An article in The New York Post in the Lifestyle section is sparking debate and controversy because it involves a woman who wants her friend to return an expensive baby shower gift. The friend had suffered a miscarriage and the woman felt that the gift would no longer be needed.
The woman posted her predicament on a popular parenting forum to get some advice from the online community.
She claimed that she knew it was terrible to ask for the gift back but she still wanted it back so that it could go to someone who could actually use it.
The woman claimed that it was her husband who purchased the baby shower gift and he decided to get an expensive gift worth $400.
However, a few weeks later, and after the baby shower, their friend had a miscarriage.
“I won’t get into the details but she was devastated and the cause of the loss likely means she won’t be able to carry future pregnancies to term. It’s incredibly sad and while I’m not close with Jen, my heart hurts for her,”
The woman also said,
“Asking her to pay us back for it also seems very cruel. My husband and I are also decently high earners but $400 is still a lot of money. It’s one thing if she’s able to get a few years of use out of the item, that’s money well spent. But if it’s going to sit in a box in her attic for years… that’s where we are getting stuck.
“So, would we be in the wrong if we asked about getting the gift back? Ideally, we could get our money back but if we can’t then I’d at least like to gift it to someone else who can use it.”
In response, all members of the online forum unanimously agreed that the woman should not ask for the gift back as it seemed very petty and rude.
One commenter summed it up in this way,
“She’s just lost her baby and her fertility. Don’t kick someone when they’re down. When she’s ready, she will probably sell your gift and use the money for something else, hopefully, something that brings her joy,”
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