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18th Nov 2023

‘My mum is refusing to get my son (4) a Christmas gift – is she right?’

Kat O'Connor

Christmas is always a complicated time for families

Christmas is just weeks away, but we’re lowkey dreading the family drama that often ensues around this time of year.

There’s always the worry about who to buy gifts for, where we’ll go for dinner, and who we’re going to visit during our few days off.

One mum was left reeling after her mother admitted she wasn’t buying her four-year-old a Christmas gift this year.

The mum took to Reddit to express her outrage over her mother’s decision.

“This is definitely a first-world problem. I don’t really know how to handle this,” the mum wrote.

She explained that she is going to her mother’s for Christmas Eve lunch, but they have a complicated relationship.

However, they have been getting on relatively well lately and she was looking forward to the festive outing.

“My mom casually mentioned to me that she didn’t get my son a gift this Christmas… but she got everyone else something.

“Her reasoning is that she does activities all year with him, that he has enough toys, and that her involvement is her gift,” she said.

The mum understands the reason, but can’t help but feel like her son is being singled out.

“I feel really sad for my son because he is just old enough to notice if he’ll be the only one without something,” she wrote.

She is hoping her mother changes her mind and buys something at the last minute, but she will step in if she doesn’t.

She’s planning on bringing a present for her son so he still has something to unwrap with the family.

The mum stressed that it isn’t a money issue, but believes she is just being awkward and weird.

“What am I missing here? I feel like canceling but I also don’t want to seem ungrateful because my son loves her and has so much fun when they are together,” she said.

Fellow parents agreed that her mother was being incredibly unfair and could ruin the magic of Christmas.

One said, “Christmas is FOR KIDS. If anyone should be getting a gift.”

“This is super lame of her. Getting a present for a 4-year-old won’t break the bank, and it’ll be weird when everyone else but the child gets something on Christmas,” another said.

What do you think? Is her mother being unfair?

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