Welcome to Etiquette Daily
This open thread is your space to use as you like. We invite you to discuss current and traditional etiquette. Feel free to ask questions of each other and the community moderators here.
Open thread
Previous post: Baby Bliss: When is the right time to see a newborn?
Next post: Noisy Neighbors: How to deal with an awkward situation
Loading ...
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I recently (August, 2009) sent baby gifts to a young couple that have new twins. I know they are very, very busy but have not heard if the gifts arrived or not. I did track the package with UPS and it stated package was left on porch. As yet, I have not heard if they have the presents or not. Do I just wait for a while yet and see if a note comes? I truly do not know what to do.
Thank you
I would give the parents another couple of weeks to acknowledge receipt of the package; if you haven’t heard from them by then, contact them via call or note, saying, “How are your new babies? Are you sleeping through the night yet? I wanted to follow up on a package I sent you thru UPS; I was alarmed to find out they left it on the porch and want to be sure you received it.”
I was in a similar situation. I had a new baby and a toddler at home. We received some gifts for the new baby, and I was very late in sending out thank yous. Trust me, this weighed on me. But I was very ill, and with the two children, I was barely making it through the day. I was having a very difficult time, and I kept meaning to send out the thank you notes. One woman became very agitated with me, and I felt very guilty, but I still think about how a formality was more important to her than my health and new baby.
If she would have called and said, “How are you doing?” I would have immediately said, “Thank you for sending the gift, I apologize for not sending a note.” I guess my point is that you never know what is going on in a household, and you should give them the benefit of the doubt, especially with twins. Maybe just give a quick call and ask how things are going, and I would guess that the mother – or father – will thank you for the gift. If they don’t mention it, you could casually mention it.