Annoying Toys: The Gift of Giving Parents ... a Headache

Yes, sometimes we do make mistakes with the gifts we choose! In our family we tend to spend a lot more time on our family traditions rather than focusing on all the commercial stuff. We do the whole gift thing, but our memories of the holidays are more about our family celebration traditions.. a fun open house, great Holiday themed games like Holiday Hold'em and wonderful Christmas eve entertainment. You can see many of these ideas at
Celebration Ideas Online :(www.celebrationideasonline.com) Happy Holidays to everyone!

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Good to know Parentdish doesn't support fun and creativity in children. If you don't want the noise, don't have kids.

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Stupid, Stupid, Stupid....I cannot believe that one would think that giving a toy whistle, kazoo, or other musical instrument is a poor gift choice for a small child. Whatever happened to creativity???? Has anyone out there read the studies comparing academic success to musical achievement? SAT scores, drop-out rates, self-esteem, etc. etc. are ALL postively affected by participation in music and the arts. The brain is designed for music and it positively affects ALL the regions of the brain...math, vocabulary, etc. No...you can't start a 3 year-old on a trumpet...but you can on a kazoo, whistle, or keyboard etc. and build a love of music that will reach every facet of their being and eventually will transfer to other instruments and opportunities. Do the research... If you are the kind of parent who enjoys putting on a video just to take your afternoon nap or getting them on the computer, then quit reading now. But if you are a parent who wants your child to be in line for major college and university scholarships....buy that keyboard, kazoo, toy trumpet, or whistle NOW. Sit back, enjoy and reap the rewards that your "horrible" gift will reap...if you can put off immediate gratification of that afternoon nap, and wait until your child is in line for the Morehead scholarship.

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How silly. Noise and mess come with parenthood. Except for the cheerleader Barbie, which is for an older girl anyway, I didn't see a bad gift on the list. Original Bop-it was stupid, but if your kid is going to enjoy it, what the heck?
P.S. Kids don't like educational toys unless they are extremely well crafted. I hated them.

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What makes me angry is not any of these toys, but that the author considers any pet "except a goldfish" a big responsibility. Dogs and cats may be expensive, but MOST people understand thier needs because they are mammals like us. Fish are cheap but that doesn't mean they don't deserve proper care. Things people do wrong:
- Too many fish in one tank. Goldfish bowls are actually too small for even one goldfish. 10 gallon is the minimum for healthy fish.
- Not treating the water. Most tap water has chemicals that make it safe for humans to drink but deady for a fish's gills. Treat your water.
- Not changing the water. Change a portion of the water each week. The ammonia that builds up from waste will kill fish. This is especially important when you first get the fish because bacteria that break down ammonia have not grown yet. Better yet, set up the tank on Thanksgiving, research how to get the good bacteria growing and go get fish right before Christmas.

Fish are living things too, please take proper care of them so that you can have a great pet for years to come!

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I think giving a child a musical instrument is a wonderful gift. It's awful someone would say that giving the gift of music to a child is wrong!

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I take offense to your comments about Tattoo Artists my daughter is one. She happens to have graduated from Syracuse University. You should never make such comments about any group of people. Hope these aren't the prejudices you are passing along to your children. I think I would definitely spend time with her and her co- workers who are all wonderful and educated people than someone who is so narrow minded and judgemental

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Who in the hell would buy their kid a tattoo gun??!!! I hope the manufacturer goes belly up!

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I agree about the musical instruments. We bought our son a toy drum and xylophone when he was just turning one and he loved that.

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Someone has to graduate at the bottom of every class. If I was her mom I wouldn't get offended, I would wonder why all that money was wasted on college tuition. Not a smart move. It doesn't take brains to trash up someones' body - permanently.

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Can you get more ridiculous than saying "never buy your kid a musical instrument for Christmas?" Where do you think they get musicians, a cabbage patch? Kids start out playing badly...they get better with practice! It takes encouragement, a teacher, and leaving the room for your sanity once in a while. Get over it!
Pets...I wouldn't buy one for a friend unless they asked, but for my own children that's fine. Some shelters won't adopt right around Christmas. They had to do a moratorium on dalmations at ours the year 101 Dalmations came out, because people are impulse buyers when they see trained cute dogs in movies.. But generally, pets are great gifts!
I also loved our baby's corn popper toy...there's a reason they remain popular. The kids like them and the parents know where the child is :)
Sounds mostly like the author (more a blogger than a journalist) has problems with noise. To each his own.

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Did anyone actually read the article? These are gifts that a parent would rather others not get for their children. Musical instruments and especially live animals are something that will be heard or taken care of by the entire family so it is inappropriate for anyone but a parent to give these kinds of gifts. Or at least talk to the parent before you do it. And musicality is not a prerequisite for a good college. Some kids are just not into it, my sons play sports, they have been bought drums, keyboards and guitars, and they had no interest. They still are on the Honor Roll in high school. One is being offered academic and athletic scholarships and the other will be right behind him. As long as they have determination and work ethic, they will do well in college. There are several comments here that are very judgmental. Why do most of the people on these blogs believe that their opinion is superior to everyone else's to the point that they have to name call? Insecurity in one's own opinion finds the need to put others down.

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What do you expect when you ask the Grinch for advice! Hopefully she is not a parent, otherwise I pitty her kids! You've gotta have music! What about the Mozart effect! Thankfully many mothers-to- be listen to all kinds of music thus exposing their unborn child to rhythm and melody and learning. Everybody has to crawl before they can run, children have to sound loud and not so good before they become masters, and even if they don't all become accomplished musician, if they enjoy playing then that's a huge personal reward in itself for the child. Remember, YOU might find the music noisy and annoying because YOU cannot understand it. I am a language teacher, I always base my teaching on music and songs, from traditional to rock, and my students are quite successful because in part they are having fun, but also because music opens up the paths of learning. Music rocks at all ages!

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Noisy toys can become annoying, partly because of the volume. To reduce volume, put a piece of tape over the speaker holes, or partially over the speaker holes. This allows the kids to enjoy the toys and you to enjoy your sanity.

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I'm a musician, I cannot remember when I was not, so naturally I find the statement about "no musical instruments" as gifts for kids as just plain wrong on so many levels. But I do recognize that not all ears are as tolerant as mine regarding little folks in the initial stages of learning to play one. It can be nerve wracking, especially if the kid merely gets a kick out of using it as a audio-weapon of sorts. Were I to give one as a gift, I'd make sure it was acceptable to the parents. Books and art supplies are quieter and also foster creativity. I defer to the parents, as I am not a parent.
I do agree one should not ever give an animal as a surprise gift. Be very sure they want it! And at the very least give it outright to the person who will be in charge of its care. Not a small child. That'll be more work for the parental unit/s, and can foster fast resentment. As pointed out, even a goldfish deserves a roomy tank and attention to its particular needs.

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What a horribly negative article from Sandy Maple. Her negative tone and not-funny-at-all comments are way more annoying than the toys she describes. She obviously either doesn't have kids or is annoyed being a mother. Grow up sis, and try to be more positive. You are obviously angry at the world for something. You're headed down a very dark road. Take a pill, and chill.

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