A single mother has returned her daughter’s £128 present after she threw a hissy fit on Christmas Day. A mum of three girls (two 11 and one 16) took to Reddit to ask for advice on what to do about her daughter after they fell out over the festive season’s budget.
She wrote: “My ex-husband is no longer around to spoil them like he usually does. The divorce was finalised exactly one year ago, since then he’s changed his number and not even bothered to call our daughters.
“I am a nurse working long hours and am doing my best to provide for three girls. When I asked the girls what they wanted for Christmas, my 11-year-old wanted a Nintendo Switch with the latest Pokemon game, and my 16-year-old wanted an iPad Pro.
“I told my daughter that it would be extremely difficult to get an iPad Pro but I will do the best I can. At that point, it seemed like we came to an understanding.”
The mother had a budget of $500 and so got her daughter a $160 Samsung tablet rather than an $800 Apple one.
“Fast forward to Christmas Day and when the girls opened their gifts, the twins were happy to get their switch and two Pokemon games” the mother continued.
“My oldest threw a fit that it was not the iPad Pro that she wanted. I told her I could not afford a $800 tablet so I got her a very good brand tablet instead.”
“She started yelling at me and calling me the worst mum ever and how she misses dad. I told her that if she misses her father so much, to call him, knowing that phone number is disconnected.
“I told her that she needs to understand that her father is not around anymore, and I have to take care of her and her sisters on my own and money is very scarce. I can only do so much.
“If this is the attitude I get for making sure she get something for Christmas, I’ll return the tablet. She’s old enough to get a job anyway. My daughter burst into tears and ran to her room. We have not spoken much since the incident.
“The next day I returned the tablet to the store and that was the end of it. Despite my oldest acting like a complete spoiled brat on Christmas, I felt like I should have been more understanding of her situation as her father and I recently divorced and it must have been harder for her and her sisters, especially since dad disappeared.”.
The post divided opinion, with one Reddit user defending the mother and believing the daughter “deserved the lesson”.
They shared: “She didn’t need to be at rude to her mother when she can see her mother is clearly in a hard time too. Daughter was pretty cr*ppy to throw those words out and deserved the lesson.”
While another added: “Don’t fall for that bait. She’s p****d because she didn’t get an iPad Pro, period. If she had gotten it, dad’s name would have never come up. She’s being spoiled and tried to use her father as a weapon.”
But others didn’t approve of the mother’s actions, with one saying: “‘I told her that if she misses her father so much, call him, knowing the number is disconnected’ the f*** is that?
“Your daughter is going thru some shit right now and your response is to antagonize her. That’s just cold.”
Another said: “Spoiled? Nah. She’s grieving, and was just abandoned by her father. She needs compassion and understanding. Teenagers have outbursts. It’s what they do.
“They’re having hormone fluctuations and are still learning effective ways to cope. This particular teenager also has extra going on. This was just cruel.”
