« Toys, at rest | Main | I love the Fisher-Price Aquarium »
January 1, 2006
It says so right on the box
Why do family members insist on giving my kid age-inappropriate toys?
I understand that they think she's smart. I'll agree that she's probably above average intelligence (what parent doesn't think that?), but I hardly think she's the genius they make her out to be. That's still no reason to be buying toys that are designed for kids over a year ahead of her.
I know that one of the reasons the age ranges are stated on the product is due to safety concerns, and you have to take those with a grain of salt. Small parts are much more of a concern with very oral kids, and Jamie was never oral, so I don't worry too much about those. Of course, there are also electrical safety concerns, and then there's just plain skills. When you buy my not-yet-3 year old a toy for kids 4-10, you're setting her up for failure. Maybe she's a video game savant, or maybe she's just going to get really frustrated because she doesn't have the hand-eye coordination to play the games yet, not to mention the number/letter recognition.
Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I want her playing video games at this age anyway. Don't get me wrong, we had an Atari when we were kids. But not a handheld game that we took with us everywhere, to the point where we ignored the world around us. I see way too many kids who are paying video games in restaurants, instead of participating in family conversation. Or playing games every time they get in the car, even for short trips. And I'll admit that we have a DVD player for in the car, but we never turn it on unless we're going to be in the car a long time, and even then, usually only one way on a 3-hour-each-way trip, and only for an episode or two of Blue, not the whole trip. The rest of the time is spent singing, using her imagination with a few toys, talking to us, napping or looking out the window.
Hmm. This rant has changed direction. Back on track. She was also given a puzzle that's way above her comprehension. I have no problems with the puzzle, except for the fact that it's way too advanced, and it just frustrates her. In fact, I wanted her to get some puzzles, but maybe ones with fewer pieces. One that didn't take my husband and father a decent amount of time to do.
In any case, now I have to write a thank you note for a really nice toy that neither Jamie or I are ready for her to have. A toy that, with it's accessories, probably cost more that all the things we got for Jamie this year. (By choice, not due to lack of funds. She's not even 3, she doesn't need hundreds of dollars worth of toys.)
It's so much harder to sound appreciative when I'm up here on my high horse.
Posted by me at January 1, 2006 9:50 PM