Was I wrong to say thank you?

DigForVictory

OP I'm in awe! Both that you have managed to successfully get your youngling to write a thankyou letter & that your relatives by marriage are so dire.

May I ask how you taught your wonderful son, other than by gentle encourageemnt and robust good example? As I confess, last year with my ten year old there were tears, tantrums and harsh language (all mine) before we'd even uncapped the pen to write the copy. This year I will follow the observations above & just ask for one sentence, a signature & a photo!

My husband is red hot on please and thankyou & we keep getting compliments from complete strangers, not verbal abuse from relatives.

You were not wrong - you are doing a wonderful job raising a wonderful, polite member of society. Be proud of him, and continue a great job!

Anthillmob

i have verynrude relatives and this gos beyong prsent buying. let me include lifts that i went out of my for to make them happy and do them a favour. sod the petrol dont care about tat but a thanks would have been ni e. wont do it agai9n.

Anthillmob

DigForVictory wrote: »

OP I'm in awe! Both that you have managed to successfully get your youngling to write a thankyou letter & that your relatives by marriage are so dire.

May I ask how you taught your wonderful son, other than by gentle encourageemnt and robust good example? As I confess, last year with my ten year old there were tears, tantrums and harsh language (all mine) before we'd even uncapped the pen to write the copy. This year I will follow the observations above & just ask for one sentence, a signature & a photo!

My husband is red hot on please and thankyou & we keep getting compliments from complete strangers, not verbal abuse from relatives.

You were not wrong - you are doing a wonderful job raising a wonderful, polite member of society. Be proud of him, and continue a great job!

last year, simplifying but totally personalising, i took a photo of my 2 holding a handmade sign that read THANK YOU and stuck it inside little blanks cards with a small message also. everyone loved them. i nicked it from my SIL in america who's SD does the same.

Indie_Kid

And if you hadn't said anything, you'd probably be moaned at for being rude...

Anthillmob

last thing....my family...no thanks, no prsents in future though there are some exceptions but if i had my way there wouldnt be. some people need to be taught manners and a short sharp 'no present' shock helps. sadly this dont apply to the SIL who never says it.

berniesmaster

I think its a lovley idea to send thankyou cards, shows that you dident "expect" gifts. keep it up!!

Mme.Hibou

Anthillmob wrote: »

last year, simplifying but totally personalising, i took a photo of my 2 holding a handmade sign that read THANK YOU and stuck it inside little blanks cards with a small message also. everyone loved them. i nicked it from my SIL in america who's SD does the same.

Haha I recently tried something similar, a 'Get Well Soon Nanna' poster, my DS is only 9 months, I had to give up in the end as it spent most of the time in his mouth!

mrscb

What has OH said?
Does he have the manners the rest of the family are lacking?
I always encourage/force mine to send them and write a list when the presents are unwrapped so we know who bought what to make the card more personal than a 'thank you for the present'(which is better than nothing though).
They are in the wrong and will end up with brats!!!!

BitterAndTwisted

What those trashy SILs obviously don't understand or care about is that the thank-you notes are impressing on the child-sender that gifts are given freely without obligation which should always be acknowledged with sincere and grateful thanks. Meanwhile their own equally trashy and ignorant spawn will mistakenly believe that presents and gifts fall out of the sky somehow.

I'd be giving those dreadful people a very wide berth lest their values or lack thereof rub off on my kids.

alessev1

O I hate people like that as well.
But, fortunately you can choose you friends, and not your family.
I learnt to not care when "friends" does thinks like that, but when family take you for a ride really hurt.