Despite my best intentions, the plastic jungle seems to get away from me on a regular basis, and there is just kid stuff *everywhere*.
I feel like I had many many fewer toys when I was growing up - and consequently that I appreciated them so much more. Of course I don't remember being two. But I do remember some of the toys that I coveted, and how much I enjoyed them when I finally did get them.
The one I remember most of all is a toy cash register. It didn't talk, it didn't have bells and whistles, it just had coins and paper money that could go in the till, buttons to push (no calculator), and a till that one could open up. I wanted it SO badly, and remember asking for it for quite a long time, until one special day (I don't remember if it was Christmas or birthday), it finally arrived. My sister and I played shop with it all the time, in one of our other favorite toys, a "log cabin" type building - similar to the little tikes houses, although it really did come as log-like pieces that we had to put together. Other favorites included tea sets, and of course, my favorite doll, which my mom and then I would make outfits for. (I longed for a cabbage patch doll as well, but never got one.)
We are relatively well off; certainly more so than my parents were at this stage in their lives - we can afford to buy just about anything for our kids that they might need or want. In some ways I think that's bad though - if we buy things for them as soon as they express interest, or even before that, how will they learn about delayed gratification? That they aren't always going to get everything they want (like my cabbage patch)? How will they learn to appreciate what they do have? If Christmas and their birthdays are always extravaganzas of presents (not necessarily from us), how do we teach them to be thankful? To enjoy their new toys rather than playing with them for five minutes and turning to something else?
I would love to hear if this is something that you think about too, and if you've come up with any strategies for dealing with it.
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3 comments:
I feel like we are drowning in toys, but I see what my friends' have for their kids and I realize we aren't that bad. We have been focusing on one big gift
(a wood dollhouse at Christmas for example) and then accessories. We also like to request lots of arts and crafts supplies from family so they will get used.
As far as getting them to appreciate it, I don't have a solution. I'll be interested in reading the comments here.
We've been lamenting this a lot since Christmas. We promised ourselves that P wouldn't be innundated with presents, but alas, here we still are digging our way out. P is the only child in my side of the family, so she is showered with gifts all the time. I ask people not to, but it falls on deaf ears.
I have no answers really. I think it's good to at least be concious of this issue. It isn't solving anything necessarily, but at least you're not blindly buying them everything they want without considering what kind of kids (and eventually adults)they will become if they are given everything.
If I ever come up with an answer, I'll let you know!
I agree this is a hard one. trickky of course also has the toys that his cousins playeed with, like the wooden train set which he newly adores. So I guess there's a bit of recycling there. But I also put toys away in the cupboard, removing them from circulation if there's too much about. And then i'll bring them out again later and put something else away. Have justv had a cull of his toys, put a lot of baby stuff away and that might go to his cousin baby layla or it may go to St Vinnies.
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