Recalcitrant Teens

[EcclesCake]

My neice has not sent me a thank you for her Christmas present. She has had a ticking off by my brother but for some stubborn, teenage reason cannot be bothered acknowledging receipt and thanking me.

Over lunch with my brother I casually said that she shouldn't be surprised if she doesn't get a gift. He agreed that it would be a perfectly acceptable response to her ignorance.

I'm in two minds; I don't want to the wicked aunt but I also think she needs to buck up her ideas.

So, over to you guys - what would you do?

[Retrochic]

Its not the OP's place to teach manners to her niece its the parents. If you only give presents for personal gratitude then maybe you should stop.

[EcclesCake]

Ho hum! I'm a crotchety auntie and my brother is a poor father, I think we'll live with it.

[ummmm]

Within my family all the adults are entitled to teach any of the kids manners if they're showing a lack of them.

[jackthehat]

A lack of teenaged gratitude resulted in Mrs JtHs nephew and niece receiving £5 postal orders for their birthdays for about 5 years......LoL
They laugh about it now and make sure that their own children are quick to send thanks. Whether that will continue when this new generation hits their teenage years, we'll just have to wait and see.....:o)

[237SJ]

I haven`t read all of the responses so I might be duplicating what someone else said. When my Gran used to send me money for christmas my Mum made sure I wrote a thank you letter. She would keep reminding me and I would keep putting it off. I think it was partly because I didn`t know what else to say apart from "Dear Nanny, thanks for the christmas money". Eventually, my Mum would sit over me until I wrote a thank you card. Maybe your brother could do the same. I would probably send a present this year as you are singling her out against her sister and that will cause bad feeling and I usually give someone the benefit of the doubt once. If she didn`t thank me this year though, I might well not send her anything next time.

[EcclesCake]

I'm curious as 237SJ, has reiterated other posts that to send a gift to one but not the other may cause tension between the siblings and possibly with my Brother and SIL.

Is it not a lesson in life that actions have consequences?

[ummmm]

Yes...but I kinda think that everyone should get a second chance. If she does it again she doesn't even get a sponsored pig...

[mccfluff]

i'd only give a second chance if she didn't know she had done anything wrong. she knows she should acknowledge receipt & has chosen not to