Anonymous
01/14/2012 18:06
Subject: Re:please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A lot of the wooden toys are more expensive because a real person actually made them by hand. Some people value that and are willing to pay for it. Is there something wrong with that?
Of course not. it doesn't however make one a more thoughtful or better parent.
Agreed, but how many posts have there been where anyone said they thought they were better than anyone else (not counting the recent PP who said "better choices")? Did you just infer this from their posts that because they felt a certain way about toys?
I was referring to some of the earlier posts like the one about making healthier choice and the one from the old soul. I do think the last PP admitting to the freudian slip was instructive, because I think that one can infer that many think they are making better more thoughtful choices through the purchase of wooden and battery-free toys.
Really, it's no skin off my nose, though. I, too, think I make good and thoughtful choices while maintaining a house full of flashing plastic.
Anonymous
01/14/2012 18:02
Subject: please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought
Well, I'm not necessarily planning to keep toys for my grandchildren, but I do like to pass them along to friends, siblings, cousins, and neighbors. I feel better about doing so with wooden toys, mostly because I have found they wear better. Most of these types of toys I buy second-hand or accept second-hand from friends. So, no, I don't think that's materialistic by my definition.
Anonymous
01/14/2012 17:46
Subject: Re:please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A lot of the wooden toys are more expensive because a real person actually made them by hand. Some people value that and are willing to pay for it. Is there something wrong with that?
Of course not. it doesn't however make one a more thoughtful or better parent.
Agreed, but how many posts have there been where anyone said they thought they were better than anyone else (not counting the recent PP who said "better choices")? Did you just infer this from their posts that because they felt a certain way about toys?
Anonymous
01/14/2012 17:40
Subject: Re:please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought
Anonymous wrote:A lot of the wooden toys are more expensive because a real person actually made them by hand. Some people value that and are willing to pay for it. Is there something wrong with that?
Of course not. it doesn't however make one a more thoughtful or better parent.
Anonymous
01/14/2012 17:39
Subject: please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought
Anonymous wrote:It's materialistic to buy toys, period. Price does not change that.
Don't pass on your toys, that's fine. But do e of us like the idea, so if I invest In Fewer toys, but more well made ones, how is that materialistic?
Is it materialistic to want to own a luxury car, many of which are much better made than cars at lower price points?
Anonymous
01/14/2012 17:17
Subject: please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought
Anonymous wrote:PP above. I am having trouble with posting -- I wanted to highlight your question: "]why is it that the plastic users are so vicious towards the others who make better choices?"
Of course you are judging, read your question.
LOL. I guess I meant to say "different choices" but it was a true freudian slip. Of COURSE I think my choices are better. At least, they're better for my family and better according to my values. But many people are just saying "hey, this is why plastic / batteries are not for me" and people are all over them for it, as if they're controlling nutballs, based solely on the desire to limit certain types of toys / tv / whatever. It's just a bit tiresome.
Anonymous
01/14/2012 17:13
Subject: Re:please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought
A lot of the wooden toys are more expensive because a real person actually made them by hand. Some people value that and are willing to pay for it. Is there something wrong with that?
Anonymous
01/14/2012 17:02
Subject: please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought
It's materialistic to buy toys, period. Price does not change that.
Don't pass on your toys, that's fine. But do e of us like the idea, so if I invest In Fewer toys, but more well made ones, how is that materialistic?
Don't pass on your toys, that's fine. But do e of us like the idea, so if I invest In Fewer toys, but more well made ones, how is that materialistic?
Anonymous
01/14/2012 16:55
Subject: please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought
I'm pretty proplastic and probattery here. I appreciate the comments from those explained the concept of open-ended play. If that is your experience, I can certainly see why you would tend that way. That, however, has not been my experience at all. My kids don't play "as directed," I guess. A toy like the ball popper lasted far longer than stacking cups, and they found many uses for it. We are on year 3 for the ball popper, and the cups lasted a few days.
I don't understand a few of the other comments, though. In response to those who have comments that they buy fewer well made toys: why do I want more toys just because they are plastic and likely less expensive? Then again, I am the poster who asked for clarification on the toy inventory.
I have no intention of passing toys on. If I am chosing a shape sorter, I will buy the plastic one before I buy the wooden one. It strikes me as a terrible waste of money to spend more for a toy that maybe my grandchildren (assuming there any) will play with.
I'm interested to see the intersection between DCUM posters who say they do not value money and things and who want to pass on toys or will buy more expensive toys. It strikes me as incredibly materialistic.
I don't understand a few of the other comments, though. In response to those who have comments that they buy fewer well made toys: why do I want more toys just because they are plastic and likely less expensive? Then again, I am the poster who asked for clarification on the toy inventory.
I have no intention of passing toys on. If I am chosing a shape sorter, I will buy the plastic one before I buy the wooden one. It strikes me as a terrible waste of money to spend more for a toy that maybe my grandchildren (assuming there any) will play with.
I'm interested to see the intersection between DCUM posters who say they do not value money and things and who want to pass on toys or will buy more expensive toys. It strikes me as incredibly materialistic.
Anonymous
01/14/2012 16:39
Subject: please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought
PP above. I am having trouble with posting -- I wanted to highlight your question: "]why is it that the plastic users are so vicious towards the others who make better choices?"
Of course you are judging, read your question.
Of course you are judging, read your question.
Anonymous
01/14/2012 16:37
Subject: Re:please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought
Anonymous wrote:I've only gotten to page 4 of these replies and wonder what it is that makes the parents so caustic about other parent's choices? I get that some people just don't think about the plastic / non plastic / battery operated stuff, but some parents are just saying why they (I'm one of them) prefer non plastic / non battery operated stuff. They're laying out their reasons that don't sound paranoid at all. They're distracting toys that play with themselves and are fairly narrow in the way they're played with.
I have both types of toys in our home. We have lots of wood stuff and lots of plastic stuff. We always limited the battery operated stuff because I personally felt it was distracting to the kids. I didn't like how, when the kid walks away from it, the toy is like "oh, keep playing with me!" They all do it. It's bizarre. And I don't like the fact that the battery toys play with themselves. However, we have lots of grandparents on both sides that buy those toys, and we didn't make a federal case of it (though I respect folks who do have rules about gifts, we just didn't want to go there). That said, we've definitely stowed, donated, and even pitched some of the more obnoxious toys. Hey, we are the parents here, so what is parenting if not trying to pass on your own values to the kids
The people who are equating a parent taking an interest in what types of toys their young child plays with to a controlling or paranoid parent is just silly. Would you say the same thing about a parent of a teen who did not want her child to see a movie with graphic violence or sex scenes? Sure, some people may say they're going to see it eventually anyway, and yes, eventually all children will grow up and slowly, become older children and then adults capable of making more and more and then all of their own decisions, but that's not we're talking about. We're talking about childhood, and a parent's role in helping to shape the environment their kiddo grows up in.
We didn't do TV, (still don't do much of it, in the elementary school ages) we preferred wooden and well-made plastic toys, and we actively screened out some of the more obnoxious plasticky / loud stuff. (VTech is not favored in our home). Yes, there are some people who go overboard with their choices in either direction. But most of us are just doing what we feel is right. It's funny, like the BF / FF threads, [/b]why is it that the plastic users are so vicious towards the others who make better choices?[b] Is it because you think if I eschew plasticky battery toys, that I'm judging you because you don't? is that why you feel the need to mock me, or say my kid is going to say "fuck you" and type on his iPad? Really, you're out of line and mean. Which is, of course, much worse than allowing plastic toys or preferring wooden toys. But you know that, right?
Please re-read your question (assuming you are being sincere). Just like you do not like the suggestion that you are paranoid, purchasers of plastic do not like the suggestion that they are less thoughtful parents and that their choices are not better.
Anonymous
01/14/2012 13:14
Subject: please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought
We have some battery operated toys, but frankly, after an initial period of playing with them, DS loses interest in them fairly quickly. So I don't want to clutter up the house with them. Since he is only 2 1/2, he prefers things we can play together (like blocks or plastic animals - I have nothing against plastic, other than that it is bad for the environment). I don't really know how we could play with a battery operated toy together.
Anonymous
01/14/2012 09:39
Subject: Re:please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought
I've only gotten to page 4 of these replies and wonder what it is that makes the parents so caustic about other parent's choices? I get that some people just don't think about the plastic / non plastic / battery operated stuff, but some parents are just saying why they (I'm one of them) prefer non plastic / non battery operated stuff. They're laying out their reasons that don't sound paranoid at all. They're distracting toys that play with themselves and are fairly narrow in the way they're played with.
I have both types of toys in our home. We have lots of wood stuff and lots of plastic stuff. We always limited the battery operated stuff because I personally felt it was distracting to the kids. I didn't like how, when the kid walks away from it, the toy is like "oh, keep playing with me!" They all do it. It's bizarre. And I don't like the fact that the battery toys play with themselves. However, we have lots of grandparents on both sides that buy those toys, and we didn't make a federal case of it (though I respect folks who do have rules about gifts, we just didn't want to go there). That said, we've definitely stowed, donated, and even pitched some of the more obnoxious toys. Hey, we are the parents here, so what is parenting if not trying to pass on your own values to the kids?
The people who are equating a parent taking an interest in what types of toys their young child plays with to a controlling or paranoid parent is just silly. Would you say the same thing about a parent of a teen who did not want her child to see a movie with graphic violence or sex scenes? Sure, some people may say they're going to see it eventually anyway, and yes, eventually all children will grow up and slowly, become older children and then adults capable of making more and more and then all of their own decisions, but that's not we're talking about. We're talking about childhood, and a parent's role in helping to shape the environment their kiddo grows up in.
We didn't do TV, (still don't do much of it, in the elementary school ages) we preferred wooden and well-made plastic toys, and we actively screened out some of the more obnoxious plasticky / loud stuff. (VTech is not favored in our home). Yes, there are some people who go overboard with their choices in either direction. But most of us are just doing what we feel is right. It's funny, like the BF / FF threads, why is it that the plastic users are so vicious towards the others who make better choices? Is it because you think if I eschew plasticky battery toys, that I'm judging you because you don't? is that why you feel the need to mock me, or say my kid is going to say "fuck you" and type on his iPad? Really, you're out of line and mean. Which is, of course, much worse than allowing plastic toys or preferring wooden toys. But you know that, right?
I have both types of toys in our home. We have lots of wood stuff and lots of plastic stuff. We always limited the battery operated stuff because I personally felt it was distracting to the kids. I didn't like how, when the kid walks away from it, the toy is like "oh, keep playing with me!" They all do it. It's bizarre. And I don't like the fact that the battery toys play with themselves. However, we have lots of grandparents on both sides that buy those toys, and we didn't make a federal case of it (though I respect folks who do have rules about gifts, we just didn't want to go there). That said, we've definitely stowed, donated, and even pitched some of the more obnoxious toys. Hey, we are the parents here, so what is parenting if not trying to pass on your own values to the kids?
The people who are equating a parent taking an interest in what types of toys their young child plays with to a controlling or paranoid parent is just silly. Would you say the same thing about a parent of a teen who did not want her child to see a movie with graphic violence or sex scenes? Sure, some people may say they're going to see it eventually anyway, and yes, eventually all children will grow up and slowly, become older children and then adults capable of making more and more and then all of their own decisions, but that's not we're talking about. We're talking about childhood, and a parent's role in helping to shape the environment their kiddo grows up in.
We didn't do TV, (still don't do much of it, in the elementary school ages) we preferred wooden and well-made plastic toys, and we actively screened out some of the more obnoxious plasticky / loud stuff. (VTech is not favored in our home). Yes, there are some people who go overboard with their choices in either direction. But most of us are just doing what we feel is right. It's funny, like the BF / FF threads, why is it that the plastic users are so vicious towards the others who make better choices? Is it because you think if I eschew plasticky battery toys, that I'm judging you because you don't? is that why you feel the need to mock me, or say my kid is going to say "fuck you" and type on his iPad? Really, you're out of line and mean. Which is, of course, much worse than allowing plastic toys or preferring wooden toys. But you know that, right?
Anonymous
01/14/2012 09:08
Subject: please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought
Pass. Not ass. Sigh.
Anonymous
01/14/2012 09:07
Subject: please explain the "no plastic toys/no batteries" school of thought
And for what it's worth, my son currently has in his room toys not only from my childhood, but from his grandmother's. We didn't
Ass on the toys to have bagging rights. We passed them on to know that many generations of our family have played with the same toys, that there is a tangible connection there.
It's a nice feeling to feel/ see that connection.
Ass on the toys to have bagging rights. We passed them on to know that many generations of our family have played with the same toys, that there is a tangible connection there.
It's a nice feeling to feel/ see that connection.