VENT: Annoyed by sister's gift list for nephew

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Send a gift card in the amount you want to spend to one of the stores/retailers that carries the item he wants. So, if he wants a certain toy at Toys 'R Us, that's the gift card; if he wants a video game off of Amazon, that's the gift card. Do that with something low-key but fun like a few boxes of movie-size candy or those cute flavor sprinkles you put on popcorn.

+100. I'll just send a gift card in the amount I feel comfortable spending. Then, the recipient can come up with his/her own idea what to do with it.

[Anonymous]

I am surprised by the number of people advocating giving a gift card to an 8 year old. I would give a gift they would seemm to like based on the list and their interests and call it a day.

[Anonymous]

Get a huge nerf gun. Your nephew will love it and your sister will hate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks all (er, most) for reassuring me that I'm not nuts. I was starting to wonder. My sister and I have other issues between us surrounding money which makes this worse. It's not about owing each other money, but when I was a grad student I often felt that she was totally insensitive and uncompromising in terms of understanding that I was living off a $20K stipend in a much higher COL area than her.

Back to the question, at had. The list was basically all Star Wars Lego Sets. Any suggestions for sets in the $30-40 range?

Going in with my brother is not an option, since he happily spends money on expensive gifts (no kids, and he just has a different perspective on this).

I would send a gift card. My nephew apparently already had every set not on the list. ?

A gift card in the amount you are comfortable with is fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a huge nerf gun. Your nephew will love it and your sister will hate it.

I kind of love this idea

[Anonymous]

Get a huge nerf gun. Your nephew will love it and your sister will hate it.

I kind of love this idea

Your sister might not hate it. I'm ok with nerf guns, as long as kids wear the protective plastic glasses. My 8 year old and his friends can spend hours playing with them.

[Anonymous]

I think the gift card idea is the best -- maybe then they will take the hint for the future. He will probably be thrilled with a gift card -- he can then pick out what he wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am surprised by the number of people advocating giving a gift card to an 8 year old. I would give a gift they would seemm to like based on the list and their interests and call it a day.

Why? My kids are around that age and love gift cards - a $20 gift card is like gold to them, and they will spend an hour at Target trying to figure out what they want most and if they want three little things or one big thing. They are also much easier for out-of-town family to send in a card rather than having to wrap/box/ship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am surprised by the number of people advocating giving a gift card to an 8 year old. I would give a gift they would seemm to like based on the list and their interests and call it a day.

Why? My kids are around that age and love gift cards - a $20 gift card is like gold to them, and they will spend an hour at Target trying to figure out what they want most and if they want three little things or one big thing. They are also much easier for out-of-town family to send in a card rather than having to wrap/box/ship.

+1

My kids LOVE having their "own" money to go and spend at Target or Toys R Us.

[Anonymous]

$15-20 gift card and a star wars teeshirt, sweatshirt or something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am surprised by the number of people advocating giving a gift card to an 8 year old. I would give a gift they would seemm to like based on the list and their interests and call it a day.

Why? My kids are around that age and love gift cards - a $20 gift card is like gold to them, and they will spend an hour at Target trying to figure out what they want most and if they want three little things or one big thing. They are also much easier for out-of-town family to send in a card rather than having to wrap/box/ship.

Both are fine with us but my son loves opening up gifts from relatives/friends that come in the mail.

[Anonymous]

If he lives near a lego store, then you could get a lego store gift card. The pick-a-brick section is always really fun for kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We always spend $100. You sound a bit cheap, especially since you don't even have your own expensive kids.

I'm OP. I have 2 kids. One of them has medical issues that are likely to become increasingly expensive.

That said, I can afford $100 gifts. It just feels excessive for a little kid.

I don't find it excessive at all.

[Anonymous]

My sister used to do something like what happened to you.. I would ask what the kid wants or is into to get an idea and get over the top responses. I remember one time being told to get the kid a kid size gold club set. The kid wasn't even taking golf lessons and that is not a aunt/uncle gift. To me if you want your kid in a sport the gear is your responsibility. I might buy something with a cute golf logo or something related the sport for a gift. For my kids I have a amazon gift list that has toys, educational stuff, and random other things mostly in the $5-$40 price range and only provide when asked.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't feel pressure to get a gift card IF you really want to get a wrapped gift (which is always so fun to open!), but I will +1 the pro-gift card responses. Not only is it fun for a child to pick out what s/he wants, but it is a real-world reinforcement of math skills and can build awareness of how much those things cost.

Cash in interesting configurations can be fun, too. My grandfather used to go to the bank and get us $2 bills. Or just a small stack of crisp $5s...sometimes real cash feels more "valuable" than plastic!