37 - Still Talking About… Grandparents and Gifts

Gift giving is supposed to be nice, right? So why does it cause SO much drama in families?   This week, we’re Still Talking About… Gifts. Janelle gets into the surprisingly complicated role gifts can play in difficult family relationships, from overgifting and grandparent competition to gifts that feel like they come with some pretty big strings attached.   She also talks about the weird position parents can find themselves in when a grandparent is happy to shower the kids with presents but puts very little effort into actually building a relationship with them. Because while kids obviously LOVE getting stuff, there’s a pretty big difference between buying them things and actually showing up.   The episode also gets into favouritism between grandchildren, grandparents who completely ignore parents’ requests around gifts, and why asking someone to please buy less stuff shouldn’t turn into a family crisis.   For more mother-in-law content, make sure you're following Janelle on Instagram and TikTok.