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

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

“I’m beginning to resent them as it’s so stressful,” the mother of two said of her preteen daughters’ unruly exploits

Brian Anthony Hernandez

Sat, December 20, 2025 at 10:00 PM UTC

3 min read

Getty Stock Images A stressed mom during the holidays (stock image) — Getty Stock Images
A stressed mom during the holidays (stock image)

NEED TO KNOW

A Mumsnet user is worried that she might lose her job if her two preteen daughters won’t stop making her late to work
The stressed-out mom shared that her kids refuse to get dressed for school on their own in a timely manner
Fellow Mumsnet users offered their advice to the parent

A mother of two has put her kids on the naughty list this Christmas.

The mom explained on the community forum Mumsnet that she wants to tell her two preteens that she “won’t be able to buy them anything for Christmas” due to their bad behavior negatively affecting her job.

The stressed-out mom shared that her daughters — ages 9 and 11 — refuse to get dressed for school on their own in a timely manner.

“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.”

Getty Images/iStockphoto A mom frustrated with her kids (stock image) — Getty Images/iStockphoto
A mom frustrated with her kids (stock image)

She continued, “The 11-year-old shrugs and says she doesn’t care. It doesn’t matter what time I get them up, it’s impossible. I physically have to dress them while they go rigid. I’m at my wit’s end as it’s a battle.”

The struggle for her pre-teen daughters to cooperate at home has turned into an worrisome issue at their mother’s workplace.

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

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Getty Stock Images A woman late for work (stock image) — Getty Stock Images
A woman late for work (stock image)

Seeking advice, the worried parent asked fellow Mumsnet users, “Am I being unreasonable to tell my kids I won’t be able to buy them anything for Christmas [as a form of punishment for them to learn from]?”

In a poll under her Mumsnet post, 94% of the roughly 2,000 voters chose the “You are NOT being unreasonable” voting option.

”They need to understand there will be consequences,” one reader replied, while another added, “Tell them you would end up homeless too!”

A third person advised, “Sit them down and explain that if you are late for work you will lose your job and exactly what that means for them.”

One user advised looking into why the children are refusing to get dressed. "Yes talk to them about the realities of being late to work, but you need to tackle why they are doing this. Is there a reason for them both to refuse to get up and get ready?" they wrote, adding, "What support are the school/schools giving you? Primary schools are usually pretty good and have a family support worker — can you talk to them about your struggles and maybe they can talk to the youngest to see if they can get to the bottom of this behavior."

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