Reply to Vent: My Mother Makes Me Nuts About Gifts

Forum Index » Family Relationships

Reply to "Vent: My Mother Makes Me Nuts About Gifts"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]Every year around this time my mother very nicely asks for gift ideas, they want to get me something I really want, that's just for me  - and then proceeds to put down any suggestions she doesn't approve of.  And it's so hard for me to not take her comments personally and get upset.  It's irrational, I know, but the woman knows how to push my buttons.  She is judgmental about many, many choices - it's like there are a bunch of petty unwritten rules that she is unbending on but I am better at sidestepping most of them.  Gift ideas are a landmine.

I suggest a watch, and I get questions about why in the world do I want a new watch when I have a perfectly good one.  (A basic Seiko I bought for myself about 15 years ago.)   A camera request garners a similar response.  Purses are a no go too.  She won't buy perfume.  Really the only thing she and my Dad actually want to get me is really nice clothing that they find as super sales at the Saks and Niemens outlets - the problem is that she shops for her tastes and though sometimes similar to mine are not the same.  Plus there can be sizing issues and they are always final sale items.

And it's not just gifts for me - she asks what me DS wants but again she is only interested in suggestions she approves of - educational/STEM, non-licensed and non-electronic are better but even then I can get variations on doesn't he have enough whatever and/or well I looked at it online and some of the reviews weren't good, and so on.  She just rejected my suggestion of a set of nice wooden blocks  because "isn't he too old for that"  (he is 5).  I suggested just picking out a board game or book or activity/craft/science kit from the list I put on Amazon but that's not enough.  As she needs something in the $75 to $100 range because that is what she is spending on each of his cousins.

For some reason my sister doesn't have this problem - she and her DH want some fancy new expresso maker, they get exactly what they want.  DN wants a remote control helicopter - so be it.

I should really just ignore her requests for gift ideas but she is persistant and says she still owes me a replacement birthday gift because the super expensive nightgown and robe bought on a just too good sale was two sizes too big (she had me try it on but it really was too big and fit her better so she kept it - which "she feels awful about").  And who knows what she'll come up with for DS.  My DH is lucky - he likes the very nice sweaters they always pick out for him on sale.

I've tried to talk to her about this in the past but it ends with me frustrated and in tears and her bewildered and defensive.

Any one have any good gift ideas... ;)

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics