Nothing is more frustrating than dealing with someone who doesn’t listen to a word you say.

So, what would you do if you requested specific gifts for your young son, but the person doing the shopping didn’t even bother to consult the list you created?

Would you be thankful for what they did get? Or would you push back and try to set some boundaries?

In the following story, one mother finds herself in this situation and thinks it’s best to say something.

Here’s the full scoop.

AITA for not wanting to take home what my MIL got my son for Christmas?

My MIL and I (33F) have a good relationship in general, but she has a history of not respecting boundaries.

This year, we are spending Christmas with my husband’s family, and we told our MIL that we wanted just experiences for my son (18 months old), like a membership to the aquarium/zoo, a day at Legoland, or something like that, and maybe a book or two that he can unwrap.

He already has too many toys and clothes, and he doesn’t yet understand receiving gifts.

They created an Amazon list for her.

Well, my MIL was beside herself because she wasn’t able to get my son gifts, so she asked for an Amazon wish list for things she could get that we could use in the future.

My husband and I spent quite a bit of time thinking about what to add to that list cause we truly don’t need much for our son. We sent it to my MIL and told her she could choose some items from there.

This morning, my husband asked what she was planning to get our son because my mom asked if we could share the list with her to get a few things from it.

Nothing that she bought came from the list.

My MIL sends my husband a text back saying, “I might be on the naughty list now,” and a video of all the presents she got my son.

NOTHING from the list.

It was a pile of huge items that she knows we don’t have space for (a car that my son can ride on, a keyboard, a play kitchen, tons of books, one of those Amazon iPads for kids (we don’t do screens with him)…

She can’t understand why they spent time making a list.

I told my husband that she can keep those at her home if she wants, but we are not bringing them with us. I found it very disrespectful that she just bought whatever she wanted, even though we specifically told her we didn’t want anything.

Also, why ask for a list if you are going to ignore it?

My husband thinks that we should bring some things so as not to make her mom feel bad, but in my mind, we are just sending the message that she can do whatever she wants, and we’ll be ok with it. Also, we don’t have the space lol.

AITA?

Yikes! It’s easy to see why she’s so frustrated.

Let’s check out how the folks over at Reddit feel about this situation.

This reader agrees with her plan.

Here’s some advice.

For this person, it’s all about how you frame it.

According to this comment, her MIL needs to learn a lesson.

Life is about choosing battles, and this is something small that’s probably not worth causing drama over.

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.