Thoughts on pictures of your kids as gifts?

[DavidH]

Pictures of your kids, assuming they are related to the recipient, as they are here seem fine.  For grandparents in particular it seems like an appropriate type of gift.  On the other hand, giving them to non-family would, I think, be odd unless it is someone you are 100% sure will appreciate it. 

[Miss Bee]

I think you're over-analyzing.  If she's like most grandmothers in the world, she'll be THRILLED to get portraits of *her* grandkids.  (She probably thinks of them more along these lines, not as *your* kids..)

If it were me, I'd also be happy with a frame as well - unless her tastes are really, really specific. 

I think it's a wonderful, thoughtful gift. 

[Searcher]

This sounds like a very nice, thoughtful gift.

[twiggy]

That's what my parents and in-laws are getting this year. I got a frame that says something about grandkids bringing joy, and I'm putting in prints of my kids and their cousins. And a pic of the ultrasound to announce this pregnancy

pictures are the standard gift for my kids' grandparents. They are all in a position to have or be able to get everything they need/want. Except pictures, those come from me.

[Surianne]

And a pic of the ultrasound to announce this pregnancy

Oh, what a neat idea!  I love this.

[Searcher]

And a pic of the ultrasound to announce this pregnancy

Oh, what a neat idea!  I love this.

I think this is a little much.  Ultrasounds are medical pictures of a woman's inside-not just the fetus-and it strikes me as creepy and even invasive to frame one as a gift or use one in a social media profile.

[Rohanna]

A lot of people don't feel the same way you do about ultrasounds, so I think it's unfair to brand it as a "creepy" gift- more of a "know your audience" gift. If the PP knows that her family is cool with them, I don't think it's anyone's place to tell her she's being inappropriate.

I think china dolls are creepy as all get out, but I don't deny that many people quite like them.

[twiggy]

I think that all picture gifts are "know your audience" gifts. In some cases, pictures that would make some people uncomfortable would be a huge hit for others. Some would love nothing more than to get a nice portrait or a frame filled with candids.

Also, it has been my experience that the grandparents of my children love pictures more than anything I could buy at a store. Of course, DS is getting older now, so next year he will probably make something, and to my dad that might be even better. Also, as I said earlier, my parents and the in-laws can are at a point in their lives where they either have or can go out and get almost everything they want. The exception is pictures of their grandkids, because I'm the only one who gets to distribute pictures of my kids.

[Searcher]

A lot of people don't feel the same way you do about ultrasounds, so I think it's unfair to brand it as a "creepy" gift- more of a "know your audience" gift. If the PP knows that her family is cool with them, I don't think it's anyone's place to tell her she's being inappropriate.

I think china dolls are creepy as all get out, but I don't deny that many people quite like them.

As you say, it's a "know your audience" gift-but the audience is not just the recipient but anyone who might be shown the pictures.  For example, a very risque picture might be fine for a couple, but if their very staid, orthodox parents who believe in very conservative dress, no PDA, etc. come to visit a lot, and that picture has to get taken down a lot to keep them happy, maybe that picture just isn't the right gift.  Ultrasounds can have the same effect on people.

[Surianne]

And a pic of the ultrasound to announce this pregnancy

Oh, what a neat idea!  I love this.

I think this is a little much.  Ultrasounds are medical pictures of a woman's inside-not just the fetus-and it strikes me as creepy and even invasive to frame one as a gift or use one in a social media profile.

Okay, well, since we already know the poster has that gift planned and that her parents will probably love it, what's the point of insulting it?  Just to be mean? 

I really think your post was out of line.  The hatred of ultrasound photos on eHell has been well documented already.  I think we all know that some posters find them completely unacceptable.  But it's important to remember that not everyone in the Real World feels that way, and the poster probably knows what her parents will enjoy far more than you will.

[Searcher]

And a pic of the ultrasound to announce this pregnancy

Oh, what a neat idea!  I love this.

I think this is a little much.  Ultrasounds are medical pictures of a woman's inside-not just the fetus-and it strikes me as creepy and even invasive to frame one as a gift or use one in a social media profile.

Okay, well, since we already know the poster has that gift planned and that her parents will probably love it, what's the point of insulting it?  Just to be mean? 

I really think your post was out of line.  The hatred of ultrasound photos on eHell has been well documented already.  I think we all know that some posters find them completely unacceptable.  But it's important to remember that not everyone in the Real World feels that way, and the poster probably knows what her parents will enjoy far more than you will.

I think the hostility in your post is just as out of line.  Not everyone in the Real World(TM) agrees that they are appropriate either-for exactly the reasons posted.  And what I know about what the poster's parents would enjoy is not relevant-just that I don't think that framed ultrasound photos are appropriate.

[CakeBeret]

My parents, inlaws, and grandparents ADORE photos as gifts. In fact, they would be really disappointed if they didn't get photos of Cupcake for Christmas.

For my dad and grandmother, I make photo calendars with a different photo for each month. This $12 calendar brings them more joy than I could possibly find anywhere else.

I usually give a framed print of Cupcake to the grandparents. Last year, my sister and I bought Mom a photo screen--a big room divider-type screen that holds 12 8x10 photos. She only has it filled about 1/3 of the way so far, so we give her a new photo to put in it for Christmas and Mothers' Day.

I don't give kids' photos to other relatives (such as my siblings) as gifts. I figure they probably don't want to display photos of someone else's child in their home.

[JillyJ]

And a pic of the ultrasound to announce this pregnancy

Oh, what a neat idea!  I love this.

I think this is a little much.  Ultrasounds are medical pictures of a woman's inside-not just the fetus-and it strikes me as creepy and even invasive to frame one as a gift or use one in a social media profile.

Okay, well, since we already know the poster has that gift planned and that her parents will probably love it, what's the point of insulting it?  Just to be mean? 

I really think your post was out of line.  The hatred of ultrasound photos on eHell has been well documented already.  I think we all know that some posters find them completely unacceptable.  But it's important to remember that not everyone in the Real World feels that way, and the poster probably knows what her parents will enjoy far more than you will.

I too think it's an odd choice.  I'm not opposed to ultra-sound pictures as a general rule, but do think that including one in a collection of other photos is weird.  To me, an ultrasound picture is something that you share with people who are closest as a moment of excitement.  It might sit on the fridge for a time, but I can't think of a single person that would, say, have it framed on their desk the way they would have pictures of their kids.  It just doesn't strike me as a part of a "permanent" framed piece.  But, to each their own.  And if she thinks her parents will enjoy it, they probably will. 

[Surianne]

Okay look...the ultrasound discussion was my fault.  I thought it was a neat idea so I quoted Twiggy to tell her so.  She's been made aware now that ultrasound photos are offensive to some posters here, so she can rethink her way of announcing the birth if she chooses.  Most likely, it's already wrapped and her parents will be delighted. 

So if I apologize for saying that an ultrasound photo is a neat gift, can we move on?  I feel pretty terrible that posters are criticizing her gift when she clearly had no intention of starting a discussion about it. 

[PoliteTeacher]

This sounds like a great gift to me. It's especially nice that she'll have one portrait of all her grandchildren.