with the unsuitable gift?
Come on, guys, help me out.
What do you do when your child receives a gift you'd rather not have in the home? There must be somebody out there who has dealt with this before.
What do you do? Do you bother having the discussion with the giver? Do you just hide it from the child? Do you take it to a toy shop - because most stores will let you exchange it for something, even without a receipt?
What do you do?
I know what to do when I get something I don't like. But it's tougher when it's the child. Especially if say, just for instance, the child thinks they might like the object.
Just asking.
3 comments:
I don't know if you're a member of WTMS, hornblower, but this has been an ongoing conversation since before the holidays; the thread is called "inappropriate gifts" (which since yesterday has become "The Ultimate in..."). You might get some ideas there.
When the kids were little, these things would tend to disappear. Now that they're older, they have better memories but also a better idea of what we consider suitable and appropriate.
Any specifics you want to share? If you can exchange it, I'd do that. But we try to concentrate on the idea that it's the thought that counts, and coming out of the ordeal with a useable present is at the bottom of the list. And talking to the giver really depends on who it is and what s/he did...
thanks Becky - I'll check that thread out. I'm still a member but only pop in to read once in a while online. I'm going there now. ttfn :-)
I guess it depends on the *why* and the level of inappropriate. If it is just a "ya know, I don't really like this kind of game, but it's not going to corrupt them forever" I would probably keep it for awhile, let them test it out, and then if they still like it, put it up as a "sometimes" toy...which means you dole it out less and less frequently until they forget about it. Then you throw it away. Or you could just swap it out, but letting them try things does build those decision making skills and also allows them to discern for themselves what they like and why. Most toys have a short attention span life anyway.
Best of luck no matter what you decide!
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