I got a text message this week from my daughter's godmother asking if I could give her some ideas for Christmas presents for the kid. I gladly supplied the name of a much-asked for book and her favorite clothing store. If only more people were like her, I'd be more than happy to do the same. It would prevent what I know is to come after Christmas: the annual trashing of the gifts.
Not every gift, mind. I only trash the just plain awful stuff given to my kid by the clueless. Take the fake nails for the 7-year-old.
I'd ask who the heck thinks of giving a 7-year-old fake nails, but I think first we must ask: who MAKES fake nails for a 7-year-old? Because there are Angry Birds on these nails, I am thinking they really were designed for kids. But, hello, fake nails! She's SEVEN! It's gifts like these that make me feel like a Scrooge as I spirit them out from under the Christmas tree while she reads her new books and plays with her new toys.
Don't get me wrong: I love that other people love my kid enough to buy her something. But that doesn't mean I have to let her keep them. The fake nails have already been taken away (actually, she handed them over, knowing they were inappropriate), along with some shower gel chock full of ingredients that give me the heebie jeebies.
Go ahead and call me a Grinch, but let's be realistic here. Have you kept every gift you've ever gotten? The concept of re-gifting was born precisely because this problem exists ... and not just in gifting to kids.
Sometimes presents suck. Maybe it's because the gift giver meant well but simply didn't know much about the recipient. Maybe it's because the gift giver is a loon. Maybe it's just because you are realllllllllly picky.
Point is: we can be gracious about gifts given to our kids. And then we, the parents, have the power to do with them what we want. We can let the kids keep them, or we can make a trash pile and a donate pile, and get them out of the house.
I'm not ashamed to admit I do it. So, who's with me?
Do you let your kids keep all of the Christmas presents or do you take some of them away?
Image by Jeanne Sager
Ashley Is a Widow Who Stays Strong...
This Hot Dad Wants to Vacuum Your Rug
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
KStew Refuses to Shower
Comments 83
I am a mom-to-be, and I can totally see myself doing this. It's already started with the returning of the baby shower gifts that I don't find useful or appropriate. I've moved several times in the past few years and found that extra "stuff" in my house only adds to stress, or it ends up in a box in the basement, so if I don't find a gift for my child appropriate, it is going to Goodwill or being returned.
Nothing to do with the post, per se, but the verb "to spirit" is so underused. I, too, would spirit away heinous stick on nails. There must be a clause somewhere in the parent handbook that encourages enthusiastic interventions for potential bad-habits.
We live in an 800 sq ft condo in an urban center.. my bil called up last Christmas asking us to measure an area in our living room - it turned out he was planning on buying our then 2 yr old a play castle. You know the kind that people with big backyards buy so their kids can play outside!!!! Luckily we were able to convince him not too, but he was quite affronted at first that we didn't think it was a good idea.