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Family gift-giving has a funny way of turning good intentions into unnecessary drama.

One woman working in the medical field decided to give her preteen sister a real doctor kit for her birthday, complete with an actual stethoscope, scrubs, and supplies straight from her own career.

The sister was over the moon at first, practically glued to her new gear all night.

Then her mother stepped in with a very different opinion, upset that most of the items were used instead of store-bought and new.

What started as a heartfelt gift turned into full-blown accusations of cheaping out on the gift.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITA for getting my sister a “doctor kit”?

My sister, Jem, (preteen) just had her birthday party. All of my siblings and I have always been close, for the most part.

Well, recently, Jem has been expressing interest in being a doctor when she grows up.

This revelation was particularly satisfying given this woman’s line of work.

I’m in the medical field, so I was thrilled! I wanted to get her a doctor kit for her birthday, but when I got to looking, everything seemed too young for her, along with cheap and plastic.

Well, I figured I had some supplies in my house that I’d outgrown, so who better to give it to?

She was pretty happy with the gift she decided on.

At the party, Jem opened her very own “doctor” kit! I gave her my old stethoscope and BP cuff, pulse ox, a pair of scrubs that would almost fit her, an ace wrap, some disposable supplies from work, a thermometer, procedure masks and a gown, even an old reflex hammer that one of my doctors offered to throw in.

Luckily, her sister loved it and the two bonded greatly.

Nothing was sharp or dangerous. I also taught her how to use it later that night and she was THRILLED!

We could hardly get her to sit down and eat dinner, my heart ached seeing her so happy for the first time like that in a long time.

But not everyone was so pleased.

Yesterday, my mother texted me, very upset. She said that the gift was bad because almost all of it was used, and I’d upgraded my own stuff to give Jem instead of buying new for her.

Her mom starts to insinuate that maybe Jem wasn’t as happy as she initially seemed.

She said the scrubs didn’t fit Jem properly, so Jem was sad that I’d decided to “cheap out” on her. I don’t have a lot of money and I tried to explain real equipment is expensive. My mother said I should’ve gone with a different gift, then. She said this was a repeat of my brother’s “ramen kit” all over again.

This wasn’t how she saw the gift at all.

I thought my gift had been thoughtful and had shown how I’m paying attention to her interests, but my mom and Jem have been ignoring me. I didn’t mean to offend her and now I wish I’d never done this stupid present at all. I know they live differently from me, but she seemed happy when she first got it.

AITA?

Seems like her mom is pretty keen on stirring up drama.

What did Reddit have to say?

This user thinks she should focus on the positive.

The only way to know for sure is to ask Jem herself.

In this economy, the fact she even got a gift at all is saying something.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a sister who refuses to give up her own holiday traditions to spend the day with her family at her brother’s cabin.

This user brainstorms a way to make this gift even better.

This woman clearly put more thought into a birthday gift than most people put into ones twice the price.

Handing down real, working medical equipment to a sister who dreams of becoming a doctor isn’t cheap, it’s both heartwarming and practical. What better way to explore a career than with the help of someone you trust?

Used doesn’t mean careless when the alternative was flimsy plastic toys that wouldn’t have meant nearly as much.

The best gifts come from the heart, not the wallet.