So all I have heard about Boyfriend from Kid this last year is “it’s weird you guys get him stuff for his birthday / Easter /christmas, he doesn’t like it or doesn’t know what to do”

And I’ve just been “he doesn’t have to do anything, it’s just I want him to feel like he can belong here or something “

Anyway this last Christmas I tried to do matching shit with them. Two blankets, two identical stockings (apart
From things he would be allergic to), matching hoodies

For Kid I went a little more with pots/pans for her kitchen and some monogrammed stuff and the ukulele but I tried to get Boyfriend a few things himself. An LED basketball, GameStop stuff, things for his dog

(Also gave home $200 cash same as Kid and paid for half a vet bill this month so it was a lot)

Now Kid is over here telling me that he feels left out and she told him that he wasn’t our kid, we knew her better, and it’s not her fault she got “better candy”

I’m laughing. This kid is 20 years old. Calm the fuck down.

Part of me is like “oh okay so now you know what it’s like to finally be spoiled at Christmas”. Im not doing anything more, what I got you was more than generous but it’s amazing to see the turn around when you realize that maybe letting us know what you want when you ask will score you some shit

He knows he’s being a brat about it but I’m like. Weirdly okay about it?

love

...that is a full ass adult

he feels...left out

how

IDK. I'm laughing.

It's like night and day from his kicked-puppy look last year of "why did you get me anything" from last Christmas

Shut up and say thank you and we can chill. Your own mom didn't get you anything and never does and wanted to know what you were getting her this year.

He knows us enough by now to know we're not expecting anything in return so it's sometimes like what we see in Kid, weird throwbacks to "oh am I allowed to be a bit of an asshole in this safe space where I couldn't be before"

lol yeah, different kind of trauma reaction XD

my mom asked for her presents back this year so. it could be worse???

wtf

Missed that completely, your mom succccks

she got me things that were clearly "things she would like" and then was like "if you don't want them i'll take them back" lmfao

i'm just like thanks for the therapy fuel

bruh

We did that a little with the ukelele I think. We weren't sure if she'd like it so Sergio tried it out in store to make sure it wouldn't go to waste but 10/10 gift so no worries there

but the fact that he could use it was an afterthought

At this point your therapist should pay your mom a referral fee

yeah but you probably weren't literally like "if you don't like it you can give it back to us and we'll take it"

it wasn't premeditated lols

and yes XD

Nah we were "Let us know if you don't like it, we weren't sure this was the right thing"

yes that's different

I wish I could write characters as manipulative as your mom. Goddamn

LOLL

mother gothel from tangled is probably the closest fictional representation i've found

..which says a lot

The amount of effort put into passive aggressiveness when the EASIEST THING is just to....be nice???

nahhhh

cannibalherpes: i'm fully convinced like 90% of boomers are just, not whole humans.

not in a judgy way, but in a "you need to heal your inner child because i'm tired enough from reparenting myself and i can't parent you, too"

Part of it's probably all the lead >.<

We're the squeezed generation! I've got one-and-a-half kids, (boy on weekends) and me, and sometimes my mom.

and yeah, that's some turnaround for bf, buuut I'd say 20, especially the way he grew up, is only just barely half an adult, and it's very expected and, like you said, a lot like what Kid went through when she started to realize you were safe

Yeah, considering he's also reading at...probably a 3rd grade level, too, and his mom wants to baby him forever, it's why I'm like "oh you're still figuring out your shit"

But he's so caring towards her otherwise, and he's funny and he's really starting to speak up

I picked him up from his job on Monday, he slept in the car the whole way back. major trust

I'd suggest titles of the books the kids have been enjoying but uh. I don't know that his tastes would be similar to the girls XD

unless he likes dragons, I guess?

He really likes Diary of a Wimpy Kid

yeeeeah

and god... babies him while also abusing him. GREEEEAT for the mental health, I'm sure >.<

I'm just so glad Boyfriend has you guys

that's good! having a book or series he likes is a good start

oh! has he tried Captain Underpants?

Oh, I don't know if it'd be up his alley, but the Jedi Apprentice books are pretty early grade reader type stuff but good stories and there are so many of them. Jess read every last one of them

my mother literally credits Captain Underpants with my brother learning to read

that and Nick getting impatient for more than a chapter or two a night of the big books I read aloud to him

gotta love books like that

definitely will give those a go, thanks! I actually have my old jedi apprentice books still kicking around

can confirm, the jedi apprentice books from the 90s are awesome