thank you notes 4 birthday gifts?

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-28-2007
thank you notes 4 birthday gifts?
6
Thu, 11-22-2007 - 6:56am
It's like getting my dds to eat spinach to get them to write a thank you note.
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-14-2007
Thu, 11-22-2007 - 9:50am

I think I'm the last hold-out on this, but I absolutely make my kids write thank-you notes if they receive gifts, especially if it's from a friend or relative out of town. I really resent it when I send a gift to a niece or nephew across the country and then don't even get an acknowledgement, let alone a thank-you. At the very least, I want to know that they received it and it didn't get lost in the mail! Now that my DD is turning 16, some of the birthday gifts she gets are kind of informal--her friend gave her one at school the other day. In that case, I don't think a note is necessary. She thanked her right then and I spoke to the mom and thanked her too.


At least for younger teens, I think a quick handwritten note is preferable to an email. The friend's parents are still involved in helping them buy the gift, and I think the thank-you is as much for their benefit as for the friend. Besides, it's nice getting a handwritten note in the mail. It's so rare these days!

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-31-2007
Thu, 11-22-2007 - 9:54am

Great advice ej,


The only thing I'd add is try to make note personal and nag them till it's done lol


< 3



iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-1999
Thu, 11-22-2007 - 10:09am

I'm with the others - get them small notecards (the "quarterfold size"), hand them a pen, and tell them to get to work.

Avatar for mjaye2002
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 11-22-2007 - 10:39am

We aren't huge on writing thank yous to family members for bd or Christmas gifts.

Avatar for heartsandroses2002
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 11-22-2007 - 12:28pm

Hand-written thank yous are an absolute around here. It's tough to get my dd18 to do it already, but she will. I do nag and I also paint the picture of how they would feel if their gifts went unacknowledged. DD20 is fastidious about writing out her thank-you notes ASAP and getting them in the mail. I think it is so totally rude to send a gift and not be thanked for it. Writing a note may seem old fashioned but I think receiving an email is just so tacky.


Before the holidays/birthdays/graduations, etc., I buy a big pack of thank you notecards and when the party is over I hand dd them and tell her to get busy. In my nagging, I've also told 18dd that she better not plan on receiving any gifts next year if she can't even take the 3 minutes to say thank you this year. And I would have NO problem telling family to skip her gifts the following year, either.


I've made my kids write thank you notes since they could hold a crayon. There is no excuse.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-1999
Thu, 11-22-2007 - 12:39pm

"I've made my kids write thank you notes since they could hold a crayon. There is no excuse."


That is so sweet - and reminds me of the thank you note I got from one of my friend's DDs a few years back.