Since we had our 1st child, I have been trying, to no avail, to tell my parents to stop plying him and all the other children with useless, unnecessary toys and/or books.  It was bad in the 1st few years.

Everytime they turned up at my place - which was twice weekly back then, to visit their grandchildren, they would bring something, anything! for the kids. I couldn't keep up with even knowing what they gave after a while! And then the house grew even more cluttered coz back then we lived in a tiny 2-bedroom apartment with first 1 then 4 children.

Then their visits were reduced to once a week and they went even more crazy thinking that since they only visit once a week, they therefore must bring something! ARGH!

Everytime I tell them not to do it, I get ignored and meanwhile I had to keep packing up and finding places for the things they bought that the children didn't even want! Don't get me wrong. They are great grandparents. But rather misguided in the gift giving section.  Obviously their love language is gift giving.

And they would say to me when I tell them that the children were uninterested in the gifts, "Then just throw away lah!" Huh??? Throw away a perfectly good gift that cost money? That was crazy! But that's what they'd say.

And you know what? That's what I did to drive home  the point that they were wasting their hard-earned money buying toy trinkets. Ok, I didn't really throw them out - heart pain lah! But I'd sell them off or give them away to the Salavation Army Thrift Shop. I was forced to since I had really run out of space to store these toys/books that the children didn't even look at after the 1st day!

But with the economic gloom and doom, there's now hope that they'd finally learn to be frugal! The other day I was told to submit a list of possible Christmas presents for the children coz they (ther grandparents) did not want their gifts to be thrown away by me!  

I know I must be grateful that they even want to give gifts to their grandchildren but with 8, soon to be 9 (God willing!) people living in a 1,500 sq ft apartment that's already bursting at the seams, I'd prefer if the gifts were practical and useful. Pity they don't believe in gift vouchers!

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