Toy Story
Child's Play x2 | July 20Before I had children and I would ponder what being a parent would be like, I pictured games of catch, helping with homework and dosing out some much-deserved punishments from time to time.
Not once did I ever imagine standing in the toy aisle at the local Wal-Mart two hours before a birthday party that my kids will be attending, looking for “the perfect gift.”
And yet, today, there I was.
I arrived at Wal-Mart with high hopes. The girl I was buying for is three years old and, I was told, loves Little People and cars. I figured I’d breeze in, find a couple of cool toys and be on my way. I figured wrong
As I wandered the aisles full of colorful plastic and die cast metal I began to realize there were things I hadn’t considered when purchasing a gift. First, how much do I spend? You don’t want to appear cheap but then again, you don’t want to get too extravagant either (not to mention that I had to buy two gifts - one from my daughter and the other from my son - one of the downsides of having twins).
Further complicating the matter is that in this melting pot of a world there are still very few toys that celebrate diversity and I was having a hard time choosing something that didn’t represent the background of the girl I was buying for. That, and I couldn’t find a car with feminine lines that I liked.
So, I wandered the aisles of Wal-Mart, empty cart in hand, social calculator in my head (price x quality of gift = success) trying to find that perfect gift.
Finally, after roaming the toy section for over 25 minutes, I settle on a Little People Airplane set and a six mini-cars from the Disney movie Cars (of which I’ll remove the “Value Pack” sticker on it before bringing it to the party), I feel good about my decision and I am confident that my choices will not ostracize my children in the toddler birthday circuit. I am ready to head on back to the house and take my kids to the party.
That is, until I realize my choices haven’t ended just yet.
Gift bag or wrapping paper?
*sigh*
This might take a while.
Don’t forget the card. :)
We had this experience a little while ago, for a two year old’s bday. But our son wasn’t even 1 yet.
…and then there’s the whole, “Well, what if everyone else gets her “Little People” crap and she ends up with 2 of everything? Should I maybe get her something compelely androgynous, yet enjoyable by children everywhere? Like, Play-Doh?”
I let CareerMom do all that birthday shopping. I’d just be a total loss–frozen by indecision.
I hate having to shop for other kids. I have failed at it a few times and now my wife does it without me so … I win. I go to at least 3 parties a month. Gifts $20(per party) x 3(per month) = $60 (almost as much a Dish Network, which I would gladly watch instead of going).
But at least you get a free lunch and the kids are dead tired when you get home. By the way … always by those 99 cent cards in bulk so you don’t have to run to the store.
Why buy plastic cross-branded crap at WalMart? Why not buy a unique toy with some quality and style in mind?