I went shopping for my daughter's (GB3) 4th birthday present yesterday. I wandered the aisles of Target and various toy shops and was caught off guard by the wave of guilt that washed over me. Standing there, looking up at all those noisy, flashing, expensive toys I felt guilty about the fact that our children just don't have that many toys. Don't get me wrong, they have enough! They have a dolls house, trampoline, swings, blocks, trucks, dolls, books, bikes, making things... the list goes on and on. They're definitely not spoilt, mainly because we can't afford for them to be but looking at all these toys I wondered 'do they have enough?'
Then, to top it all off, I thought back to when our first daughter (GB5) was born. People bought her so many beautiful things, snow globes, trinkets and special boxes. I realised, my little GB4 doesn't have anything like this! So, I decided, now was the time to fix that. I wandered around some more in search of the perfect little girls snowglobe and found it. All $80 of it. A pretty little ballerina elephant, dancing to the music. I baulked and couldn't justify spending that much on a snow globe that would just sit on the shelf - no matter how perfect it was. Then I felt even worse! Eventually, I decided to put one on layby and give it to her for Christmas, or next year's birthday.
My dilemma was this. How do you decide what to buy your children for their birthdays and christmas? When is enough enough or not quite enough? Do others feel guilty about all the toys their children 'miss out' on? Is there a group of staple toys every child should have, or can creativity fill the gap? In the end, I settled on a few little ponys and polly dolls, a special box to keep them in (away from little brother GB2's curious fingers), a dress up outfit and some pretty necklaces and hair tyers. Oh, and a fun learning book.
So, do you have a price limit or size limit or no limit at all? Do you your kids more gifts or fewer on birthdays and/or christmas? Am I the only one with these thoughts?
Pretty pink picture thanks to Zazzle.com
Posts
Hi Joni, I like your blog :)
ReplyDeleteFor us, we have no limit on what we spend on our daughter.... but that doesn't mean we spend a lot either! I tend to get her things that are going to push her concentration a little so that by the middle of the year (her birthday is in July) she'll be ready for some new challenges.
We are thrifty, my husband and I, when it comes to toys. The amount and size and price of plastic toys horrify us. A couple of decent, usually wooden, toys go down very appreciatively here - plus an array of things like self-inking stamps, new pencils, rulers, etc. (she loves craft now!).
We tend to live by the motto "The most important things in life aren't things." I guess our daughter will either love or detest us for it! ;)
(p.s. it's me, Kirrily, from Sunny Side Up - my old account is showing! sorry)
Hi Kirrily ~ I'm the same - it's awesome seeing your children grow and learn by playing with the gifts you've bought them. Esp the crafty ones - how precious are their little gifts!
ReplyDeleteI love your motto too - it's so important now when everything's branded and they can become so 'possession' oriented.
Have a great day!
Joni xox