Princess Alexa, Baby Annabel, Childrens Toys Have Gone Too Far!
Christmas is approaching and it seems like the first thing anyone asks the kids these days is what santa is bringing them for Christmas!
Both Ray and Jay were faced with this question at mother and toddler group last week from a fellow playmates mother. Ray wanted an inflatable ball pool like the one at Caveman Capers and Jay wanted some new play dough. I felt we got off pretty lightly!
The other children then started telling us what they were getting and my jaw must have hit the ground at least 5 times! One little girl is getting ‘Baby Annabell’ with her pram, car seat, clothes and bottle, the other wanted Princess Alexa with all her paraphenalia threw in. The first girls mother told me when the children went off to play that she had spent ?40 on the doll ?20 per outfit (of which she bought 4), ?15 for the changing bag, ?15 for the sleeping bag and ?60 for Baby Annabell’s pram.
I was amazed! How can anybody justify spending ?60 on a pram FOR A DOLL! When Jay was born I got a double buggy for my two real life children for that! For ?20 I would be looking for two outfits for our baby, which he could wear many times before it was passed on to a friends child or a charity shop.
This whole concept riles me. I know it sounds cliched but people are starving in the world. There are children who do not have enough to eat or drink. Surely if people have the money to spare they would be better placed donating the ?200 to charity and buying their daughter a nice ?10 doll from argos that comes complete with 4 outfits!
Children at 3 or 4 are easily pleased. What they most want is your time. Buy them a cheaper toy and play with it with them and I guarantee they will appreciate it more than a ?40 doll that they are left to watch TV with. Over indulging children is not only wrong, it is detrimental to the child. It makes them materialistic and greedy and sets a pattern for life that is very hard to change.
I urge people out there to think twice this christmas when buying presents. Don’t over spend on your loved ones. If you have a bit of extra cash, or you have to buy a gift for the person who has everything, consider buying a Gift Of Hope. Wouldn’t they rather change a life and make a real difference to the world then receive another soap set!
I’m delighted to see this post. I have a son who is nearly one and I can’t believe how much his peers are getting for Christmas! I don’t care if I look like a tightwad, but we are not buying him more than a couple of presents. He’d be happy with a newspaper for Christmas as he plays with newspapers more than any of his toys. I have decided that every Christmas we will be buying toys for children in our son’s name and tell him so that he considers (obviously when he’s older) that it’s nice to get presents but it’s also good to give to others who don’t have as much.
Mrs Levee: If you think its bad now, think again. Its going to get a lot worse as Ray and Jay move up the little age ladder.
Mrs Parnell and myself had five little ones. Now only two litte ones and three that want to be treated as little ones all through December, the rest of the year they go back to being teenagers.
This years list includes Mp3s iPods and a Laptop all comes without essential accessories. I am going to try giving them more time instead, it won’t work, but you can’t blame me for trying.
Animus, thats a great idea! I am going to buy some gifts for family members from the children, and teach them that christmas isn’t all about what you get. We are also going to empty their copper jar, count the money and let them hand it in to a local charity.
We also try to make Christmas a real family time with lots of outings to local museums and venue hosting Christmas events, so its not all about what the children get or are getting.
Parnell I am dreading the teenage years. Although I hate the commercial event that christmas has become I have to admit to feeling the pressure when Ray asks me for the most recent and expensive toy that she has seem on TV. She is easily persuaded to ask santa for a lesser item, but I realise that a teenager will not be so easily fobbed off. Especially if their friends are getting all the most recent mod cons!
Good luck this Christmas, I hope you and your wallet survive!