Dear Queenie,
My son married a divorced woman with two children this year.
Queenie, I need to know: Do I have to buy them Christmas presents the same as my grandchildren? I don’t even know them, so I don’t know what they would like or what sizes they wear or anything about them.—Going broke on gifts
Dear Going broke on gifts,
You don’t have to buy anyone gifts for any occasion, but to buy for some children in a family and not others would be discriminatory. The left-out children would be hurt, their mother would resent it and your son would be caught in the middle, a very awkward situation.
And why, may I ask, don’t you know anything about these children? Surely you have had time and opportunity to get to know them by now. Even if they live on another island, they are part of your son’s family, which makes them part of your grandchildren’s family too. I should think you would at least take some interest in them, if only because they are part of your loved ones’ lives.
Ask your son and/or his wife for gift suggestions.
