I have to give the good news equal coverage to the bad stuff. It has been officially one week since "Operation No Toys" went into effect and I have to say that the mission has been successful so far. Emma has been as close to perfect as I could ask for. The child knows how to act and use her manners, etc., but I guess like every other child she has to push the boundaries. Anyway, as I said before, I took every toy out of her closet and locked them up in our extra bedroom. Everyday as a reward for good behavior she gets to go into the "treasure room" as she calls it. It is so funny how she carefully deliberates over each toy so she can pick just the right one. Right now, the only toys that she has are two stuffed cats, a little mermaid barbie, and a cd player. Funny, I have not seen her play with any of these. She just likes to rescue them. Anyway, what this tells me (which I secretly already knew) is that kids do not need a room full of toys. One or two things will do but as parents we want our kids to have this stuff. The excessiveness is our fault, I admit it. This fact was also re-emphasized when, last night, our son spent a good 30-45 minutes playing with a case of small water bottles. He carefully took them out of the cardboard, lined them up on the floor, gently shook them and then put them back. Santa, are you hearing this? I think this Christmas we need to go back to the simple toys that don't sing, vibrate, jump, or act alive (Elmo Live, anyone?) and actually require the kids to use their imagination. These are the kinds of toys that I had when I was a kid and I think I turned out ok. I say this today but I will probably end up giving in and rushing to Wal-mart to throw elbows to get the new Elmo Live but as of right now, I am going to try to stay strong.
5 comments:
I love the picture!
I totally agree with everything you say, but I am the line leader when it comes to excessiveness. Remember the "12 Dancing Princess" debacle?
Ha, that's a hilarious picture of Matt!
It's good to see that there are some parents not buying into the excessiveness that is so common with children today. I completely agree with your choice to not buy the must have toy of the year...good job.
Seriously, I agree with the last person who posted a comment. Kids today are inundated with toys, TV shows, movies, food, whatever...according to a recent article in Parents magazine, this kind of overstimulation contributes to instances of ADHD and excessive frustration observed in young children. Good for you for not giving in to Elmo Live!!
A little bird told me that those last two comments were made by Katie and Ben. Busted!
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