Mum under fire for ‘expecting’ in-laws to only buy presents from her gift list

After receiving an unwanted desk for their office as a gift last year the pair made a list this year but have faced a backlash for being ‘ungrateful’ about their presents

A mum has been brandished ‘rude’ for writing a Christmas gift list with her husband to send to the grandparents and being ungrateful when they bought her child a present that wasn’t on the list.

The woman said that in the past her in-laws have bought the family unwanted presents, including last year when they got them a height-adjustable desk for their office, which they did not want or need as it didn’t fit in the space.

Taking to the ‘Am I Being Unreasonable?’ forum on Mumsnet, she explained that to take action against their unwanted gifts, she made a gift list with her husband to give to them but they have not followed that either.

In the post, the woman, who decided to stay anonymous, explained: “We have an issue with one set of grandparents buying inappropriate/ unwanted gifts.

“This isn’t just for our three-month-old child, but us as well.”

The woman went on to say that the decision came after a present they received last year that they were not happy with.

She said: “Think things like buying a height adjustable stand-up desk when the office room is in the attic and has sloping ceilings.

“As they have form for this, we made a list for Christmas presents for our child, split it and circulated it to those who wanted to buy, making sure there were a variety of options and price points.”

But the grandparents have gone for something off the list and the mum is not happy.

The mum explained: “The grandparents have gone out and bought something outside of the list we gave to their side of the family, and is actually something we know someone else has already bought.

“But a brand/type that we looked at and decided we didn’t want due to reviews/ possible safety issues.”

Following this, the mum has asked the forum for advice on what to do about the situation.

In response, many have judged the mum for making the list without asking in the first place and have said this could have annoyed the grandparents.

One person wrote: “Did they ask for a list? If they did, they should have followed it. If not, then sending one was quite rude and might well have put their backs up.”

While another said: “You can provide one to help people but I don’t think people should have to choose off a list if they would rather use their own initiative or get something they’ve chosen.”

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