Christmas is coming, just around the corner. That means that it is time to begin the age-old tradition of begging for every toy shown on every commercial. Just when my older son finally has grown out of it, my younger son has taken up the mantel and asks for everything.
The new twist that the little one has added is to occasionally say “I don’t want that” when a Barbie or My Pretty Pony or something such shows up on the screen. But for the most part, it’s “I want that on my Christmas list” all day, every day. If the whole ‘rotting your brain’ and ‘kids don’t get enough exercise’ arguments aren’t enough to get a parent to cut off the TV privileges, the annual yuletide begging binge should be enough to push one over the edge.
Fortunately, at three years old, his tastes are still relatively cheap, and he’ll forget most of what he asked for long before we’ve finished our late night gift wrapping on December 24th. I know that he’ll still be appreciative of whatever we get him (as long as it isn’t clothes, of course). But these toymakers need to give us a break and cut down on the toy commercials at this time of year. Maybe next year I’ll DVR a bunch of shows in June and replay them for the boy in December. Nah, by 4 he’ll be too tech saavy for such a pedestrian ploy.
Not that it is so great when they grow out of asking for every toy on every commercial. They just narrow their field down to the far pricier toys. My eight year old desperately wants a cell phone, even though he’s never ever anywhere without a properly equipped adult. And he isn’t too interested in the cheap Firefly phone that only calls home, either. He wants an array of telecommunications equipment that could manage a small call center.
So, hang the tinsel, trim the tree, and repeat after me: “Maybe, we’ll see what Santa brings… Maybe, we’ll see what Santa brings…”