My son turned 2 on Sunday & had a party. I'm writing out the Thank You cards and wanted some advice on one.
One of my very good friends came in w/ a gift for my son & we are close enough that I could tell her, "he already has that one".
Well, he went to open it and I realized he does NOT have that one (it's the same brand/very similar) and told her, "wait, he doesn't have this one"... then he opened the next gift and I told her, "this is the one he has". It was a Playskool racetrack like the one he already has, the same one I thought my close friend had gotten for him.
I know I totally messed up and shouldn't have said he already had it, I'm aware of that (now). The child's mom heard me & I was very friendly when I told her "that's okay".
So, now that I messed up, here's my ?...
Do I leave the card as a simple thank you (this is to a child in his daycare class)?
Or, do I go on to say (the truth), mommy took me to exchange it for --- that I wanted, etc
2007-02-13 06:51:51 · 11 answers · asked by Nina Lee 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
It's refreshing to hear that you are sending thank you card for your son's b/d gifts. DON"T tell the mother that you exchanged it. Just write a gracious note telling her how much your son loved the gift. When he saw it, he probably did love it (as much as a 2 year old can love something). Since he has one like it she won't know the difference.
2007-02-17 07:27:27 · answer #1 · answered by sweetpea 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Just a simple thank you will suffice.
The point of a thank you note is to acknowledge a gift or service that was given. It's not to help you clear your conscience. If this is really bothering you, then you need to apologize to her in another way.
Gift giving at a child's birthday party is a craps shoot. Especially if it's a child you have no real intimate knowledge of, like friends from school or day care. Most moms have NO IDEA what toys your child has or likes, and they know that in this case it's the thought that counts. So they pick out something that their child liked and is in the appropriate price range.
2007-02-20 18:59:18 · answer #2 · answered by Jaye 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you are making too big an issue over this. Say thank you for the gift and coming to the party and leave it at that.Your child most likely will not even remember where each individual gift came from just because ..... kids are kids. I think that if you try to explain that you'd returned the gift for something else you will just cause unnecessary awkwardness for yourself and the other mom.There are gift issues that need to be handled a bit more delicately but I honestly don't believe this is one of them. Any parent would understand. Take care : )
2007-02-19 20:21:27 · answer #3 · answered by uncle louie 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If I were in your situation, I would be completely honest. Say that he already has that specific toy, but you appreciate very much the time and thoughtfulness the mother put into picking a gift out for your son. Then you could go on to say what you exchanged the gift for if you did that.
I hope that helps!
2007-02-13 14:58:55 · answer #4 · answered by Haley 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am sure that your friendships can withstand this 'minor' wobble. (If the do not, that is because they were not real friends in the first place.) It seems enormous 'cos we want our kids' brithdays to be successful.
Do not make a mountian out of a mole hill. The moms in question should be able to overcome your mis-steps.
I like the letters that the others wrote. Be honest. Honest mistake to make, especailly since I bet you spent half the week preparing and were probably EXHausted! Been there, done that.
2007-02-13 16:27:49 · answer #5 · answered by thisbrit 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just say a gracious thank you and leave it at that. You are not thanking her for the gift; you are thanking her for the thoughtfulness behind the gift. Don't bother mentioning that you exchanged it--that's irrelevant.
2007-02-19 12:28:49 · answer #6 · answered by Daisy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
next time have a party and have all gifts donated to children that have none. There will be no duplicates and it sounds like you can learn a lesson while teaching your son one too!
Thank you note should be sent with no mention of your confused statements.
2007-02-18 16:07:52 · answer #7 · answered by Godis! 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should say, Thank you so much for coming to my party. I apologize for telling you that we didn't have ______ when we did. I was so confused. We have exchanged it for ________ and he really loves it. Again it meant so much for you and _________ to be able to come to _____'s party.
You need to write this thank you note yourself and not as if a child were writing it, this way you can explain what happened. All will be fine.
2007-02-13 15:42:54 · answer #8 · answered by Premo Mom 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
if i were you ? i would not say anything about the gift ,
"he already has that one".
"I realized he does NOT have that one"
that is a bit confusing , and how to explain ? and offend one feelings ......to top it all ................
just thank her in a simple nice way ;end of story :-)
2007-02-21 04:11:38 · answer #9 · answered by HJW 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just leave it be. She probably won't find out anyways. Don't feel guilty over something so frivolous.
2007-02-21 09:22:18 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋