I NEED a new perspective on this, please anyone?

[WinterWally]

I've been with my partner for almost a decade. He has always loved and appreciated the gifts that I give him for his birthday, and he has items and things from me displayed all around the home.
This year for his birthday, I wanted to get something more sentimental and thoughtful, so I made him a lovebook. I thought it was a sweet idea to remind him how much he means to me.
Anyway, the book hasn't gone down too well because he "can't show his mum", and "I wanted something that I could display, not have to hide".
This being because it has a couple of "naughty" pages about us included in the 60 or so pages.
I did also get him a few other bits and a nice card.
Anyway, I feel very put out. I didnt buy the gift wondering if he would be able to show his mum. I brought the gift for him, not her. She's been able to see all of the other gifts that I got him through the years, and this time I was only thinking of him because it's for him.
Am I in the wrong here, or is he being ridiculous? He's been quite mean and rude regarding it.
Am I being unreasonable to gift him a gift that he can't show off for once, or is it OK?
Wtf

Honestly I’m a woman and I’d find it more thoughtful if DH bought me something I want or would enjoy rather than spending hours making me some kind of zine I’d look at once and say ‘how sweet!’ and would then gather dust on a shelf until I die and DC get the house clearance people in, because it’s not the kind of thing you can chuck out during your own lifetime without causing offence.

See also: scarves people insist on knitting for you every Christmas, and original artworks by the amateur painters in your life. These are always about the giver and their ‘effort’.

This

I think the mum thing is a red herring. If he was obsessed with his mother's opinion/had no privacy from her/is a mummy's boy, I'm sure it wouldn't have took ten years to have suddenly revealed itself.
He didn't like the gift, sounds embarrassed by it, and gave a reason off the top of his head to explain himself.

That's literally what I was going to post - total red herring. He needed an excuse to explain his reaction. He just doesn't like it. It's a shame given the effort you put in, but no harm, no foul.

It's lovely that you did that but most men don't like that type of thing. However, now you described it fully it is better than your first description. I still wouldn't be impressed myself.

He does sound very shallow and perhaps this is a wake up to what he's really like. Given that after 10 years he still wants to show his mummy stuff.

Is he a mummy’s boy? How old is he. Quite odd that he needs to show his mum his gifts. What’s that all about ?

Men are NOT sentimental. Yes, it was a rubbish present to give a guy.

Good god, what the hell has his mum got to do with it? Ungrateful bastard. Who receives a gift thinking they must show their mother immediately? Madness. You put time and effort and thought into a lovely gift and he’s shitty about it because he can’t display it and show his mum. I’m sorry, I can’t get over that.

I think the gift was chosen and given with the right intentions.

If he's displayed lots of previous gifts, and showed them to his mum, then maybe something that he couldn't or wouldn't let his mum see, made it uncomfortable.

You said you got him other "bits", but if he's going to follow previous years and share the gifts he's received, then only being able to show her "bits", rather than the earlier, appreciated, items, would look odd. It might make his mum think you'd not bothered this year, or could open an awkward conversation with her.

I do buy my husband a fun, and slightly risqué gift for birthday, Christmas etc, but they are "open in the bedroom only", and not his main gift, which he can open in front of everyone, and let everyone see it.

Not saying he's right or wrong, if that is the case, but maybe that was his train of thought?