1) My first major lesson in gift giving.
Amazingly, something as simple as the act of giving and receiving gifts can be remarkably confusing. Generally, people are taught from a young age the implied and unwritten rules of gift giving etiquette, and each family has specific variations of these regulations. For example, my mother and father encouraged amiable gratitude while receiving gifts and no gift is considered inexpensive or minuscule. Furthermore, refusing a gift is considered rude, insulting, and exclusively acceptable if inappropriate or threatening. Additionally, my parents instilled exceptional value in homemade or thoughtfully personal gifts, promoting extra merriment in the gesture of giving. Nothing compares to the satisfaction …show more content…
However, they were indispensably valuable lessons learned, and reminders of what should never be done to anyone under any circumstances.
Particular information is necessary before divulging in my story. I was raised in a loving home with two supportive parents and a kindhearted and copious extended family on my mother’s side. However, my father’s side is few in numbers and awkward, to say the least. My grandparents on my father’s side were not the typical warm, loving, and doting grandparents I experienced on my mother’s side; they were cold, condescending, and controlling. Thankfully, my sister and I rarely spent time with them; yet, when we did it was memorable in numerous ways. The following story is one of those numerous experiences.
Around the age of six, my older sister was nine, Grandma decided to take us dress shopping for a Christmas family photo. Often, she enjoyed dressing us in matching itchy dresses before an obligatory function in which we were seen, yet not heard. Undoubtedly, we never had a voice in which dresses we wore, Grandma bought them so she chose them. Ironically, my sister and I had no choice in wearing our own dresses either; it was often a dictatorship with Grandma …show more content…
Since my husband and I recently relocated to San Antonio, my mother-in-law decided to drive the six hour trip to relinquish her used washer to us, and she was not accepting no for an answer. After the long drive she incessantly complained about the amount of money spent on the journey. Uncomfortable, guilty, and yet thankful, I snuck a thank you note in her purse with a couple hundred dollars for gas and other expenses. In the note I gushed about how incredibly thankful we were that she drove out and spent tremendous effort on us. I tucked the note in her purse and informed my husband, who appreciated the solution. The next morning I awoke to the smell of coffee and chatting voices. Aware of the goodbyes to come, I hurried out to visit with the in-laws. Instantly, everyone quieted and looked at me, my mother-in-law’s face turned sour. She scolded me and explained that the money was an insult to her, and insisted “that is not how her family does things.” I will never forget those words or how she made me feel, disrespected, dishonored and an outcast. Subsequently, her disgust and refusal of my gift showed her complete disregard for my feelings and deprived me of my merit. Additionally, this moment created a rift in our relationship and degraded our
Amazingly, something as simple as the act of giving and receiving gifts can be remarkably confusing. Generally, people are taught from a young age the implied and unwritten rules of gift giving etiquette, and each family has specific variations of these regulations. For example, my mother and father encouraged amiable gratitude while receiving gifts and no gift is considered inexpensive or minuscule. Furthermore, refusing a gift is considered rude, insulting, and exclusively acceptable if inappropriate or threatening. Additionally, my parents instilled exceptional value in homemade or thoughtfully personal gifts, promoting extra merriment in the gesture of giving. Nothing compares to the satisfaction …show more content…
However, they were indispensably valuable lessons learned, and reminders of what should never be done to anyone under any circumstances.
Particular information is necessary before divulging in my story. I was raised in a loving home with two supportive parents and a kindhearted and copious extended family on my mother’s side. However, my father’s side is few in numbers and awkward, to say the least. My grandparents on my father’s side were not the typical warm, loving, and doting grandparents I experienced on my mother’s side; they were cold, condescending, and controlling. Thankfully, my sister and I rarely spent time with them; yet, when we did it was memorable in numerous ways. The following story is one of those numerous experiences.
Around the age of six, my older sister was nine, Grandma decided to take us dress shopping for a Christmas family photo. Often, she enjoyed dressing us in matching itchy dresses before an obligatory function in which we were seen, yet not heard. Undoubtedly, we never had a voice in which dresses we wore, Grandma bought them so she chose them. Ironically, my sister and I had no choice in wearing our own dresses either; it was often a dictatorship with Grandma …show more content…
Since my husband and I recently relocated to San Antonio, my mother-in-law decided to drive the six hour trip to relinquish her used washer to us, and she was not accepting no for an answer. After the long drive she incessantly complained about the amount of money spent on the journey. Uncomfortable, guilty, and yet thankful, I snuck a thank you note in her purse with a couple hundred dollars for gas and other expenses. In the note I gushed about how incredibly thankful we were that she drove out and spent tremendous effort on us. I tucked the note in her purse and informed my husband, who appreciated the solution. The next morning I awoke to the smell of coffee and chatting voices. Aware of the goodbyes to come, I hurried out to visit with the in-laws. Instantly, everyone quieted and looked at me, my mother-in-law’s face turned sour. She scolded me and explained that the money was an insult to her, and insisted “that is not how her family does things.” I will never forget those words or how she made me feel, disrespected, dishonored and an outcast. Subsequently, her disgust and refusal of my gift showed her complete disregard for my feelings and deprived me of my merit. Additionally, this moment created a rift in our relationship and degraded our