Gift-giving is a simple gesture of love, but it can quickly reveal deeper imbalances in relationships.

When one woman noticed her efforts weren’t being reciprocated by her own family, she decided to make a quiet statement at her nephew’s birthday party.

And it definitely didn’t go unnoticed.

You’ll want to read on for this one!

AITA for not bringing gifts to my nephews’ birthdays because they never give my kids anything?

I (34F) have two kids.

Over the past few years, my nephews have had several birthday parties.

We’ve always been invited, and I used to bring gifts every time.

But soon a troubling pattern emerges.

But I started noticing that when it’s my kids’ birthdays, their parents never bring anything, or even acknowledge it.

My kids don’t even get a “happy birthday” from them.

It’s started to feel very one-sided.

Their parents (my brother and sister-in-law) are often cold and dismissive toward me and my kids.

She decided she was done putting up with this and she adjusted her approach accordingly.

So this year, I decided I wasn’t going to keep doing something for people who clearly don’t return the effort.

I still went to the party — but didn’t bring any gifts.

It didn’t take long at all for her family to notice.

After the party, I got a bunch of texts saying I was being petty and “you don’t punish kids for adult problems.”

Now I’m starting to wonder if I was in the wrong, and maybe I should’ve separated the kids from how I feel about their parents.

AITA for not bringing any gifts?

She didn’t meant to punish anyone — she was just done feeling like the only one trying.

What did Reddit make of all this?

If there’s a problem, then they should clearly talk about it!

And while we’re on the topic of “punishing”…

It’s time to finally get on the same page about this.

Hypocritical much?

No one wants to disappoint a child, but even quiet resentment has its limits.

In the end, she chose honesty over obligation.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.