When my kids were living at home, I always made sure they mailed out a thank you for gifts they received in person or in the mail. But now that they are on their own, and some with kids of their own, mailed thank you's are a thing of the past. I never get thank you's from them for any gifts - big or small - except for the ones given in person - of which I receive hugs & kisses and thank you's at the time. But if I mail something to any one of them, I finally break down about one month later, call them and ask if the gift was received - at that point I will get a verbal thank you out of them! And it's not just my own kids that don't send thank you's - it's their spouses and their children too! Ahhh, what's a mother (and grandmother) to do?

I either hand deliver a few of the ones given, Granddaughter has hand delivered the ones to several of her friends that I have given them to and I either get thanked in person or they call to thank me. I have U.P.S. some to a very dear friend and she immediately emails me to tell how beautiful they are and how much she loved them, she has 5 of my quilts. I sent her daughter and 5 kids each a quilt and they all sent beautiful cards, even the boys loved them and of course the 3 girls loved theirs also, they all use them to watch TV. That is the best ever.

My husband has four sisters, 3 older than him and one younger. they do not exchange gifts for b'days or christmas. the youngest is a brat. my husband carves and every year he sends each sister a carved snowman for christmas. each year it is a different design. his 3 older sisters always call thank him and tell him much they like it. he has been doing this for 9 years. anyway the brat never calls or says thank you. we always find out she got it from one of the other sisters and we know she likes it becuase she tells the sister she does. i will never call her to ask, if she doesn't get thats too bad.

I made sure my kids sent thank you notes too but now that they are grown they say no one sends thank you notes by mail, all their friends have email or text cell phones. It's too much ado to find paper, pen, envelope, stamp and get to the post office or post box. I guess they have a point. Nothing we can do to make the younger generation think their way is not acceptable.

I still say that thank you notes are important in personal and business life. The person who makes the effort to say thank you is often the same person who is remembered when opportunities arise. Of course, the acknowledgement needs to be sincere.

I have a part of the family which neither acknowledges receipt of gifts nor says thank you. This is very diappointing to the biological father who states his child is acting exactly how he, himself had acted when raising him.


My biological children and grandchildren have taught my husband how to express gratefulness. His son is stepping up to the plate in so many areas, I will continue to be optimistic about this area, as well. :-)

Right now, I will continue to do things because I want to and not expect anything in return. I have struggled with frustration over this in the past. Believe me, when I say struggled....:-(

Kay, I understand how you feel. My children acknowledge my husband with affection and thanks when he does something for them...they buy him birthday and father's day gifts and cards, and include him in Christmas gifts also. My husbands 2 boys (both in 20s) do not acknowledge me with gifts at all...not birthdays, Christmas, or mother's day. Their mother passed away in 2002, but I guess they never got over that. Anyway, I just try to ignore that they are inconsiderate, and I join my DH in giving their birthday and Christmas gifts. I even made each of them a bed sized quilt a couple of years ago. They said they liked them and thanked me, but have never given me a gift in return. Oh well, I hope they improve with age!!! :wink: :lol: I also keep praying for them!!!

I made a laprobe for my DIL's mom ... have never heard what she thought about it, one way or another. *shrug shoulders* ... it was hers, I made it for her - - if she never says anything about it, no skin off my teeth, since I didn't intend to make more than one for her anyway <wave> ... when we were first married, my DH taught me that I would always be happier doing what I wanted to do for others with no thought about getting something back ... and, he was right.