[akcskye]

Yeah, that's a tricky one.

Because you don't know if it's out of love or guilt or both that they are giving the gifts.

Keep in mind, if they're still his foster parents right now, that they do receive a stipend for him, and so with your visits and stuff relieving some of their "every day" spending burden, they can maybe afford to splurge some, because it's money that would have been used to reimburse them for their care for him.

I am a giver, not a receiver...I don't like to get gifts, but I love to give them, so I have to constantly remind myself to generously accept gifts, even ones I feel would be useless, because if you get a gift, it's because the person wants to feel good about giving, just like I do.

If the family was truly "dirt poor" as you put it, then the state would not let them foster the children.

Sorry for the ramble, just my .02

ETA: Also, one person put that too many gifts would make a child not value their possessions...I wholeheartedly agree with that one, my kids were living with a group home that was religiously funded and they always got "donations"...nothing means anything to them unless they pay for it with their allowance money (my boss at a local pizza shop pays my kids $1.00 per bundle of boxes they fold during my work shift so they can make some money and have something to do...which is cool). So, I do agree with that statement.