Another MIL vent...
rnbeth477
member
I hate to sound ungrateful, but I'm getting so frustrated! My MIL started sending us packages about 2 weeks ago. They are Christmas and birthday presents for DS. I'm talking 5 packages a week. During the week my FIL (her exhusband) was visiting we got a package everyday. She texts me multiple times a day to make sure they have arrived. A couple of them arrived a day or 2 after promised so now she makes them signature required. If we're not here to sign, than we have to go down to pick them up. Its such a hassle. I feel stuck in my house waiting for fed ex most days of the week. Not to mention our house is not that big. Now I have tons of packages to store until December/Jan. We're expecting in Oct and none of the things she has bought are for the new baby, so I'm sure we 'll have more. She has bought the new baby clothes which she brought with her the last time she visited. Also, she is on a fixed income. She should not be buying so much! I don't know what to do. I've tried getting my DH to talk to her, but he does not get what the big deal is.
Re: Another MIL vent...
I love getting baby gifts but I understand your vent. It feels so overwhelming to have all this stuff arriving when you have so many other things you need to worry about. And Sammijo1283, I do agree that 100 onesies are ridiculous. Your LO is probably not going to wear all 100 of them! I think it's great that grandparents are enthusiastic but there should be a bit of a limit when they have fixed incomes and when you have no room to store things right now. Even though it may be a little thing to them and it makes them happy, they aren't thinking about the little harmless things that may stress you out right now. I go through the same thing with my mom. She has kept practically everything I've owned since I was little and now that we are having a little girl she wants to give me all of it for her! Half the stuff I never asked for when I was little, mostly dolls (I wasn't a big doll player either, my mom was). Most the stuff our LO can't even play with till she's around 3 years old. I've had to tell her to slow down or that I don't have room right now, or that she needs toys to play with when she visits grandma's house. I've gotten creative with the excuses. LOL
Hang in there! If you can talk to hubby about it and explain why it makes you so stressed then maybe he can better help. I'm sure he doesn't get it unless you make it simple (I know my hubby doesn't).
Oh my gosh! I could have written this exact same post. Just know you are not alone! MH's Aunt, Mom & Uncle (all siblings) send us a package about once a week/every other week. They are really just from his Aunt, but she signs all of their names. She will send junk food, candy, hot chocolate mix, little toys, random things to my 2yo. They starting sending packages long before he was born. Once in a while she will send a $20 for my teenager (MH's stepson) also. Before we had a kid together the packages used to be for MH. I appreciate the fact that she thinks of our sons often but it irks me to no end that EVERY time a package comes my LO thinks it is a "present" for him.
Even stranger is that she has never even met our son and his grandma has only ever seen him twice, we live out of state. They are always complaining that they don't have money but are spending on unnecessary items that we don't need or even want. It also gets to me that even though they are sending all of this stuff nothing has been sent for the baby, not a onesie, hat or sock lol! It's almost like he doesn't exist. Oh well, such is life. I hope I don't sound ungrateful.