- - Mom 'Confused' When Mother-in-Law Gets Son, 8, a Coffee Table Book for Christmas. She's Defensive When Asked to Buy Another Gift

Hannah SacksDecember 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM

0

Getty

A stock photo of people opening presents. -

A mom doesn't know if she's in the wrong for asking her mother-in-law to get her son a different Christmas present

She explained her mother-in-law told her she'd gotten her older son a Basquiat coffee table book, board game and a nutcracker

When she suggested her son wouldn't like those presents and to get different ones, her mother-in-law got defensive

A mom doesn't know if she's in the wrong for asking her mother-in-law to get her son a different Christmas present.

The original poster (OP) shared their story on Reddit's AITA and explained that her 70-year-old mother-in-law bought her 8-year-old son some gifts this year for Christmas that are concerning to her. She explained that she had a second kid last year, and her older son has been "really struggling" with jealousy over not being the baby anymore.

OP said she's really sensitive to it and has been making conscious efforts to make him feel important.

OP explained that her mother-in-law got the baby a few toys for Christmas that he will love, including a Mickey Mouse-themed car and a talking Mickey Mouse. But for her older son, her mother-in-law got him a board game, a nutcracker and a coffee table book about the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Getty

A stock photo of family opening presents.

She said her older son isn't into board games and added that "I genuinely am so confused" about why he is receiving a coffee table book. When asked, the mother-in-law said she thought the older son would get inspired by the drawings, since he sometimes draws Roblox characters.

When OP expressed her concern that her son is going to see his sibling get a wrapped car and fun toys and then receive a coffee table book and board game, her mother-in-law defended her decision. She said it's unfair to ask her to get anything else since the nutcracker was $50 and his bigger gift. She said she spent the same amount on each child so it's equal.

Now, OP wants to know if she's wrong for asking her mother-in-law to get different gifts.

In her comments, some suggested that everyone was at fault in this specific scenario.

"[Everyone sucks here] just because you should not be telling someone what to buy/ re buy for Christmas," one person said. "But also, when it comes to jealousy between the siblings that's something you need to be dealing with as a parent - it should not come down to grandmas crappy Christmas gifts. (Grandma is the a------ for getting an child a coffee table book imo though lol)."

Getty

A stock photo of people opening gifts.

However, another person said that OP's mother-in-law should know not to get her grandson something he doesn't actually like for Christmas.

"NTA. Older people often buy what they consider 'nice' presents for slightly older children, and then get offended when they don't like them," they said. "A board game and coffee table book is 'nice' for a 70 year old, but not an 8 year old."

"It's only fair to warn her that it's very generous but they're not really things that he's into, and you fear she'd be wasting her money," they added.

A third said that while OP isn't wrong for telling her mother-in-law to be prepared for disappointment, she could've offered a better solution.

"NTA but the better thing would be, 'Please make sure the book comes with a receipt so we can exchange it for something less disappointing,'" they said. "And she should know that it's not about the money it's about the number/size of gifts. Spending $50 on a nutcracker for a child is wild, that's like a big Lego set worth of money."

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”