Divorcee Comes Under Scrutiny For Returning Her Daughter's Christmas Gift After She Expressed Her Displeasure Over The Brand

"Unfortunately, I have a limited budget and I told them this"

Maryjane

• Published in Christmas
• December 27, 2023

Christmas is a really wonderful time of year, both for kids and adults! It's the season to spend time with your loved ones and exchange gifts, but who actually chooses what gifts to buy for kids—parents or the kids themselves?

Without revealing that they are from "Father Christmas," parents covertly prepare gifts to place beneath the tree every year and hope their kids will love it. Currently, though, it appears that kids have a lot more influence over the presents they get.

There are a plethora of potential influences when it comes to choosing gifts for kids, ranging from social media to TV commercials and more. What's more, parents and kids view these influences in different ways.

A parent's mental health, particularly their sense of self-efficacy in parenting, may be strained over the Christmas season. Self-efficacy is the conviction that you can accomplish a task successfully.

It's the understanding that, despite your imperfections, you are still fostering growth and love in your children. This is what the OP aimed for, which is why she asked her kids what they wanted for Christmas.

OP's twins wanted a Nintendo Switch with the latest Pokemon game, and her 16-year-old wants the iPad Pro with the pencil. OP's intended budget for Christmas shopping was $500, and since she could not afford the iPad her daughter wanted, she got her a Samsung tablet.

She was annoyed at it, so the OP had to return it, but not without giving her daughter a piece of her mind.

OP kicks off her story

It would be extremely difficult to get an ipad pro but the OP will do the best she can

OP's daughter burst into tears and ran to her room after the OP replied her

OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the AH:

I returned my daughter's tablet to the store. I may be the AH because I did not consider my daughter's feelings and how the recent divorce affected her and her sisters and I should have approached the situation tactfully.

The Reddit post got more than a thousand comments and here are some of the topmost ones

What the OP said to her daughter was awful

OP's daughter feels abandoned by one parent

Her whole life has changed

OP's response wasn't to wait till things calmed down

OP's reminding her of the abandonment

The OP promised to do what she can

Throwing a temper tantrum gets you nowhere

That is just good parenting

When children seek Christmas gifts to join in with their peers, the holiday season can make even the most self-assured parents doubt their capacity to uphold their moral principles. Do you need to buy a lot of gifts for your family in order to be a good parent and maintain their financial well-being?

Well, the OP tried her best but was met with ungratefulness, but some Redditors said OP shouldn't have responded to antagonize her. She was declared the AH, and that's a wrap.

Maryjane