Parents Request Handmade Christening Gifts, Divide The Internet
A christening guest has posted about an unusual stipulation for only handmade gifts [Photo: Martinus via Pexels]
Parents who have asked for handmade gifts for their daughter’s christening are causing quite the stir online.
A disgruntled christening guest posted on the forum of parenting site Mumsnet to find out if other parents felt they were being unreasonable in thinking this was a ‘cheeky’ stipulation.
“Christening next week for 6mo. Parents have requested handmade gifts for DD,” she wrote.
“Clearly they want lots of unique and personalised gifts for their DD, which is lovely. But I’m sh*t at crafts and also find the request a bit hmm.”
“If I was to go for it, I really would turn up with something monumentally shit that would get chucked away, and would be a waste of my time and effort.”
The post went on to say that though she’d explained her predicament to the mum in question she hadn’t received a favourable response.
“I suggested to DD’s mother, my friend, that I bring something else and she choked through the words ‘something shop bought is fine’ and 'precious DD has everything she needs’. Clearly it’s not.”
“AIBU to think cheeky, ungrateful f**kers?!”
Only handmade gifts are welcome at this christening [Photo: pixabay.com via Pexels]
But it seems she wasn’t alone in thinking the request for handmade gifts was unreasonable.
“I just wouldn’t bring anything, just a card - handmade with scrap paper and crayon,” one commentator wrote.
“Holy moly. Since when do people get to make gift requests at christenings anyway?” added another.
But not everyone was against the idea and in fact some suggested the parents could have been trying to save guests from spending a lot of money on gifts.
“I think it’s a nice idea,” wrote one mum. “Surely hand made could cover everything from some cakes to a poem? Not just crafts.”
Other posters offered some suggestions of things the mum could make despite a lack of craft flair, with ideas ranging from a finger puppet, to memory box, pressed flowers and a photo album.
And one mum offered a hilarious tongue in cheek solution
“I’d make a card, and decorate it badly with crayon. Do you have kids? blame it on them. Finish it with a bespoke poem.
‘I told your mum I’d buy you stuff
but she said, no that’s tough
So here it is, a sh*tty card
So now she knows I find craft hard’”
Another suggested she should bring a gift that might backfire on the parents.
“Give a gift that will require a lot of work from the parents. Maybe a blank journal into which you write the first day and then write in the front that her parents will add something everyday until she is 18,” they wrote.
Should you stipulate about christening gifts? [Photo: Roman Pohorecki via Pexels]
Though the post was initially created to guage the opinions of other parents, the christening guest was actually pretty pleased with the helpful response of the commenters.
“What turned out as an AIBU pissed off thread has turned into some really lovely ideas,” she wrote. “Thank you - only Mumsnet could think of lovely gifts with an undertone of revenge.”
Justine Roberts, Mumsnet CEO told The Huffington Post UK she agrees with those who felt the christening gift request was out of the ordinary.
“You can pretty much always rely on Mumsnetters to let you know what’s what and specifically whether or not you are being unreasonable,” she said.
“In this case, as usual, I think they’ve got it spot on - it’s definitely unreasonable to demand handmade gifts. I for one wouldn’t know where to start.”
What do you think? Is it unreasonable to ask for a certain christening gift? Join the debate @YahooStyleUK
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