I thought letting my mother-in-law 'help' with back-to-school shopping was a good idea.
By @sashalately · Family
Now I have to return three bags of stuff that's either against the dress code or just plain weird. She turned the whole thing into a competitive sport I didn't know I was playing.
The full story
I am DROWNING in end-of-summer logistics. Trying to coordinate camps, plan one last weekend trip, and figure out the mountain of supplies and clothes my two kids (7 and 10) need before school starts in a few weeks. So when my mother-in-law offered to take us all back-to-school shopping and treat the kids, I thought, 'great, one less thing on my credit card.' This was a mistake. I came armed with meticulously researched lists from the school, including hyperlinks to the specific type of calculator the 5th grade teacher wants. My MIL barely glanced at it. The first 20 minutes were fine, we got the boring stuff: binders, glue sticks, 10,000 pencils that will vanish by October. Then she went rogue. She started grabbing the most expensive, unnecessary versions of everything. Not just a regular backpack, but a $150 one with a built-in solar panel and speaker system (for my 7-year-old, who is not allowed to have electronics at school). I tried to gently steer her away, saying, "Oh, that's really nice of you, but this other one is perfect!" but she'd just say, "Nonsense! My grandchild deserves the best!" The real chaos started in the clothing section. She started picking out things that were so blatantly against the school uniform policy. I'm talking sequined hoodies and jeans with giant rips in them. Every time I'd say, "They have a dress code, remember?" she'd wave it off. The grand finale was her trying to buy my son a fedora. A fedora. For a ten-year-old. they said he'd look 'dashing.' I ended up checking out with a cart full of things I knew we couldn't keep, just to avoid a massive scene in the middle of the store. She paid, beaming like she'd just won grandparent of the year. Now I have a huge pile of stuff to return without her finding out, and I still need to go buy the actual things on the list. I feel so ungrateful, but she made a simple chore a thousand times more stressful.
How people voted
- Totally Cooked — 32% (58 votes)
- It’s Complicated — 32% (58 votes)
- You’re Fine — 37% (67 votes)
Readers are split: “You’re Fine” leads with 37% — 183 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@reesee — This isn't about the kids, it's about her need for validation.
@tateforsure — Why did you go through with checking out if you knew it was all wrong?
@quinnyy — a fedora is an essential school supply.
@sortaright — You don't question a gift, you just say thank you and move on.
@welppp — Definitely cooked.
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