Do Your Children's Christmas Toys Need More Than Batteries?
With the holiday season in full swing and parents making choices
for what to buy their children, it is time to stop and think
about what you are buying. As a parent it is frustrating enough
walking in to any store and finding all the "must have" toys are
either $49.99 or $99.99. First what kind of message are we
sending when we buy toys that cost that much? Why must we
stretch ourselves to the limit to satisfy our child's wishes.
Will we really be a bad parent if we don't give in and chase all
over town for the hot new toy?
The price of toys has just gotten out of hand. But it goes
beyond that. Toys plus accessories. It is bad enough paying
$49.99 for something but then to have to buy another $100 worth
of accessories to go with it. Isn't it exciting that all these
items can be expanded with "addons". The list goes on and
on--video game players need games, dolls need accessories,
"collect the whole set!" Lego sets for $100, dvd collections,
ipods need itunes downloads.
First case in point, the new Flypen. It is a computer pen that
retails for $69.00. I guess it can do all sorts of things as
long as you have the "flypaper" "flygames" and all the other
"fly" stuff. Is a gadget worth it if you have to buy special
paper? Second case in point. As I was walking through the toy
isle at Target, I saw a Easy Bake Oven on sale. Since I have a
boy, not something I normally look at. But what really blew me
away is all the food mixes you can buy for it. Mac and cheese
for $4.95! Please! Teach your child a real lesson, take them to
the grocery store and show them how many boxes of mac and cheese
you can buy for $4.95. And then buy them and donate them to a
local food shelf.
They will always get us coming back for more. This is not
something new, it has been going on for a long time and not just
in toys. This is why you can buy a $100 printer for your
computer and the replacement ink is $79.00. You go to buy a new
car and the extras drive up the price a few more thousand.
Upgrade, addons and extras are draining our pocketbooks. What a
wonderful life lesson you can teach your child to explain if
they buy that item, all the extra things they will need to buy
to go with it. Teach them that they will probably get bored with
that $100 toy after a short time.
The best gift you could give your child this holiday season is
the gift of time. Buy something you and your child can do
together. Buy a $100 worth of art or craft materials for
projects you can work on together. Take your child to the store
and have them pick out toys for children who don't have any and
then drop them off at Toys for Tots. Buy a family season pass to
your local zoo or museum. Save money for a family vacation or
even a weekend in a hotel with a pool. As parents we don't need
to fall for the must have, hot, way overpriced toys. We can say
no. Teach them now so someday they will know how to say no to
what will probably be the $500 toys for their children.
One more thing--batteries not included.