Stupid presents for grandchildren

I am grateful that my daughter picks suitable items from her children’s lists for me to buy. Actually, almost all their wishes are great items, to be fair.

Sara1954

My mother was terrible, she would ask the children what they would like, we had to give it a lot of thought, because there was no flexibility in her budget.
Then she would just say, oh you don’t want that, what about this?
She would drag them all over town looking at things she liked, she took any joy out of it.

Oh i so know this one

We pay for my GCs activities . This year forest school, rugby and cricket clubs . We have paid for Ifish dancing and street dance in the past !We ask which activity they would like and We do remind them nana and grandaddy paid for your club from time to time ! It seems to work - So far anyway !

Irish dancing that should have been !

Your GC would probably think some of the things you spend money on are ridiculous!

As I said, I am giving my granddaughter what she wants though I doubt she’ll be able to assemble it. She’s 11 and dyspraxic and these models are meant for adults.

I'm sure an 11 year old may well be better at putting one together than me, and it may help with her dexterity.

Water meadow, hopefully her parent/sibling/friend cam help

Oh Watermeadow, you've changed your tune, you're now calling the Lego plants and flowers 'models'. In your original post they were 'plastic tat'!
I have three, Flower Bouquet, Bird of Paradise and the Orchid.
They are all gifts from my DS, I'm well over 60, and wouldn't have 'tat' of any description in my home!
Oh, and they can be taken apart and used in other models, but if anyone takes my Bird of Paradise apart, they will more than likely suffer the same fate as the model, which has pride of place in the Orangery!

Sara I had a friend like your mother. She would say to me 'It's your birthday next week. Let's go to town and I'll buy you something'. Everything I pointed out that I liked, she'd say 'I'm not buying you that. I don't like it'.

My twelve year old granddaughter lives here, so I know exactly what she wears, what beauty products she uses, but I still seem to get it hopelessly wrong.

Last Christmas I told her that sadly there would be no surprises, only things on her list would be bought, then one of my other granddaughters asked for things from a certain shop, and I thought, aha! Maybe her cousin would like a top from there.

Guess what! She didn’t, it’s just gone to the charity shop.

I do a combination of what they ask for (invited by me) and what I'd like them to have. Worked well so far. I grudge them nothing no matter how frivolous.

Kate
Yes, that’s exactly my mother.
I would always say I’d like a book, (within budget) so off we would go to the book shop, I’d select one, oh no. You won’t like that she’d say, oh have you read it? I’d enquire
You don’t have to read it, you can tell by the cover it’s a load of rubbish.
So I always ended up with a nice Catherine Cookson, or similar, which I never read.

£25 for deodorant????!!!!! Whatever next? What a complete waste of money.

I want to buy something that they want, so it doesn’t matter what I think. Love to see their face light up that’s enough for me.

They all know I’m a soft touch, that’s the trouble.
I’ve just bought them some Love Island phone cases, you can’t get much tackier than that.

I always think presents should be frivolous things that you would not buy yourself. heaven forfend. there is nothing i want to be given less than frivolous things I would not buy myself, I will not have buy them myself because I do not want them.

Now and again someone thinks of something they know I would like, but haven't thought of (my kindle, for example) and this was a very welcome surprise.

If you do not really like the gift your DD suggests for your DGD, why not ask for an alternative suggestion and tell her why. In that situation I would, or al least receive further explanation and information so that I change my mind.

My granddaughter is twelve now, I loved buying her clothes when she was younger but unfortunately that ship has sailed and like any developing young person she has her own ideas of what she wants to be seen in. I confess to giving her money these days, I believe she blew quite a lot of accrued birthday money on earrings, newly pierced ears, and lost quite a few. I remember blowing a lot of saved money that I had earned from a Saturday morning job when I was in my early teens on Mary Quant make up, it's an incredibly new and heady feeling having your own money and being able to splurge invariably on what you covet the most, followed by that slow sinking feeling that follows of "all my money's gone" still it's how we learn.

£25 a deodorant, must be Chanel or a similar perfumier of note it was Aqua Manda, for me around that age if I remember rightly.

I shall give teenage DGD money for her birthday and hope she spends it wisely on some good winter clothes
I can only hope she doesn't have her belly button pierced ?

Callistemon
At least she can cover that up, better than a tattoo at any rate.

?

Oh, she'd better not, her father and mother would not be pleased!!

I think ? it's illegal until 18

Don’t t worry Callistemon, it’s probably the last thing on her mind.

Callistemon - as TerriBull said a couple of posts up, that ship has sailed, at least it has in my family. My daughters are 36 and 38 currently, I remember the shrieking noise I made when I ambled happily into the kitchen for my morning cup of tea, and saw the tiny butterfly tattoo peaking out of the ten 18 year old younger daughter’s skimpy nicks. She was ironing her jeans and top otherwise the tattoo she’d had for months would have remained hidden.
Even worse, her older sister and her dad already knew. It was don’t tell mum, she’ll go ballistic. I also learned her sister also had a hidden tatt. I survived, so have they and thankfully, didn’t go in to have a full sleeve

My FIL used to decide what he thought the grandchildren should have which resulted in them getting a family bible each one Christmas fifteen years ago. They were 12, 14 and 15 at the time and were not impressed but fortunately good manners prevailed and they said thank you politely but without enthusiasm. Such a waste of money as they cost nearly £50 each which was the most he'd ever spent on them. Previous years it had been an 'improving book', at least they were all avid readers so they did get read if not whole heartedly enjoyed. It was such a relief when he became unable to shop and gave cheques instead. If he'd left it to MIL she would have asked me and all would have been fine.