You could use the rest of the yarn for a local hospital, knitting for premature babies. I’m sure it will be appreciated.
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I love knitting and have recently had a grand niece. So far I have knitted a pram blanket and a jacket. But since I sent them to the couple, together with a pram toy and two other bought outfits, I haven't had any acknowledgement. This was over a month ago.
The baby is my sister's son's child. My sister was upset that the couple haven't so far said thank you for any of the gifts they received, and so she posted thank you cards herself, pretending they came from the couple. I got one myself, but it didn't make me feel much better, since I know it didn't come from the couple themselves.
She did this because a lot of people complained they had not been thanked for the couple's wedding presents, over five years ago. No one got a thank you, not even a text.
My dilemma is, I have lots of left over yarn and I could knit more baby clothes but I feel they are not appreciated.
Am I being precious, or am I right to feel offended? Do young couples actually want hand knitted clothes anyway?
You could use the rest of the yarn for a local hospital, knitting for premature babies. I’m sure it will be appreciated.
My friends daughter had her baby and I took his present down last week. I gave her the bag which she just set on the floor, no thank you, and she didn't even bother opening it as she was so busy checking her damn phone.
It also happens with Xmas presents, big birthday presents and her sister is exactly the same, never a thank you. I decided that day that I am no longer doing presents, unless it's a new baby gift as I couldn't leave a baby out. My other friends kids always send a pic of the baby, normally a thank you postcard they seem to do now, even a text is nice, but this young woman took the bag out of my hand and couldn't even say thanks, that's just rude.
Sorry - I know we are talking about new born babies and busy parents - but a thank you is always lovely
I am in the same position, I send my grandchildren and great grandchildren presents at Christmas and Birthdays, there is only one granddaughter who says thankyou on behalf of her children and herself. I have a 9 year old grandson who always texts and says thankyou and also sends me little videos. He is a treasure and makes up for all the others who do not say thankyou. I still send presents and cards by way of an internet supplier so I know the cards will have been received but a thank you would be nice.
To be honest I think baby clothes have moved on and knitted clothes are now seen as quite old-fashioned when there are so many soft practical bright and cheery clothes available.
In terms of thanks - they should have thanked you - but someone I know who has recently had a baby didn't manage to get her cards out for three months - so maybe it's early days.
You mention that no-one got a personal thank you for the wedding gifts five years earlier so it seems that this is a couple who do not thank people for anything and have not even bothered to find out about pre-printed thank you cards that a lot of couples use on the occasion of marriage or children. I have had cards with the baby photo sometimes incorporating the gift which is lovely and not too arduous a task for the new parents, sleep deprived or not. Seems that the word entitlement springs to mind with these two.
My view is that if they can't be bothered saying thank you, then I can't be bothered sending them anything.
I accept that the modern way to express thanks is via text or SM, but when there's nothing at all, that's when the purse is firmly clised
A few words of thanks takes no time at all. They are just bad-mannered. Allowances could be made for a few weeks after the birth, when they are adjusting, but not acknowledging wedding gifts shows just what kind of people they are. I wouldn’t bother again.
Most of my family don’t really like hand-knits, but my 21 year old GD, who is in a relationship but doesn’t plan on starting a family for some years, surprised me recently. I had been telling her about how girls, in the past, had a ‘bottom drawer’ and collected things t for their future marriage. She was intrigued with the idea, and asked me to knit a ‘bottom drawer’ for her future babies! She has probably realised that, as I am 82, I may not be there when she starts a family.
I was very touched by the idea, and have already knitted a blanket, matinee coat, hat, mittens and bootees - patterns all chosen by GD. She said that, once outgrown, some of them will go into a ‘memory box’, just like the one her Mum has done for her. A nice thought.
Well, its 5 years since they got married and havent thanked folks for those gifts either. I would say they just not into thanking people.
Doodledog
Do you honestly want a 'thank you' for a card?
Where does it stop? It seems as though in some cases the thought behind sending things to others has been subsumed into an obligation, with the sender taking the 'power'.
Sending cards is one of those things that people did as a way of saying 'happy birthday' or whatever to people they couldn't see on the day. Usually they would get one in return on their own birthday, but now there are posts on FB and texts etc (whether or not we choose to use those methods) so the fashion has gone out of date. It's really not personal.
Who's post are you referring to Doodledog because if it's mine I never mentioned a card and I don't think anyone else has either.
No one expects a thank you for a birthday card or Christmas card but if it is accompanied by money or a present then a thank you is appreciated.
In fact, a lot of my friends email and thank me for birthday cards and give a quick resume of family activities. The older you get the more you appreciate a card, gone are the days of 20 or 30 as friends and relatives pass on.
To me it sounds as if this young couple are just bad-mannered by the standards of our generation. This being so, I would not send any more gifts.
Even if you do enjoy knitting, why knit for someone who has neither the courtesy to thank you, nor the honesty to say that for X reason they don't use knitted baby clothes?
In your place, I would follow the suggestion to knit things that a specific charity is in need of.
I always used to say to my children that if someone had taken the trouble to get them a present, they could take the trouble to say thank you. No excuses.
Receiving ‘ no thanks’ I advised their mother no thanks means no more. I stopped sending to them anything except a card.
I think modern media seems to have changed the rules.
When grandchildren were 3+ we always received thank you cards or letters. When they got to about 7+ it was usually a phone call. From 11+ there has been very little. However I think this is probably my fault because I usually now ask their mothers what they would like and transfer the money over to the mothers accounts and they buy the gifts. It saves a lot of time and hassle. The mothers buy the gifts online so they don't have to go out doing extra shopping in their very busy lives. So it works for me. I guess the grandchildren hardly realize the gifts are from us. The older grandchildren get money (25.00 each). We made this decision when we reached pension age. We explained that we could not possibly compete with the very nice and very expensive presents that parents bought so we would not even start trying to go down that road. Luckily children and grandchildren are lovely and don't mind in the least. So much happens these days at the touch of a button that the old rules seem to have faded out. If the love is there that is all that really matters.
A new baby is a busy time and if your sister has sent thank you cards on their behalf I think that is enough really.
I would not make anymore things though as you will only upset yourself if they don`t respond.
I wouldn't send any more. The fact that they thanked no-one for wedding presents really sums them up. That really is a big no-no.
I think when someone has taken the time and trouble to hand make a gift then the recipient should at least acknowledge it. Although a month is not long when you are coping with a new baby it seems this couple have a history of not thanking people. Unbelievable the mother would send cards pretending they came from her family. Put your skills to use where they are appreciated Antonia
At my daughters first christmas, we were innundated with gifts. We opened them all then realised we disnt have s clue who had sent them.
Its very impersonal to just say thank you for the gift i prefer to say thank you for the specific gift. So maybe in the OP, the family were so busy with piles of gifts they just have forgotten.
As others have said, i would text. Many people love hand made baby clothes but some modern mums just like bought stuff we're all different.
I don't expect thanks for gifts given if not in person. It's a strange place we live in at the moment plus a new baby thrown in. They probably meant to thank you then as time passed and you haven't said thank you it seems less relevant.
Very good advice from Shandy57. I have given hundreds of pounds to the children of two sets of friends on their marriage because they requested this rather than material gifts and didn’t receive any acknowledgement from any of them. I have also sent toys to the grandchildren of friends, even to France & Canada; these were never acknowledged. Perhaps the younger generation are ungrateful because they are so much better off than our generation ( I speak for myself) just after the war.
Your local hospital would welcome them, especially if they deal with extra small babies. These babies do need warm clothes.
I don’t knit but admire the skill of those who do. I have 7 GC in four different households and don’t remember seeing any of them wearing anything handknitted. I really think it’s less popular now. My DDs and DIL are all too busy in their jobs to hand wash clothes and don’t always have anywhere to dry things which can’t be tumble dried. Good quality clothes can be bought fairly cheaply as well. There have been 2 new babies in our wider family this year. We have given clothing for each one from M and S with a gift receipt attached and have been delighted to be thanked. Not thanking even by text is ungrateful however suitable or unsuitable the gift may be.
I meant new born but barns is ok ?
I’ve bought three baby presents over the last couple of years, even making the effort to go out shopping during lockdown when options were more limited, and none have been acknowledged. I’ve made excuses for those concerned, but underneath I know it’s just bad manners on their parts. It usually gives me great pleasure to give gifts that I hope people will love, but it’s disheartening to wait and not hear a word back, so I have decided that I’m not going to spend my time, effort or money any more.
I do feel a bit disappointed if I dont receive a thankyou . I know life is busy but if I've gone to the trouble of making or choosing a gift or posting a card it's good to get an acknowledgment because otherwise I'm left wondering if it's been received .
There really are so many ways to say thankyou these days , wattsapp, text , messenger , facebook , etc . It's not that time consuming.
Since when did good manners go out of fashion .
I always give my adult children a nudge to send a thankyou message , just in case .
I think if my gifts etc were ignored on a regular basis I wouldn't bother in future .
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