Did I make a mistake?

C.Ann said:
--------------

Not at all.. Maybe DIL didn't mean it in a "negative" way.. And being so far apart, I don't see where it would make any difference whatsoever..

Nice gifts! :flower:

Carol Ann makes a good point! MM, I have been there and as Mom's, all we can do is try our best :hug:! I also think it depends on the girls and how they feel towards one another. Having 3 daughters and a DIL, we have adopted her as one of our own and are all close. Last Christmas we got them all Italian link bracelets, however, some of the charms were different. When it comes to sweaters or similar items, I know their favorable colors, so fortunately they are all different. You found a nice present that happens to be in one color they look good in. Sound like lovely gifts! With such distance between them, I would not stress over it :goodvibes.

Geez - Christmas shopping already, I applaude you! Now I know I am slipping...LOL!! :goodvibes
 
My Aunt got me the same kind of sweater as my cousin (her daughter) a few years ago. We live in another state so I never thought anything about it. I also said the "We're twins." line. I didn't mean it as an insult. I thought it was cute. I guess it depends on how your DIL said it.
 
While I don't think it's at all "offensive", I must say I dislike when MIL buys me clothes. I do appreciate the gesture but she's 75 yrs. old, I'm 35 and what she thinks is a "lovely sweater" isn't my idea of a "lovely sweater". I steer clear of buying clothes for anyone other than Dh and our children.
 
I would buy one of them something different, too. My MIL does this with my DD and my neices...whatever she gets for one, they all usually get. Unfortunately, it's something the one wanted, not something the others wanted.

She has also done that with my DH and his brothers. They joke that she must have found a "buy one get one free sale".
 

Do both dd and ddil like sweaters? Did they enjoy and wear the ones that you purchased before? (I know you posted that dd did, what about ddil?)

I know that in some families it is a tradition to get new pajamas or robes every year--even when grown--and some get the same, others tailor colors/style to suit each person.

My mil used to get identical gifts for me and sil and the same for both of our husbands--her sons. Usually it was something that one had put on her list or she knew one of us would like. While we enjoy similar things, we have more differences than similarities in dress, decoration, interests, etc. It used to be the joke among the four of us as to who could get our list to her first so the gift would be what we wanted for that year!

She would do the same with the grandkids. They would give her a list and she would not go by it at all. She would give them similar type items and got so caught up in them having the same number of items that they would get things that didn't suit them at all. Of course, we were all gracious about our gifts as were the grandkids.

I guess my point is that the gifts do not have to be the same for your dil to feel that she is being treated like your child. I would ask you this, when your children were little, did you get them the same exact gift? Or did you get them gifts that were on their lists or that suited each child? Don't get hung up in the "if it is not the exact same thing, she will think we don't love her as much" mindset. That is not true. One year my mil actually got each of us items that fit us. It was like that until she started giving money several years ago, but even now we each get one small gift that is chosen for each of us.

You mentioned that you are not giving your one daughter a sweater. Will that make her feel any less loved? Of course not! Her gift will be different. So you can get gifts alike because you think they will suit the recepients or you can have each gift be different to suit the person receiving it. Don't worry about the "equality" thing. Sometimes people get way to caught up in it.

If you purchased the sweaters because you like them, know the dd and dil will like them, then give them the sweaters. Enclose a note that personalizes the gift--mention that you thought of her the minute you saw the sweater in the catalog, etc.

:flower:
 
They are just classic sweaters. I rarely buy clothes for any of them - except for my son who loves the shirts I buy for him - usually Ralph Lauren. My sil seems to love what I get him - my daughter says his mother will buy 3 of something very cheap and poorly made and I will buy one that is of good quality. I ordered SIL a cashmere sweater too (I gave him one a while ago and he loved it - had never had one). I would have ordered one for my son but they didn't have his size. Thinking about my older daughter - she lives in Florida - does not need nor want sweaters. The most enthusiasm I have ever seen my DIL display was last year when I ordered matching sweaters for the whole family from LL Bean - DS, DIL, both children. She opened them early and had their Christmas pictures taken in them. Of course I sent lots of presents to the children. I gave my dd and sil leather jackets. They said they loved them.

This has been a rough year. We supported Marla for 7 or 8 months completely - she had no income. We are also spending a great deal on medicine which we never had to before. I did, however, spend a great deal on tickets for Disney and SeaWorld for 4 days while they were here. That's 4 days at 6 tickets (children aren't that much cheaper I find), meals and souveniers = big bucks to my way of thinking.

I do appreciate your thoughts and hope you keep them coming.
 

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