to think this was a pretty crap gift?

[Sugarmagnolia]

DS(5) was given a sponge-bob duvet cover (with massive ?REDUCED TO CLEAR" label still attached) for his birthday by a friend from nursery.

Ok first of all, sponge-bob gives me the creeps. He's a sponge. Why does he need to wear pants? What exactly is he hiding?

Second of all, just spent a lot of money totally redecorating DS's room so no way am I then going to use some bizarre looking duvet that doesn't match.

Third of all, isn't a duvet a pretty weird gift anyway, regardless of what's on it unless you know the person's taste or at least have the slightest clue what the child's room looks like?

So I can't help but think, did someone genuinely think I might like this or was she just trying to get rid of something she couldn't stand to have in her own house and/or forgot to buy DS a present and found this at the back of a cupboard???

Also this is a harbinger of things to come. You can guarantee that for every fantastic present your son is given you will get three or four things that you think are naff. And your son will have very different opinions than you! In the birthday party years I stocked up in suitable shops when there was a sale on (usually with dd/ds's advice) and then gave them out in a vaguely appropriate way. It is harder to do this for small boys (little girls always seem to be happy to get yet another colouring set ). Now the invites have gone down to three or four a year and it is children I know well it is a different kettle of fish, but when the parties were large and frequent and the children were too young to provide useful advice presents were quite difficult to judge.

Oh, and ds has a Sponge Bob comforter. Better than the hideous pink thing that dh chose for dd! Both were loved though.

The problem with buying a present for someone is that everyones taste is different.

We got a truly foul ship in a bottle as one of our wedding presents....very bemused by it as it looked like something grandad would have liked and it was one of DHs young mates who bought it for us not an elderly person...still it was the thought that counted. We said thank you and sent it to the charity shop

Well piratecat it will only cost me £2.49 to send second class plus about £1 for a large padded envelope - so for £3.49 the now infamous Spongebob duvet could be yours. If you are interested you can email me at [email protected]

Message withdrawn

if you dont like it either give it away of let your DC use it for the summer holidays in the Garden to sit on, play on, make dens with etc.

I hate all this present malarky. I don't personally like spongbob but if ds received it as a present it would sit at the back of the cupboard and come out when we have guests or taken on holiday etc. But it is only a present from a classmate it really doesn't matter.

It reminds me of when we had a lucky santa dip at work and I bought a silly office toy for someone (maximum budget £5) and my colleague came and told me that she didn't like it and was upset that she hadn't received something she liked! I told her in no uncertain terms that I didn't give a toss that she didn't like it and I wasn't surprised because I didn't put an ounce of effort into choosing it anyway. I didn't particularly like the tacky snowman candle that I was given either but I wasn't going to cry into my spritzer wondering why it was bought for me. Life is too short to worry about things like this!

I bought my 5 year old nephew a set of Bionicles bedlinen for Christmas. He absolutely loved it and got his mum to put it on the bed straight away so he could cuddle up in it. Never occurred to me that it might have been weird - he loves Bionicle stuff and had all the toys already. Tbh, I think it's the longest lasting thing I've bought him

YABU and ungrateful - i would use it for a change duvet. PErhaps this person is short of cash or doesn;t think that being invited to a B-day party means she has to show her worth by buying an expensive gift. More practical than a lot of the plastic tat that we have hoisted on us these days.

YABU. My nephews love spongebob and they would love that Duvet cover.You don't have to suit the room all he time. DD2 18 has just bought a pink butterfly Duvet cover ( because she lloves pink and butterflys) and it does not match her room

repeat after me:

thank you for your present, it was really kind of you to think of ds.

my three boys would love it, a duvet is way above the usual school friend budget anyway (last mn random survey was around £6) so a sale ould be fair

It's something for the charity shop bag (spose it might be something from the charity shop originally)

Oh and why are you getting irritated?

Actually I gave a Duvet cover and pillowcase to a little girl whose birthday party we went to on saturday. It wasn't a character one - it was a Vertbaudet Cup cakes one that I thought was pretty for a 4 year old and would fit in with most decors.

After I bought it I had a bit of a crisis of confidence that it was a crap present, but I ran it by a few people who thought it was a lovely idea and so much better and more useful than the plastic tat that most people get for birthdays.

I haven't had a thank you yet, so maybe she hates it - I just figure as the schools have broken up that probably she hasn't felt under huge pressure to to thank yous incredibly quickly.

I'd hate to think that she hated it. I genuinely bought it as I thought she'd like it

Seeker - I love that your ds woke up to Liverpool duvet! Brilliant idea!

My 5 year olds love Spongebob. I would be grateful for any gift they recieved TBH, I think a duvet cover set is a nice gift, my kids have had some, mostly from relatives and I would make sure they appreciate a gift whether it is to their (or your) taste or not isn't the point really is it. You could use it as a spare? Also, I often buy stuff in the sales for pressies as there are so many birthdays.

Quite weird if you ask me and presumptious to buy something like home furnishings/decor especially for a child.

Ok, well you all keep fighting amongst yourselves but if anyone sees piratecat can you let her know I'm looking for her (so to speak) - she can have the duvet if she wants it.

It was me! Thanks very much
I'll have it back then!

Spongebob rocks.

A popular cartoon duvet cover isn't 'home furnishings' or 'decor'.

Hideous, I agree - but guests who might have equally snobby views are either unlikely to be in your child's bedroom, or else also a parent and therefore understand that occasionally a child's taste goes beyond the boundaries of subtle toning dulux shades

YABU

Yes, its a strange gift but be grateful for what you get. Giving a gift is still not an obligation and kids have far too much these days anyway

Oh just read through and realise we have already established that Spongebob does indeed rock

Maybe the childs mother didn't have much money but thought a duvet cover is usually expensive so rather get the birthday boy that in the sale than some cheap crap!

I dont understand why its a wierd gift??
Boys tend to like spongebob.
And id much rather have a good present thats been reduced, and a £5 piece of plastic junk.