From this week's Brentwood Home Page:
My 7-year-old son Owen got hold of the Toys For Us catalog, as his brothers called it when they were 3, and circled everything he wished he could have for Christmas.
Most of his choices didn’t surprise me, since he always wants Legos, building sets, spy stuff, board games and video games. Bur one selection made me question my parenting style.
He had circled this kid-sized, battery-operated police car, a Dodge Charger “Hemi” with lights, a siren and a working megaphone.
It was WAY cool.
The problem is that my husband and I have always had a policy against those vehicles. We never bought his older brothers the Power Wheels Jeep, even though they would have loved one, of course.
No, we were those parents who thought our kids’ toys should have standards. We wanted all our recreational purchases to improve our kids in some way. Why spend $300 on some toy that just carries them around the yard? Let’s get them a Kett car, which is pedal-powered, so they can use their leg muscles. You know, get some exercise while they’re having fun?
That’s what happens when you apply adult thinking to your kids’ gift requests. Presents aren’t always supposed to teach a lesson. Sometimes they’re just supposed to be fun.
We were pretty uppity about TV and video games too. I was so proud that my older boys never saw an episode of Spongebob Squarepants until they were 7 or 8. We’d managed to keep them safely ensconced in the world of PBS Kids for all that time.
Of course, what works in your family doesn’t work in other families. I witnessed one son’s first brush with peer pressure at a birthday party for a fellow preschooler who was a big fan of Pokemon and Power Rangers. When he opened the gift from my son, a copy of one of our favorite Little Bear videos, he looked at his mom like, “What am I supposed to do with this baby video?”
That right there is painful. I don’t care how old you are.
We’d also heard all the doomsday reports about the effects of the Xbox on kids, so we staunchly avoided any video games. We were so smug about our approach. Then we found out that our kids turned into drooling zombies who played video games the entire night when they’d go to sleepovers at the homes of their lucky friends whose parents did buy an Xbox.
So we caved and have since owned a Game Cube, a Wii and an Xbox.
Now that my oldest boys will (hopefully) head to college in four short years, I’m rethinking my toy policies.
Last summer we finally bought the Deadliest Toy on Earth, a trampoline. It was officially the best thing ever for about a week. Now, just like every other trampoline in the neighborhood, it sits in our yard, “safety net” drooping, waiting for a day when the boys have friends over so they will play on it.
Still, I’m glad we got it. Life is short, right?
I’m pretty sure Owen knows he won’t get a police car he can drive this Christmas. I mean, he’s over the age limit and I know he’s over the height limit. But I admire his optimism.
I like the fact that he quietly went over my head and circled the car anyway, hoping Santa at least might bring it down the chimney.
If he does, I know two 14-year-olds who would drive that thing all around the yard whether they fit in it or not.
But I’m still not getting them TVs for their rooms.
No comments:
Post a Comment