Mom Threatens to Not Get Her Kids Christmas Presents as Their Ongoing Bad Behavior Keeps Putting Her Job at Risk

A mother of two says she’s reached a breaking point — and is considering a harsh holiday consequence.

In a post on the community forum Mumsnet, the mom explained that she wants to tell her two preteens she “won’t be able to buy them anything for Christmas” because their ongoing behavior is starting to affect her work.

According to her post, her daughters, ages 9 and 11, repeatedly refuse to get dressed for school on their own — even when everything is laid out and ready.

“I’ve tried everything. Clothes ready and waiting, nothing for them to do other than get dressed,” she wrote. “It’s been like this for months.”

She said the situation has escalated into a daily struggle, describing how the 11-year-old “shrugs and says she doesn’t care,” and claiming she often has to dress both children herself while they resist.

“I physically have to dress them while they go rigid. I’m at my wit’s end as it’s a battle,” she wrote.

What’s happening at home, she added, is now creating real consequences at work.

“I’m late every day for work,” she wrote. “My boss has noticed. I’m beginning to resent [my kids] as it’s so stressful, and my job is my income, sanity, etc.”

Looking for guidance, she asked other users whether she was being unfair to warn her children that Christmas gifts may not happen this year as a lesson about consequences.

In a poll attached to her post, 94% of nearly 2,000 voters selected the option stating she was not being unreasonable.

“They need to understand there will be consequences,” one commenter wrote. Another urged her to explain the stakes more bluntly, warning that losing her job could mean losing their home.

Several replies encouraged a direct sit-down conversation about what could happen if she continues arriving late — and what that would mean for the whole family.

One user also suggested stepping back to investigate the root cause of the refusal, asking whether something deeper might be driving the behavior and whether the children’s school could help.

“Yes talk to them about the realities of being late to work, but you need to tackle why they are doing this,” the commenter wrote, adding that primary schools often have family support resources that could help uncover what’s behind the struggle.