{"id":699,"date":"2026-05-15T15:06:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=699"},"modified":"2026-05-15T15:06:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T15:06:13","slug":"asking-eric-i-am-stunned-that-my-sons-family-didnt-even-open-my-gift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=699","title":{"rendered":"Asking Eric: I am stunned that my son\u2019s family didn\u2019t even open my gift"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dear Eric<\/strong>: I am a very loving grandmother with family on the West Coast. I live on the East Coast.<\/p>\n

Read more Seminole High School student arrested after gun reported on campus<\/a><\/p>\n

I make every effort to reach out to my son\u2019s family. I purchase books, clothes, candy, school supplies, toys for every holiday and birthday. I wrap up and mail these \u201clove boxes\u201d involving time, effort, thought and expense.<\/p>\n

I was stunned and beyond hurt when my son told me that they got the Easter Bunny Box but didn\u2019t open it. Instead, they packed up and went on vacation.<\/p>\n

There\u2019ve been no complaints about past gifts. I must add that my son\u2019s wife is very controlling and for some reason doesn\u2019t like me. I must add that I include a gift for her in the box.<\/p>\n

I am at a loss as to how to proceed. I don\u2019t get it. My middle grandson has a birthday soon. What am I to do?<\/p>\n

\u2013 Insulted Grandmother<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear Grandmother<\/strong>: The hurt and frustration you\u2019re feeling is reasonable, but it\u2019ll be helpful for you to right-size the offense here.<\/p>\n

You sent the gift as a way of reaching out and showing your love, and while your expectation about the present\u2019s reception wasn\u2019t met, is it fair to assume that the Easter box did eventually get opened by a grandchild? Is that something that you can confirm now?<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Additionally, is it possible that your son and his wife chose to delay opening the box until they returned from vacation so as to minimize packing chaos with kids? I\u2019m not trying to advocate too much on behalf of your son here. However, it seems that there are some fuzzy details on both sides of the relationship between you and him and it can be easy for all of us to fill in the blanks in ways that aren\u2019t actually helpful.<\/p>\n

In short, though they may not have intended to slight you, the truth is that you feel slighted. The next step is finding a place to meet in the middle and clarify what\u2019s unsaid or unclear on both sides.<\/p>\n

Have a conversation with your son about the presents you send. Try to come at it from a place of openness and curiosity about what kind of relationship you can build. For instance, you might say that it\u2019s hard to be so far away from him and you\u2019re trying to find ways to feel connected.<\/p>\n

You might suggest that when you send love boxes, the family could schedule a time to FaceTime or Zoom with you as they open them. You should also ask if the love boxes continue to be a good way of showing up in your grandchildren\u2019s lives or if there are other things that they want or need.<\/p>\n

Read more Sonic boom potential back again Friday as SpaceX tries for launch to space station<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The relationship with your son\u2019s wife is a separate issue, but one you can also address proactively with her. If you\u2019d like to be closer, you can ask for that. Ask if there\u2019s something between you that you can work together to resolve. Use \u201cI\u201d statements and try to avoid placing blame. The goal here is mutual understanding rather than score-settling.<\/p>\n

Dear Eric<\/strong>: I am an 85-year-old woman with a 55-year-old daughter. I have a friend I\u2019ve known for 60 years. She\u2019s married. I get along fine with her spouse.<\/p>\n

She is my oldest friend and golf buddy and has been my health care proxy for a long time. She recently came down with debilitating cancer. Subsequently, I have developed serious heart issues.<\/p>\n

I have changed my health care proxy to another friend who is younger and would be able to coordinate with me, the doctor, hospital and my daughter. I don\u2019t want my friend to have to carry the burden of making health care decisions for me.<\/p>\n

My problem: How\/should I tell her of the changes I have made to my proxy? How do I tell her? Or should I? She is asking me questions about my health status, so I know it is on her mind.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Healthcare Dilemma<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear Healthcare:<\/strong> You should tell her so that she\u2019s on the same page and knows how to best support you.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re being kind by considering what\u2019s going on in her life and you can lead with that. You\u2019re worried that coordinating your healthcare needs might be too much to ask for her as she navigates cancer and you want to relieve her of some of that responsibility so that she has the capacity to attend to her own treatment.<\/p>\n

Tell her that this isn\u2019t about anything she\u2019s done nor is it a reflection of a diminished opinion of her. Tell her how much she and her friendship mean to you and suggest that you can both find other ways to continue caring for and supporting each other, just as you\u2019ve done for the last 60 years.<\/p>\n

Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram @oureric and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Editorial: As Social Security withers, Congress dithers<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eric Thomas: I must add that his wife has been very controlling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice"],"yoast_head":"\nAsking Eric: I am stunned that my son\u2019s family didn\u2019t even open my gift - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=699\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Asking Eric: I am stunned that my son\u2019s family didn\u2019t even open my gift - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Eric Thomas: I must add that his wife has been very controlling.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=699\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-15T15:06:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=699#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=699\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/47d95744296542489ff5c4bd403450f8\"},\"headline\":\"Asking Eric: I am stunned that my son\u2019s family didn\u2019t even open my gift\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-15T15:06:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=699\"},\"wordCount\":912,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=699#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/9bb008b98fdbacc5e228994638e7454e.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Advice\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=699#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=699\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/orlandorelocationreport.com\\\/?p=699\",\"name\":\"Asking Eric: I am stunned that my son\u2019s family didn\u2019t even open my gift - 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