Children are given a lot of gifts nowadays

I rarely by my son anything except for the essentials, like new clothes when he has a growth spurt. It's the grandmothers that buy him lots of things. I seriously have told them to stop! Then for Christmas, I went with my mother in law when she went shopping for my son. Everytime she held up some electronic noisemaker, I shook my head no. I think all of us parents can relate to how annoying those are. We went to an educational store and she bought him tons of wooden toys, my son loves them! He has to be more imaginative with them, and that's great for building strong minds. I didn't get much growing up and neither did my husband, so I think the grandparents feel guilty about that and try to spoil him. My husband and I know that you can have fun with a cardboard box and a spoon (my sons favorite toys lately), so we don't feel like we need to buy him the latest toys.

I think kids today have far to many things. i heard on a TV show the other day that western children at 5 have about 600 toys on average. I think it's not only spoiling them and making them too materialistic, i also think they get overwhelmed. they are not able to stay with one thing for any length of time. They flutter from one thing to the next. I think any kid would prefere a little more time with us to more stuff. A few toys and some good books goes a long way

i love this topic.. well, i am not yet a mom, but i am like one, because i took the responsibility as my sister works abroad for years.. i can say yes, you are true, compared to our past generation, we cant even choose the toys and the brands and the design we want, if we are given a gift we are happy and we will have that thing, that toy for years to keep until we have the loosing of interest to play so.. but kids now i say, my nephew is like worst... no matter how tough the toy we purchase he will always find a way to destroy or damage it.. i remember he said he like some army set so i bought one with little people in army uniforms, so hard like a steal but as i just went back to my cooking few minutes he returned and showed me the arms are cut off.. i was shock how come no matter how much we my brother and other sisters manage to discipline them, they always have no values for a material, they just want to play and throw it away.. the materialistic thinking is developing for most children today, when their toys are not bought they have tantrums or are not greatful for the other gift because they wanted another version which is out of stock... well, the more we love them, the more we care and show them how much we do... they tend not to understand the worth of all our efforts.. most kids today have that adaptation of materialistic demands and the ways of worthless values when it comes to money, since our ways change of not having the hand risen and of insults and verbal abuse, we are now kinder and very direct of talking and making them understand, but i doubt how much they will be developing such deficiencies... i hope the next generations will not be.. and i will try my best and make a promise to love my child without letting him/her be overwhelmed by this material world.. take care...^_^

yes i notice it too. not only children nowadays gets a lot of gifts, they are expensive too. i don't get it...i don't agree with it. my sis inlaw once purchased a really expesive doll for her daughter, about $30 worth and 2 weeks later it was all messed up, lying on the floor ready to be thrown anytime. when i was young i don't receive a lot of gifts. if i wamted something i'd have to earn it. and when i do receive gifts, i take care of it, infact i still have my toys(they are not a lot) all in good shape kept in a box. but it wasnt like i just stared at them when i was little, i played with it but like i said i took care of it. i've learned to value what's given to me. i have a baby now and when she grows up i'm not goin to spoil her. i want her to learn that she has to work for something she wants, so she values what's given to her.

I think that many kids are spoiled nowdays. Last Christmas was my daughters first one. She was only 2 months old and everyone asked us what we were going to get her. We said nothing she is to little and they said oh you have to get her stuff. We would like to teach her that you don't need alot of toys to be happy.