Help me be a better person here

[Madham]

I hear you on this one, my DD has always got crap from her dad and his family, and honestly she is now 12 and actually comments i wonder what interesting pressents i will get this year in other words what crap she will get. 99% of the time it remains in the box it came in and we donate it.

[nelly]

we've kind of managed to avoid a lot of junk this year by asking for books or puzzles rather than toys. Having said that DS is only 2 and I still have toys at the top of the cupboard (still in boxes) that he got for his 1st birthday that I refuse to give him - my solution is to re-gift them and we have put some under the wishing tree at Kmart too.

[widdly]

Can her Dad keep that stuff at his house??

[paradise lost]

Believe me the opposite, when they get stuff the kids REALLY need but then keep it at their house so they can only have access to it once a week/whenever access is, is a lot more annoying...

Bx

[heliana]

OH what a relief that you know what Im on about. Thought you would all think I was an ungratefull trollop ) hehe, there are some great suggestions there. Dd's father rents with another guy so there is not much space there (probably more than here) but he takes the things like dvd's. Sometimes I can exchange the clothes, but the rest is unwrapped (at his families house) so I cant really pass it on (ie wishing tree, have passed some happily onto charity b4). Oh I just wish they would save their money, or buy something quality. Anyway, dont know why it upset me so much when it all turned up last night (think I was a bit premenstral) but I had a beer and talked to you guys so I felt better

[barbie-up]

My kids don't bring anything back with them and they rarely take anything from here because I know I won't see it again. Sometimes a favourite teddy or Alex takes a book.

My ex MIL and FIL are quite wealthy so they spend it a bit on their grandchildren.

My crap concerns are with the clothes my EX dresses my daughter in - she's just turned seven and she comes home in PJ tops and ladies clothing. "that's not a dress love, it's a ladies blouse ...."

Bag it all up, hide it for a while, if they don't ask after it - chuck it.

[Melby]

Yep, my ex-in-laws are junk-givers too. XH and I used to laugh at some of the stupid things the girls were given, then just chuck them. That's just his parents, though, and he has 2 brothers, 3 aunts and plenty of cousins, all of whom give good gifts. Our agreement is that whatever they get from his family, stays with him which is a little sucky because I have no family hahahaha. But that also means I have no family to by FOR, so I can just make sure the girls have really nice stuff for here too! Now I just have to make sure the DSs I got them come back to me.... I couldn't make them part with them on Christmas afternoon!!!

Oh and my pet hate for this Christmas (being my first as a single) is that I did the midnight shopping thing a few months back (before we split) then paid to get it all out of layby after we split - and XH told the girls that Santa was only going to MY house (where they spent Christmas eve) so he got out of buying them stuff!!!!!