Does your child send thank you cards?

[NoPearls]

DD has a birthday close to Christmas and I have just finished sending out two sets of thank you cards. We've done this since she was born - the first couple of years I made cards with a photo of her scanned in, now she can (just about!) write her name she has signed a note stuck to a small piece of artwork.

Sending thank you cards was part of my upbringing, but DH's family seem mystified by it all and don't seem to understand why it is necessary (just the reaction you need after two days of glueing and sticking ...). I figure if you're going to send them you can't just send them to some and not others - how do you explain that to a 3 year old???

So what do you do?

We always do. Must do ds's today - thanks for the reminder.

I send to some and not others, I send cards to dp's family and some friends ie one godparent who we don't see too often and a few of the older folk I know through my mums work.

Hand made cards and a note inside, it does get tedious(sp) though thinking of what to write what picture to put on.......... dd doesn't mind not doing a card for everyone instead I tell her that we'll phone them and say thankyou and this puts her mind at rest.

If we talk to them on the phone/ see them on the day then they will receive their thank you then. Otherwise they get a card.

It drives me mad not to receive them from older children who we don't see that much as we don't even know if the present has arrived. We've moaned to the parents about it but still no joy so I just send money now. There's not much point spending time searching the shops high and low if you don't even get a thank you.

Must admit it is very tedious with a baby though. The first year there was his birth announcement, birth thank you, Christmas and a naming ceremony cards to be sent out. Looking forward to him doing it himself!

agree with sashaboo, if we see people in person when ds receives a gift, then we thank them then. send thank you cards for gifts received other than in person.

Similar aituation, dd has birthday a week before Christmas, dh's husband wouldn't know a thank you card if it hit them in the face but I do them anyway as I think it is important to show thanks. It annoys me that they don't bother with the cards but there's not a lot I can do about that, I'm more bothered that dd knows she's saying thank you. HTH

Agree with Sashaboo, we also email thanks when we think the gift-giver won't feel affonted by electronic thanks.

We completely failed to send thanks out when DS was born, I wasn't prepared for the deluge of gifts! New experience for both me and DH, although at least I can excuse myself on cultural difference grounds (Americans give all the gifts BEFORE the baby is born, so you know what you still need to go out and buy!).

My DB won't send them, his attitude is don't send a prezzie if you expect a thank you. However he does expect the gift in the first place. It really pi$$es me off

We always send them out for DD - she is 21 months old. I never actually did them as a child and neither did DH, but I did say thankyou in person or by phone. I like the idea though and people, certainly older ones, do seem to appreciate them. I will continue with it as DD's gets older.

I think it is a shame that you got a poor reaction NoPearls - why can'y they just say thanks.

I was brought up to always send thank you cards, dh wasn't, but has acknowledged that it's a good idea. His mum is so thrilled with her thank you card for ds and dd's things each bday and xmas that she often sends a thank you for the thank you.

We say thank you in person or by phone to those we're in touch with frequently and send a letter or card to others. My mum is perpetually moaning that X,Y or Z hasn't sent her a thank you and then if she gets a hand-made card she goes beserk cos she says it's not like the 1 yo has done it themselves and why can't they send a proper letter with some news in it, blah-de-blah....there's no satisfying some folks!

always always always - and it can be a right pain too, but worth it. If someone has made the effort to buy, wrap and deliver a gift to us, then the least we can do is send thanks of some sort. My cousin and her daughter NEVER even phone a thank you so thats two birthday presents and two christmas presents every year, just unacknowledged and it REALLY REALLY bugs me.
DS1 started off sending scribbles, now he emails half of them, but he does make an effort

I must admit that i don't send any thankyou cards at all. My 3 kids have birthdays in november and december, and obviously then it's xmas. I always make sure that they say thankyou to anyone that they see who sent thema gift though. I get stressed out enough at that time of year so i don't need anything else to do. I think my eldest dd has occasionally recieved a thankyou card, but nort very often.

Thanks for that - I was beginning to feel like some strange throwback to another era. As you say Epigirl it's more important that DD knows how to say thank you than anyone acknowledges that she's done it.