@@ NCEP random catchall thread @@

[scm1011]

Dec 20, 2022 12:37:55 GMT -5 hermione said:

Dec 19, 2022 14:58:35 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Thank you for the validation! We do try to direct her to put the money away in his 529 or savings account but she is really overbearing about physical items. I am not minimalist by ANY stretch and it’s a lot even for me. She also gifts us a lot of stuff we don’t want or need and that is also annoying but it feels so much more straightforward to just get rid of it vs stuff she gets for J. The fact that she’s a little toxic also makes it hard because she is so put out about any direction and says we should be grateful she cares or whatever. I know we will need to make a better plan than the current one to intercept this tendency because he will start to be more aware of this stuff soon and I don’t want to be this grumpy every holiday!

There's a fix but it will absolutely alienate your MIL. When my SIL would not stop doing this, I posted picture on Dec 26 of most her gifts being donated: "We received way more than one child could ever need or even want so we are excited to donate to those less fortunate!"

I love this. Similarly alienating, when I saw my mother struggling to pull a HUGE wrapped present out of her trunk the year my son was 2 I ran outside and told her to put it back in the trunk - whatever it was I didn’t want it. Her love language is physically big presents and I had repeatedly told her we didn’t have room in our city apartment for ball-pits or child sized recliners or other such space stealing gifts.

It was a huge desk. For my 2 year old. My mother sulked the entire day and didn’t speak to me for weeks.

[formerlyak]

My teen took my 8 year old to play golf this afternoon. I was really productive at work this morning, and after the two months I’ve had with losing my dad in October and then my brother last week, I decided to take my lunch while they were at the golf course and get a pedicure. Thank goodness my teen got his drivers license!