Woman scolds boy for gifting damaged toy for her son’s birthday
When I conduct a function, I keep in mind that not everyone can afford to bring gifts or get expensive presents. I believe their participation is valuable, and I try to teach my child the same. By doing so, I feel my child won’t focus a lot on “getting the gifts” and rather than spending time with friends. So when I came across this Reddit post, I was furious.
The author, a 32-year-old mother, organized a birthday party for her 7-year-old son, and the boy insisted they invite some of his classmates and close neighbor’s children.
One of the kids who came was their 12-year-old neighbor boy, and he brought a doll-like toy that glowed and made noises when its button was pressed. Although the birthday boy was happy to receive the gift, his mother noticed that the toy had a cracked shoulder when they opened the present later after the party.
The following day, when the boy came to play with her son, the mother asked him about the gift. He admitted to bringing it, and she showed him the broken part, “scolding him lightly” that he should have checked before purchasing it. She gave it back to him and suggested he ask the store to replace it, hoping to teach him a “valuable life lesson” about being more careful when buying things.
Later that day, the boy’s mother called the birthday boy’s mother and accused her of being rude to her son. She claimed that if someone gives you a gift, you should appreciate it and not say anything negative, especially when the gift-giver is a child. The boy had bought the gift with his own pocket money and put a lot of thought into it. Although he did replace the gift, he no longer comes over to play with the author’s son.
The author then added that she didn’t intend to upset the boy and only wanted to teach him a life lesson. Now, she wonders if she has done something wrong.
What do other Redditors think?
What I see is a boy doing his best to get his friend a valuable gift. Unfortunately, due to his lack of experience buying stuff, he bought a gift that was damaged. The author’s reaction and “gentle” reprimanding have discouraged the boy so much that he stopped hanging out with her son.
Most Redditors pointed this out to the author and asked her to apologize to the boy.
“This child will NEVER forget the way she made him feel,” wrote one Redditor, while another commented, “I feel for her son. Mom is going to cost him good friends, at a time in his life when friendships are everything.”
What do you think? Should the author have spoken to the boy about his gift being damaged? Share your thoughts below.
