Have you ever disappointed your child at Christmas?

[JudgeRindersMinder]

To my complete shame at the age of 3 my ds was distraught at the lack of a tub of yellow play doh. I think I’d got her most colours, and some pearly stuff but the shop didn’t have yellow and I didn’t think anything of it.
The poor wee soul was devastated. I’ve never felt such a failure as I did over that.
When she was older and kind of past the Santa stage The wee monkey cottoned on to me having felt bad about it, and brought it up every sodding year with a disappointed face on Christmas morning “but I didn’t get yellow play doh”.
I redeemed myself when she was 18 with a tub of sodding yellow play doh

Yes. Two years ago. I'd accidentally gone too "practical" with my 4 year olds presents - think swimming costume, new towel, clothes, apron, goggles, ballet stuff etc. Basically almost no toys!! She was very stoic about it but quiet. I quickly guessed something was wrong. I popped out on boxing Day and bought an Our Generation doll, quickly wrapped it and shoved it up chimney. Then she spotted it, lots of chatter about how it must have been stuck. She was completely amazed it was for her. When she opened it she cried with happiness and jumped up and down saying "my dolly". I shed a tear. She was so happy.

Never making that mistake again!!!!!

Oh god. This thread is giving me THE TWITCH

@autumnkate it’s not supposed to-honest!!

I know I know! But my 8 year old has mainly books and some theatre tickets and now I’m twitching

Yes, overly practical here too when DC was about 4 or 5. It was fine but I knew they hadn’t been thrilled. Not made the same mistake but I do find it a little stressful hoping I’ve got it right.

I talked dd out of a frozen themed plastic palace of tackiness by telling her that she already had a ginormous dollhouse and that I didn’t think Santa was likely to bring what was essentially a second doll house.
So she asked for something else and was fine but then diligently saved up her tiny amounts of pocket money to buy the tatfastic plastic palace herself which then promptly disappeared from toy shops everywhere before she could.
They did a different version a while after but it wasn’t the same.
I doubt she remembers but I still feel slightly ill with guilt when I think about it 😂

Then the next year, fuelled by guilt, I got her exactly what she asked for, even though I knew she had been duped by the advertisement and it would be rubbish. And it was and that was a different type of disappointment.

I'm expecting disappointment this year. I'm a bloody good present buyer but sodding dh lot the fire when I was at work and got the children to send their letters to father Christmas WITHOUT READING THEM FIRST! So I don't really know what was on the bloody things. I'm not a slave to the letters but I like having a couple of things from them in the stocking for the magic moment of "look mummy he got me exactly what I asked for! "

No, mine were/are always grateful for what they get.
I'm very proud that they have never been needy and understand the concept and value of money.
They had friends who always found something to moan about, though.
My dd friend is spoilt rotten and gets everything she asks for, and is never satisfied, I think her parents have failed her miserably.

Congratulations, drabarni

When DD2 wasn’t even 2 she burst out crying on Christmas morning as Santa had brought her a Silver across pram and a matching doll like her big sister, she wanted a Hulk. Luckily we had a Hulk wrapped up under the tree. Not even 2 and she was already a tomboy and knew what she wanted, I think she farted dinosaurs about in that pram.

MrsWooster

Thanks, I started when they were very little as I find it important When you don't have much money, needs must and it sets them up for life.

Well done on being a superior parent to everyone else Drabarni.

When money was very tight and l had to buy a second hand playstation, l was asked why it didn't come in a box- l had to say that it must have blown off from Santa's sleigh 😁

My mum disappointed me when I was 6 and my sister was 5.

I got a pair of brand new rollerskates.
My sister got a massive Barbie house that unbeknownst to me used to be my cousin's.

I was absolutely furious that my sister got such a massive present and I got rubbish skates (never got on with them).

My mum learnt a valuable lesson: size really does matter when it comes to children's presents, not the monetary value.

I'm lucky that so far neither of them have asked for anything outrageous. However there was one year when DS was 3 and he told Santa he wanted "red sunglasses". It's surprisingly difficult to find children's sunglasses in a specific colour in the UK in December. Thankfully a relative who lived in a hot country was coming back for Christmas and managed to source some!

I'm dreading them getting older and asking for games consoles etc when they are so expensive.

I think I disappointed Dd1 every year.
She always asked for a baby brother or sister said Santa would bring it.
I waited till she was 23 before she got her wish. She was not impressed to find out a sibling was on its way.

School Christmas party, parents provided the "Santa Present" for around £5. I got both dds little handbags - dd1 had barbie, dd2 had tinkerbelle. A while after the present opening, the vicar's wife came over to me with a little smile. "Your dd2 is a little disappointed". I looked at her - "really, why?". Trying not to laugh she replied "well apparently she wanted a diamond bracelet!"

Forgot to mention she was 5 🙄.

Conversely this year, our children were so sweet.

We told them they needed to open our present to them early. They were very excited and so pleased with their new clothes. Genuinely grateful and happy. Our actual present to them is a holiday which the new clothes are for. They were completely overwhelmed. Phew, I'm not raising monsters (after the doll debacle in earlier years).

For my first Christmas, apparently most of my presents were clothes. I wasnt quite one yet so too little to be disappointed. My grandpa decided that wasn't right and bought a toy truck for me (he was a lorry driver before he retired). I have a picture of me with the truck in my lap, sat next to my grandpa and looking up at him. He died when I was 14 but I love that picture.

Elbeagle

Not at all superior, just realistic. There is so much pressure on parents to keep up with "Santa" it's not necessary and doesn't help to teach children they can't have everything they want in life.
I feel sorry for people who can't afford Christmas and feel bad because other kids have more than theirs.
I'm no better than anyone else, but I do have empathy and realise that if you have disappointed kids at Christmas then your doing something wrong.
You don't need to spoil kids, it's nice if you can get them some things they want, but you haven't got it wrong if you can't.
I remember ds1 being happy with a toy car, it's all we could afford, he wasn't bothered.

Drab by name...

I think DS is goung to be disappointed this year. He decided this week that he really wants a specific figure it only costs £22 so no issues to add it to the list you would think. Only I can only find it in China or Japan and no way it will be delivered on time.

Just teasing Drab, I kind of get what you’re saying.

I don’t go overboard with mine and they’re never disappointed.

BUT when I was little I was desperate for an A La Carte Kitchen. I wasn’t a spoilt child and didn’t usually get that much, but it’s the one thing I really wanted. And I didn’t get it. I was heartbroken!

Yeah, we've had a few misfires over the years. DS1 has ASD and is eye-wateringly blunt, so I've grown a bit of a skin when it comes to his reactions to presents.

My personal favourite was a few years ago, when he was about 14 and we bought him Doc Martens thinking he would like them. He opened them, frowned and said: "Why have you bought me lesbian shoes?"