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Original poster

how old were you when your parents stopped buying you a birthday present?

29 replies

nightowl · 24/04/2005 00:09

?

OP posts:
lavenderrr · 24/04/2005 00:11

my mum still sends me a cheque for £50 and I'm 36, does that answer your question...anyway why do you ask?

CountessDracula · 24/04/2005 00:11

I am 38 and they still do

sobernow · 24/04/2005 00:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SPARKLER1 · 24/04/2005 00:14

Am 33 - she has bought me one up until now. Assumed I would get pressies for ever.

tiffini · 24/04/2005 00:18

My parents stopped when they ended up with 13 grandchildren, they say they would ratherspend the money on them including christmas. i think that is fair enough.

Original poster
nightowl · 24/04/2005 00:20

so if your mum said she couldnt buy you anything as she had no money, you said "thats fine please dont worry" and then she went and bought a couple of bottles of booze in front of you...would it be reasonable to be upset?

OP posts:
lavenderrr · 24/04/2005 00:23

I dunno Nightowl, 2 bottles of wine about £7.00, people like their little habits...do you mind that she bought the wine over a pressie for you?

Original poster
nightowl · 24/04/2005 00:24

actually it was two bottles of something much more expensive bought by an alcoholic so yes i do mind. how much is a bar of chocolate? £1?

OP posts:
lavenderrr · 24/04/2005 00:25

ah so your mum is an alcoholic?

tiffini · 24/04/2005 00:26

if she is an alcoholic, i dont suppose she is in full control of her actions.

Original poster
nightowl · 24/04/2005 00:34

its not me, its a friend and her mum isnt drunk all day wobbling around but technically an alcoholic. shes been really upset today because of it. shes not talking about expensive gifts here, just hurt that as always, the booze came first. feel really angry for her.

OP posts:
bonym · 24/04/2005 12:25

I'm 38 and they still buy me a present (and dh)

nutcracker · 24/04/2005 12:26

I am 26 and they still do. Well my dad doesn't actually go and buy it, he gives me the money to get what i want.

Hulababy · 24/04/2005 12:32

I am 32 and DH is 31. Both my parents and his parents buy us both presents. So do our brothers/sisters. DH grandparents buy for us too. Everyone (all grandparents, etc) all buy for each other at Christmas as well.

louee · 24/04/2005 12:33

stopped getting prezzies from them when i was about 7

Blossomhill · 24/04/2005 12:34

Still get presents at 30

It's good job as dh doesn't get me anything!

Hulababy · 24/04/2005 12:34

My grandma has 7 children, at least double that of grandchildren and several great grandchildren. She has over 50 presents to buy for at Christmas. Whilst she may not spend a lot of money on each present (she lives on a state pension only) every one of us gets a present, and she always puts the though in.

vickiyumyum · 24/04/2005 12:36

yes i would be upset, even if it was a box of malteasers and a card (about £3)i would feel better, its the thought that counts.

big hugs to your friend she obviously needs support at the moment.

Chandra · 24/04/2005 12:50

I don't get presents since I was 28, more or less at the time when we moved out of the country, but I get a long phone call from my family in the early hours of my birthday with a Mexican happy birthday serenade in the background.

I believe that what your friend may be offended about it's about the attitude of her mother. My sister once told me if it was OK for her not to give Xmas presents on Christmas as she didn't have any money (we have all got her presents by then), it did annoy me as she is the only one in the family who allows herself to spend one thousand dollars in a handbag, so I found difficult not to read her question as "see, I find more important to spend all this money in fashion so I decided that you were not so high in my list of priorities so decided not to spend any money/time in you"

Merlin · 24/04/2005 12:52

I'm 42 and I would be v upset if they didn't buy me a present!!!!!

Nimme · 24/04/2005 12:56

I'm 34 and still get presents from my Mum (normally one of the best!) Dad died but stopped giving x-mas pressies as "they were too expensive to post" (he lived abroad). He too was an alcoholic (and died from that) so I guess somewhat the same. Had it been my mother I would have been more upset.

misdee · 24/04/2005 13:05

i have never had birthday presents from my parents.

suedonim · 24/04/2005 13:15

Not even as a child, Misdee?

I'm 50 and still get a pressie from my mum! But dh's mum doesn't give him a present - his family aren't really into birthdays, tbh. But she's v generous to her grandchildren. It's dh b/day, a special one, tomorrow, btw.

Nemo1977 · 24/04/2005 13:18

my mum always used to forget my birthday so was lucky to get card nevermind present..now she never remembers...however to more than make up for it DHs parents r big birthday people and spoil u rotten on your birthday..lol

misdee · 24/04/2005 13:18

nope. they dont do birthdays. but did get pressies, 'just because' a few times a year.
i find the whole birthday/christmas thing hard now, but do them for my kids. i am useless at remembering peoples birthdays as i never had to do it.
was raised as a jehovahs witness.