How common is this?

[Anonymous]

It's not super common, but neither is retiring in your 50s. Your ILs probably realized that your kids don't really need gifts, so stopped spending in that area - cutting the unnecessary expenses is how people achieve early retirement or afford cruises.

So, not common but makes sense and it's up to them.

[Anonymous]

My ILs are different..but I wish they were more like yours.

MIL insists on sending money for the kids despite having just declared bankruptcy.

My FIL and stepMIL send lots and lots of electronic toys that we don't need. We would rather just see them and hang out..but they send gifts instead of visiting.

[Anonymous]

You should just laugh it up. Families are so goofy and it could be so much worse. Just be thankful for what you have and the funny stories you can tell about them being so cheap. Funny stuff.

[Anonymous]

Why are your children entitled to gifts? It may be a bit unusual by comparison, but there is no reason your children deserve a present.

[Anonymous]

If they are nice people, just accept them as they are. Who cares if they give gifts? You said they are frugal other then vacations, it makes sense they are frugal since they have been retired 30 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have two DC's, now both out of high school. ILs were here for DC2's HS graduation, just one night. Their trip here was by car, stayed with us, so no big expenses on their part to make it here. They are nice people, I like them and we get along.
They have not given a single gift or even just a card to either DC for birthdays, Christmas, graduations, or anything really for about 8 to 10 years now. Before that, it would be dollar store stuff, or something on sale from a store we don't have here so no exchanges possible. Anyway, they are very frugal, but I am just wondering if others have this happen in their families, too. BTW, they retired in their mid-50's and that's going on 30 years now. They travel quite lavishly (cruise about 50 to 60 days/year), but otherwise live pretty bare bones.
I would love to be able to retire that early and I know it takes some discipline, but it seems to me it would be pretty easy to set aside a couple hundred bucks for each kid to cover their under 18 year old celebrations/occasions and give them a gift once in a while.
I am also somewhat skewed in my views because my mom is very generous, so it's pretty lopsided.

Baby boom generation. My parents are both like this. One is miserly and likes to spend as little as possible on people other than himself. The other spends with abandon, which is why she no longer has any money and why I partially support her.

Good times.

Oh, you again. The person with horrible parents who likes to blame it all on an entire generation when the truth is that you just have horrible parents. I'm sorry they suck. You don't deserve that. But I don't deserve to be blamed for your horrible parents.