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Beautiful but totally useless gift from FIL  

post #1 of 8
9/8/06 at 3:54pm
Thread Starter 
So, my fil (who really isn't hardly involved in the kiddos lives at all) made a very beautiful wooden cradle for Louis. It's gorgeous really. He made the entire thing and stained it. It must have cost him a fortune to ship the thing up here. The problem is that it will never get used. He's been working on it for months, and I know he is really excited for us to get it. The thing is though that he KNOWS we co-sleep - none of our kids has ever slept in a crib or cradle or bassinet or playpen or anything except with us. Even for naps they've never used any of those things. So, he made the cradle that will be with us forever now - we going to have to store it and move it until I finally unload it onto my unsuspecting future DIL!!! Ugh! I know he put a lot of work into it, and I am trying so hard to be appreciative! I think it's great that he made something so personal for his grandson. I'm just feeling a bit frustrated - I just spent the last few weeks cleaning out the basement and organizing and purging, and now I have something I'm going to have to keep for the next 25-30 years. I sound really ungrateful don't I?
post #2 of 8
9/8/06 at 5:13pm
I can totally relate to this!

My father built DD#1 a twin sized bed. The only problems? Well, she still co-sleeps (obviously she won't forever, but he already built the bed) and already has a really nice bed that I bought last November (never really slept in!) plus the bed is too big to fit anywhere in my apartment.

You don't want to be ungrateful, but at the same time it's like, hmmm, do you know me at all?!?!

Hopefully you can use the cradle for dolls or something? Save it to pass along to your children when they are grown and have children (and then they can roll their eyes at you!).
post #3 of 8
9/8/06 at 5:16pm
We have a beautiful wooden cradle my grandfather made my oldest. It is a GREAT place to store and display all the awful stuffed animals people insist on giving us.
post #4 of 8
9/8/06 at 6:11pm
We also inherited the family white elephant... er, lovingly hand-made cradle. It is very long, very narrow, and reminds me of a coffin. I would not put a child in it. Yeah, dh survived it... but it just sits in our attic, taking up space we don't have. My hideous mil hand-spun and knit a lovely blanket especially to fit the iron maiden, and I expect she'll want to see us using it when she comes to visit. Ugh. I agree-- why do people give gifts that are useless and just prove how little they know you, or care to know you?
post #5 of 8
9/8/06 at 6:14pm
maybe the cradle would be useful for naps when the baby is still little- you could sit doing what ever and rock him when he stirrs? Just a thought.
post #6 of 8
9/8/06 at 6:53pm
I agree about those useless gifts. We get a lot of them from my SIL's family (this time it was an orange car shaped swing that we don't have a tree limb for, it doesn't look safe for a baby, Nate wouldn't be old enough at all until winter and after that I'm afraid he'll have outgrown it etc.; no congratulations card, no food that they promised, and I practically had to BEG and sit with my SIL next to her attic door to get my 3-6 month clothes back)....sorry for the tangent...

But I actually had my husband buy a used cradle this time. I just thought it was sooo cute, and we could always use it later for stuffed animals, it's true. But we have a large hand-me-down crib, and playpens, but nothing little for when they're young. I thought it would be handy to have the baby up and away from the boys sometimes, but A.J. took one look at it and climbed right in himself, so I've had to teach him NOT to go in it. Nate's only been in it for naps, and even that has been rare. So yeah, it's really pretty useless!!!!
post #7 of 8
9/9/06 at 1:05pm
OMG, this thread is hilarious!!! I too have the cradle that my dad made when my mom was pg w/ me. Apparently they actually used it for me, but it's freakin' huge!!! She could sleep in it till she's 5! No way I'd put a newborn in it. Plus, I have no idea where we'd find a mattress to fit it's whacky size.

Nevermind the fact that we co-sleep....
post #8 of 8
9/12/06 at 11:24pm
Not a cradle but omg, someone gave me a pair of Coach booties the other day. Um. WHAT??????
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