My kids came home from camp last week with Ziploc bags full of "Goo." That's right, the very camp that I have given up all summer luxuries in order to be able to send my kids to sent them home with a mysterious substance promising nothing but mess and headaches.
I mean, seriously, couldn't they keep that shit at camp where it belongs? It's the equivalent of giving a preschooler a drum-set as a birthday present. You just don't do it. Period. What else don't I want other people giving my children? Read on.
1. Play Doh. My kids love making spaghetti and snowmen and ice cream out of it. I don't so much share their enthusiasm as I scrub it out of carpets and seat cushions for weeks after.
2. Musical instruments. Unless it's a silent instrument, keep it at your own house, please.
3. Slime. A relative of goo, but even more messy. If that's possible.
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4. Legos. There is no pain like that of stepping down, full weight, on a Lego at 4 o'clock in the morning. It's enough for me to outlaw them entirely from the house.
5. Microphones. As if my kids aren't loud enough, without the aid of an instrument.
6. Anything that requires assembly. Unless, of course, you plan on doing the assembly.
7. Toy guns. I tried really hard for years to keep guns away from my boys until I caved with a water gun. Shortly after, a neighbor gave my son a gigantic Nerf gun and life was never the same. Do what you want in your own house, but keep guns away from my kids, thank you very much.
8. Anything involving food. Easy-Bake Ovens aren't that easy and always result in me having to make a real batch of brownies (that aren't baked by light bulb).
9. Puzzles with a million pieces. Because little puzzle pieces seem to mate with socks and disappear in record speed.
10. Anything you wouldn't want your own kid playing with. Of course.
Did I miss anything?
Image via Scary Mommy


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Comments 94
add.-hudda-1, house no. 81-a , near dr. shah
po.-cheeka-136034
distt.- kaithal
haryana india
For musical instruments, do you just mean toy musical instruments that play the same three or five songs over and over, at the push of a button, or real ones that take time and effort to learn to play properly, and produce beautiful music when that time and effort is invested? If it's the former that you disapprove of, I agree with you, but if it's the latter, then.....really? You'd deny a child the life-changing opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument, and develop creativity, confidence, self-discipline, and appreciation for beautiful things, just because the learning curve doesn't always sound pretty? I'm glad I didn't grow up in your house, because I love music--I'm a clarinetist, but I've also played the piano, guitar, bass clarinet, flute, and taken voice lessons and sung in choirs. Needless to say, I think music is a wonderful thing.
Oh, also missed that toy where you pull the string and it spins around and lands on an animal.......100 times you hear 'the cow goes mooooooo!' No wonder my mom made it 'accidentally' disappear!