Have you tried donating your toys to your local elementary school? Our school is always looking for toys/games for kids to use during indoor recess. If your school doesn’t need them, then please post and let me know, because I know several DCPS schools that would be happy to take them.

Anonymous wrote:OP, You sound like my SIL. She screeches at all the family members not to buy toys, and then gets her kids a massive load of toys from “Santa.” I’m guessing you don’t mind your kids having toys, you just want to be the one who experiences the joy of giving them.

She’s the parent. If a parent wants to give their kids that is their choice. If a parent buys their child 6 gifts, that doesn’t meant grandma and MIL each get to gift six also. They already raised young kids. Time to take a back seat. There are many ways to give love beyond gifts.

OP, You sound like my SIL. She screeches at all the family members not to buy toys, and then gets her kids a massive load of toys from “Santa.” I’m guessing you don’t mind your kids having toys, you just want to be the one who experiences the joy of giving them.

You need to tell them what to give instead. They don't want to arrive empty handed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another shrew who thinks it's about HER happiness and not her children's happiness. It's not about what you want. I'm sure your kids are thrilled to get more toys.

Seriously, you said your 7.5 year old is aging out of toys? Did I read that correctly? What the hell?

OP here and ok, ok I take it back! Goodness! You never know how the wind will blow on DCUM. Other posts of similar fashion have people comment “your child is almost out of the toy phase”…

Nah, I'm with you, OP. The kids are happy for 5 min and then forget all about the toys. Luckily they will also somewhat/sometimes enthusiastically round up toys for donation within weeks or months of the pile-up.

For us, clothes from one grandma has been the much bigger problem, so for a while we had a total moratorium on clothes-buying. For the holidays we came to a clearly defined, reasonable agreement on what could be bought, based primarily on what's needed. The other grandparent(s) are the junk toy offenders but usually send them from afar and as a default if given no "requests" or a wish list. So...they get a wish list. With no junk toys on it.

My BTDT advice: Be reasonable, maintain a united front, provide options/suggestions/alternatives.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gifts are not your chance to get other people to buy the things that you want to give your children. Unless you are in dire finances and kids really need backpacks or coats or something, let the giver decide the gift.

If the giver is upset because the kids don't like or care about the gifts, that's a different story.

But grandparents don't have to buy the crap you want to give your kids. That's your job.

Could not agree more with this, and I think you'd get almost universal agreement from all posters here. That doesn't mean it's polite for giver to deluge you with cheap crap. Kind of like when I bought toilet paper for my elderly parents during the pandemic, but accidentally ordered them a commercial-sized pallet of tp. Sure my heart was in the right place, but they can't fit all that tp in their house. If I had done that on purpose, they could rightfully be annoyed with me!

OMG did that really happen?!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another shrew who thinks it's about HER happiness and not her children's happiness. It's not about what you want. I'm sure your kids are thrilled to get more toys.

Seriously, you said your 7.5 year old is aging out of toys? Did I read that correctly? What the hell?

OP here and ok, ok I take it back! Goodness! You never know how the wind will blow on DCUM. Other posts of similar fashion have people comment “your child is almost out of the toy phase”…

DCUM is just going to take whatever stance is most aggressively anti-OP, regardless of who the OP is, because it's full of mean people hiding behind their keyboards.

I don't have any suggestions, OP, but I do have empathy. FWIW, once my son got to about age 10 my parents lost interest in all the presents and now they just cut him a check (which he loves).

Anonymous wrote:Another shrew who thinks it's about HER happiness and not her children's happiness. It's not about what you want. I'm sure your kids are thrilled to get more toys.

Seriously, you said your 7.5 year old is aging out of toys? Did I read that correctly? What the hell?

OP here and ok, ok I take it back! Goodness! You never know how the wind will blow on DCUM. Other posts of similar fashion have people comment “your child is almost out of the toy phase”…

OP is not grinch. My kids literally don’t even want any more toys (2 DCs in elementary school). DC1 just had a birthday, and only requested 1 toy. I asked multiple times and if there was anything else because we needed gift ideas for us (parents) and 2 sets of grandparents. After having a month to think about it DC1 didn’t have any other requests.

Another shrew who thinks it's about HER happiness and not her children's happiness. It's not about what you want. I'm sure your kids are thrilled to get more toys.

Seriously, you said your 7.5 year old is aging out of toys? Did I read that correctly? What the hell?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Btw, OP -- and I say this genuinely and not with snark -- I'm sure there are lots of kids who would love your excess toys. Check with Head Starts, domestic violence shelters, charities that work with foster kids...etc.

It’s surprisingly hard to donate used toys.

This! Most places want new toys donated!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gifts are not your chance to get other people to buy the things that you want to give your children. Unless you are in dire finances and kids really need backpacks or coats or something, let the giver decide the gift.

If the giver is upset because the kids don't like or care about the gifts, that's a different story.

But grandparents don't have to buy the crap you want to give your kids. That's your job.

Could not agree more with this, and I think you'd get almost universal agreement from all posters here. That doesn't mean it's polite for giver to deluge you with cheap crap. Kind of like when I bought toilet paper for my elderly parents during the pandemic, but accidentally ordered them a commercial-sized pallet of tp. Sure my heart was in the right place, but they can't fit all that tp in their house. If I had done that on purpose, they could rightfully be annoyed with me!

OP says the toys are quality.

Good lord, Grinch!

We rotated toys. We also donated a lot- I would put them away right after and eventually we might open them, but many went to Angel tree try w following year.
Kids also had to get rid of toys in November and we donated to a shelter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Btw, OP -- and I say this genuinely and not with snark -- I'm sure there are lots of kids who would love your excess toys. Check with Head Starts, domestic violence shelters, charities that work with foster kids...etc.

It’s surprisingly hard to donate used toys.

No it’s really not. Tons of places will take them if they’re in good condition. And goodwill will take essentially anything no matter the condition.

+1