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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be secretly ungrateful for mountain of hideous plastic tat from PILs

33 replies

apostropheelingchristmassy · 27/12/2008 18:10

including this for the 3yo, which is too big to be put away, and several other "Learning" made-in-China plastic electronic things which bark bits of pseudo-education at the kids.

I did smile sweetly and say how nice it is but inside I was spewing out of my eyeballs. Maybe I'm not very nice really

OP posts:
lankyesme · 27/12/2008 18:14

Nope totally reasonsble, feel the same and DS received similar junk gifts. Just sound suitably grateful!

LiffeyanFiaRua · 27/12/2008 18:15

That'd be good for a fat kid. Make him work for his tv!

JollyPirate · 27/12/2008 18:16

Irritating that it can't be put away but have to say when my DS was 3 he would have LOVED this - in fact even at 6 I think he'd still love it . At least it's Fisher Price and supposedly a "good" name.

DS has had loads of stuff over the years which are supposed to be "educational" but which were just used to make lots of noise and irritate the hell out of Mummy and Daddy for the next 6 months. One toy "lost" it's batteries by February and mysteriously never worked again - DH swears it wasn't anything he did but I don't believe him.

Nighbynight · 27/12/2008 18:25

oh well, at least he wont hold it against you when he gets older, that he never had plastic toys like other children.

(agree I would not want that monstrosity in my house either though. Actually, one of us would have to move out to make room for it).

AliceTheCamelHasGotTheHump · 27/12/2008 18:27

Yanbu. This Christmas the dc got 3 presents other than those bought by dp and I, and they were 2 books and a pair of pyjamas each. It was wonderful.

Original poster
apostropheelingchristmassy · 27/12/2008 18:36

It makes me feel better that despite getting all this (very expensive) stuff, his favourite present is one of these

OP posts:
NancysGarden · 27/12/2008 18:37

At first I thought YABU (ungrateful) but I clicked on your link. Oh dear. Poor you. But if your little darling likes it maybe you could set it up in the shed...

NancysGarden · 27/12/2008 18:40

Yeah but am now thinking you are being snobbish if someone buys you a gift surely it#s the thought that counts. Kids' toy baskets/ playrooms are not showroom material. So the preferred toy is made of wood, I too find it more stylish and lovely but in the real world there are some good/ educational toys made from plastic. Be real OP.

IllegallyBrunette · 27/12/2008 18:42

YANBU, i feel the same about the mountain of selection boxes the kids got.

I'd really rather they not buy at all if they are going to get them a selection box.

MatNanPlusTINSEL · 27/12/2008 18:43

Under a gazebo in the garden?

aGalChangedHerName · 27/12/2008 18:45

Can you tell pil's that you love it but sadly you don't have the room and leave it at their housw for the dc to play with?

I actually quite like that btw,my ds's would have loved one of them.

emms10 · 27/12/2008 18:46

ekk similar pressies for my 5 month old DS ??? MIL is crazy

Totally agree x

NancysGarden · 27/12/2008 18:46

Agree with the selection box comment, but that's different. There's absolutely no thought put into that and let's face it not a good message

expatinscotland · 27/12/2008 18:46

flog it in a boot sale.

ours have somewhere learned when they never see the wee ones playing with that tat.

we don't have space for a bunch of stuff and we rent privately so that means not being able to put down roots - hoard a bunch of crap - as the threat of having to move is always there.

MarshaBrady · 27/12/2008 18:58

Dh gently mentioned we preferred wooden toys, and pils taste in gifts has remarkably improved.

I know not everyone would like to do this, but surprisingly it has worked out well. The pils are happy too as their toys are now in ds' bedroom rather than shoved away in the toy box or taken to a charity shop.

Original poster
apostropheelingchristmassy · 27/12/2008 19:02

Nancy - I admit there is some element of snobbery - but it's just the sheer size and grey/purple/lurid greenness of the thing that appalls me. We don't have space in our living room (which I've taken care to make a nice family space) for a device that's designed for square-eyed obese children playing on their own in front of the box.

OP posts:
lizziemun · 27/12/2008 19:08

YANBU.

I just thanked MIL and smiled nicely as dd2 15 mths was given this trampoline. While thinking that can be taken to mum's garage garden as it is bigger then our small garden.

NancysGarden · 27/12/2008 19:27

I agree apostroph, the thing is hideous but the post just seems to incite ungrateful pressie posts from the woodwork. What's really wrong with that trampoline lizziemun? (Injured my spine on a trampoline years ago so not keen on them personally but come on, pils are not mind readers

lizziemun · 27/12/2008 19:51

We both told mil that we didn't want ot have space for a trampoline either indoor or out.

I personally don't like them, and a few of dd1 freinds have injured themselves whilst playing on theirs.

bracingair · 27/12/2008 20:15

yanbu so long as you are also secretly grateful that youre pils care enough about your dc's to buy them gifts.

My gran told me she wanted to buy dd a cooker and I asked for a table top one as we dont have much room. So of course she...didn't listen to me. But she is a bit batty, and I couldnt be angry with her. THankfully it is not too big.

The problem with my mil is that she expects to see it being in use. But no, dd's scooter for age 5+ was not kept around when she was just 3.

sarahken · 27/12/2008 20:57

My Mil use to buy gifts like this, or ones that were far too old for my ds. But since we have told her we'd rather have the money for clothes, she now gives him £50 for birthdays and xmas which is far more useful. I think its best to be honest. On the otherhand, my parents wanted to by ds a wooden desk and chair for xmas which I said no, not unless they were willing to keep it at their house. Well they bought it and said it has to come back to our house tomorrow as he loves it too much (total guilt trip) and he won't get much use out of it at theirs. We have just all swapped bedrooms to make room for our new baby, and we literally have no room whatsoever to have it, unless in the middle of the front room,and I like to have a no toys downstairs policy (of course I allow them out one at a time) but don't want them to be permenant furniture pieces!! Why can't they just do as we ask, when we say no big toys this year. We didn't even get ds anything big. A digital camera was his main presents and boxed games and toys his little ones, so they could all be packed away. I have told them that if they do this next year some of their old expensive xmas presents will have to go to make room for new ones.

theSuburbanDryad · 27/12/2008 21:08

YANBU at all. We went to the IL's today and have returned with - literally - a car filled with tat. We are going to take some of it to a children's ward, I think, or maybe a women's refuge.

ShyBaby · 27/12/2008 21:13

I tell you what annoys me more...gifts that need to be "followed up".

Like the mobile phone ds's dad gave him...the one I am expected to buy credit for.

The electric guitar that someone bought him...lovely...but which mug will be paying for guitar lessons? Oh, that'll be me again.

etc etc.

believer07 · 27/12/2008 21:24

That bike thing is plain nasty. I would nevre give a child anything that would encourage them to ride motorbikes, they are death traps. And hooked up to the TV, get rid and buy him some books instead.

NancysGarden · 27/12/2008 21:28

Feel bad for you sarahken, guilt-tripping by proxy is exploitation and play-ground like. On the other hand maybe they felt it would make your ds feel important nearing the birth of a sib.

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