way. And yes, I am part of a blended family and my eldest child has been part of a blended family. I have DSC who are grown up now.

The fact that people are up in arms over what paper the DSC's presents are wrapped in just shows the level of ridiculousness that goes on in some households where DSC are concerned when the adults are too ruled by fear of their children feeling rejected instead of being led by healthy emotions which support all the children in the family effectively.

I'm not sure what OP wants from this thread? She didn't agree with her friend and argued against posters disagreeing with her. Maybe she's come here because she thinks she's right and just wants confirmation without opposition?

I had no idea that there were people out there who deliberately don't label Christmas presents and colour co-ordinate the wrapping instead. Every day is a school day on MN! For some reason it really tickles me. It seems an over-complicated way of doing it (to me) as you'd have to calculate quantities (what happens if you are a bit short?) and does every member of the family get individual wrapping paper? Surely on occasions someone must open the wrong present by mistake? Seems much simpler to just label them all. Obviously works for some (much more organised people than me!)

On Christmas Day they’ll all be opening presents.