In a way my siblings and I got a lot of things we wanted, but the downside was that it was always used against us. When you received a gift, you could easily loose it within minutes by a wrong expression on your face, a wrong word, something you did you weren't supposed to... So the toys and stuff were used as blackmail items.
I also remember that one day my parents bought a new stereo set. They offered me their old one, so I was thrilled. But then they asked how much money I had saved... and I told them that I had 100 Dutch guilders in my piggy bank, so I had to pay them all my money and then I got the stereo set with gramophone. When I left to be married at 18 I had to leave my stereo set for my younger siblings. My parents acted like it wasn't mine and because I was having lots of problems with them I didn't want this to be a new subject to fight about, so I gave in and left it (along with lots of other stuff that was mine, like my dollhouse, they just 'confiscated' it all). And I regret it up until today.
I've also had enormous trouble with my parents because I bought a record one day. I'd saved some money and I wanted to have it so badly, but I wasn't allowed to. So I went and bought it and told my parents that a friend had given it to me as a gift. But I was very bad at lying (still am), so my mother sensed that I wasn't telling the truth and started an interrogation... and finally I told them them truth and that they actually pushed me into doing it this way, since I wasn't allowed to spend my own money the way I wanted to.
So, yes I got presents, but did I really like it??? Hm... not really.
