Have you ever had a family member try to use gifts as emotional blackmail?

My mother-in-law loves to do this! She only gives out money and gifts to the grandkids that come to see her when she snaps her fingers. The other ones get nothing. Nice grandma huh? 😕
What about you?

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JaggedLittlePill · 46-50, F

My grandmother did this to me..but it was not because i didnt see her...in fact we were at her house all the time...

She would buy my cousins expensive gifts and my aunts and uncles expensive gifts...things they had asked for...and then she would give my mother and i and my brother cheap gifts.

My cousin: super awesome brand name barbie dolls..expensive makeup and clothes
Me: dollar store barbie

We would all open our gifts together so there was no avoiding knowing the purposeful favoritism.

My grandmother was a psycho.

TwiddlerofThumbs · F

My brothers kids have a grandmother like this. Everyone gets amazing gift except one of their sons. Just the one. The other son gets to go on vacations with them, gets special just because gifts, amazing holiday gifts. The other boy, dollar store material. I can only hope they have had the ' you know your grandparents are assholes' conversation with him.

NineLives · 41-45, F

Maybe your grandmother was related to my mother-in-law!
It is more than psycho, it is abuse. Or at least I think it is anyway!
It has nothing at all to do with the value of the gifts or being greedy, etc. It is just that if someone truly loves you, then they would not try to control you or make you feel bad through gifts!
I'm sorry that you had to go through that as a child. 😕

JaggedLittlePill · 46-50, F

@NineLives: it is absolutely abuse. I could write a book about my grandmother and i might!

I would leave there every time crying and asking why she hated us so much...i dont recall what my mother would tell me but ,clearly, she was hurt too.

NineLives · 41-45, F

@JaggedLittlePill: You should write a book about it! I bet it would be a success because believe it or not, I sadly think many people can relate. ☹