Who should open?

doe2813 · June 2015

My SO and I have 4 girls combined, ranging in ages 12-9. The girls wanna be involved in everything and since his daughters are only with us on the weekends I try to find as many ways as I can to make them feel included. Someone suggested a way to keep them involved at the baby shower.... Letting them open my gifts, of course I would be sitting with them doing it. Would you think it was cute to see the "big sisters" helping? Or is it tacky to let them do it?

NoSugarCoating · June 2015

You're having a shower?

doe2813 · June 2015

@NoSugarCoating Yes, My mom and best friend are having a shower for us.

CharmBombExplosion · June 2015

I think it's tacky to have a shower when you already have kids. I don't think it's any more/less tacky to let them help open gifts.

doe2813 · June 2015

@walbs this our first child together.

CharmBombExplosion · June 2015

doe2813 said:
@walbs this our first child together.

That doesn't change the fact that I think it's tacky. A shower is to welcome the mother-to-be to motherhood, if you're already a mother you don't need to be re-welcomed.

cseley321 · June 2015

If you want to have her involved, I'm sure this would be fun for her. However I wouldn't have her open all the gifts - maybe just the ones from close family members who she is familiar with? Otherwise the shower may drag on longer and some of your guests will start getting restless, or perhaps in some way disappointed or insulted that you didn't open theirs (people can be sensitive about these things.)

I don't know. I'm just throwing out ideas.

lola2bee · June 2015

I wouldn't have them open them but maybe hand them to you, write down who they are from and place them in a bag to take home or soemthing more in the background.

But also what everyone else said about having this shower....

Sassenach1743 · June 2015

I would think that they are old enough to behave themselves at your event without needing to be involved in the gift opening, (other than oohing and ahhing with the rest of the guests).

As a guest I would want to see you open the gift I gave. Not watch your 9yr old open it for you.

CaboBride2015 · June 2015

I wouldn't have them open your gifts, the gift givers may be disappointed you didn't personally open their gift. Also, for a kid, I think opening a gift that isn't for you could kind of suck.

dufferoo · June 2015

Usually I'm a shower purist, but in this case I actually like the idea of your older daughters participating in the shower. Their lives are about to change majorly, and it seems fitting that they would get to take part in some of the fun activities leading up to the new baby. As a guest, I absolutely wouldn't care who physically opened my gift as long as the mom was right there to see and enjoy it. Blended families are tricky, and if you think this would help all these older girls to feel special, I'm all for it.

VOR · June 2015

Well, other issues aside... open the gifts yourself. if for no other reason than to keep the shower moving. I HATE drawn out gift openings and i feel like involving other people in it will do exactly that. There are plenty of other ways to include your daughters.

akanini · June 2015

Once you are sitting in the chair, I think it will be very nice to have the girls hand you the gifts, write down who brought what, and assist. But you really should be the one OPENING the gifts.

Laurmi · June 2015

I'd have them be involved in some way, such as handing you the gifts, but definitely not opening them. As a guest, I'd be a bit annoyed because I want the person that I bought the gift for to receive / open it, not a child, relative, helper, or anyone else.
Also, I'm guessing the girls already have their own parties, christmas....etc....where I'm sure they have plenty of gifts to open. They probably don't need to open more.

Laura

neverblushed · June 2015

Have the older girls keep a list of who gave what. Have the younger girls team up on bringing you gifts and clearing the wrapping paper and ribbons away. That way the girls have jobs that are age-appropriate but closer to what a hostess would do. Having them open the gifts implies that they are so immature that they must be allowed to open gifts, and you don't want to patronize them in this way or make them look bad in front of your guests. Let them take a role that's more genuine and appropriate for their ages.

And, for the record, I disagree with having a shower under these circumstances. BUT.. it's already a done deal, so be as tactful as you can with the gift opening.

IrisApricity · June 2015

I would give them each a job - keeping a list of who gave what gifts, bringing you gifts and announcing who it's from, throwing away the paper/keeping gifts organized to put into the car, etc.

For what it's worth, I also agree that if you each already have a child (even if this is the first one together) you should not do a shower. But I have been invited to showers before with these circumstances and just sit and smile, I am pretty sure most of the guests find it tacky even if they don't make it known.

bsckgb7 · June 2015

Also, they will probably get bored quickly. I doubt they care about opening diapers, bottles, breastfeeding stuff (since they don't get to "play" with them). I would think they might wanna open a few and then realize it sucks to open presents that aren't for you.

princesspriscilla · June 2015

Baby showers become a snoozefest when the gift opening takes forever. I think it'd be most entertaining for you to open the gifts your guests purchased for you and your baby. Seeing your child open the gifts would be less meaningful and like I said, a total snoozefest.

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