If anyone gives my kids toys for Christmas, I might scream.
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Anonymous
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My oldest is 7.5 and for 7.5 years, we have asked for no toys for Christmas. Experiences, large items (basketball hoop), etc. Nope. Grandparents insist on toys…a LOT of them, because it’s “fun”.
We can’t return them once they’re open…I considered that. We get rid of stuff, but it is quality toys: nano bots, legos, coding critters…and my kids play with the items occasionally. But we are drowning in toys. I have three boys now and we don’t need anything else. The 7.5 is close to aging out of “toys” and he already has legos galore, plus snap circuits etc. I went a climbing dome, soccer goals, balls… Has anyone managed to “break” grandparents of this toy obsession?!? |
Anonymous
| Its because you can have a pile of presents for not much money. Toys are cheap. |
Anonymous
| I totally get it, OP. I get so overwhelmed with the piles of....junky landfill after holidays. I've begged for experience gifts with some success, like a zoo membership or a fun outing to get ice cream. |
Anonymous
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It's sad that you don't want things that develop your kids cognitively. The fact that your kid at 7.5 has run out of imagination and is outgrowing "toys" is a sign that something is wrong. I can see why the grandparents are overcompensating.
Why can't the soccer goals etc . . be gifts from you? |
Anonymous
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Your 7.5 yr old is nowhere near aging out of toys, unless you either rush or shame him into it. My boys didn't fully stop playing with toys until they were teens.
That said, I understand that you don't want more. Don't buy anything. Make birthday parties "no gifts". Clean out what you have, make sure everything is age appropriate. That's about all you can do though. |
Anonymous
| Yes, I remember as a kid being over the top excited with the ZOO MEMBERSHIP. Fortunately my kid loved building those expensive lego kits (e.g., Harry Potter ones running $75 and up so nice to get as a gift). Good luck OP, some habits are hard to break. Maybe your 3 sons can talk up the soccer goal and balls and how excited they would be to receive those.... |
Anonymous
| Your poor kid. |
Anonymous
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You've got to let this go. YOU should buy the big stuff you want for your kids. Just donate the toys. Even after it's opened. It's ok.
I get rid of stuff all the time and it helps stress levels SO much. We all don't need better toy organization, we all need to get rid of toys! |
Anonymous
Yup. This is why my parents and ILs do it. They also like the instant gratification of giving grandkids something likely to elicit an excited response immediately, whereas gifting an experience or sporting equipment will have a more delayed gratification (though often be much more meaningful and memorable than whatever hot "toy of the moment" they give). I've just accepted that the grandparents are generally giving gifts to satisfy their own needs. They don't really care that much about getting things that are age appropriate, appeal to specific interests, or will offer real satisfaction. They just want to do stuff like give a fancy tea set because that's what they think a generic 5 year old girl will like most. I've just given up and my only request is that they don't give more than 3 gifts and that anything that takes up too much space will be given away because we are out of space. |
Anonymous
| I have an 8.5 year old who in some ways is just hitting her stride with many toys. She is able to play more deeply and on her own way better now than she did even just a year or so ago. |
Anonymous
| Maybe you could ask for a balance with books |
Anonymous
I suspect that when a parent specifies NO TOYS for Christmas for 3 young children, that the recipients of that message assume that the children are being neglected and denied a happy childhood and happy childhood memories. |
Anonymous
| I'd just start getting rid of stuff now. I've already starting going through the house to remove old toys that aren't being shown love. The bonus is that plenty of people are looking for cheap gently used toys to give their own children! I love having a few Buy Nothing toys to beef up Christmas at no expense to me. Then if they don't play with it, I pass it along with the no guilt that I spent money on it. |
Anonymous
| Imagine complaining about your children receiving gifts for Christmas from grandparents who love them. Imagine thinking a seven year old is “too old for toys”. I’m sad for those boys. 😞 |
Anonymous
Grandparents have the right to gift whatever they want. I understand that you don't want to be drowning in toys, and there's no need to be! There are *so many* people who would appreciate donations of toys. Our school does a yard sale as a fundraiser and I've given away all our toys there, and it's great. Buy Nothing is another way to give away toys. I live in the city, and people put toys out on the curb and they're usually gone by the end of the day. This isn't hard, OP. |