We were watching a lot of kids TV while cooped up sick, and the flood of toy commercials for Christmas is ridiculous. I'm glad so far Eva hasn't started asking for any of it. Disney has a series of princess toys they're really pushing this year: a cash register, vanity, kitchen, throne, etc. They talk, play music, have blinking lights, a million small pieces you can lose, and a whole bunch of extras you have to buy to go with it. It seems nowadays that everything has so many bells and whistles, there's no room for kids' imaginations anymore. Give them a simple ball, a little red wagon or a set of building blocks, and they'd have just as much fun for 1/2 the price (and they'd last a lot longer, too)!
Call me old fashioned, but I love classic toys that require a little imagination and help them learn. At the community center they've got the plainest, ugliest play kitchen you've ever seen, and the kids love it! They turn the knobs, put toy food in the cabinets and pretend to cook and serve it. Eva loves to pretend she's washing her hands in the sink and drying them on the wall. I remember my brother and I having more fun building forts and dressing up with beach towels and clothespins than we ever did with the fancy toys the grandparents sent us. I want to give my girls toys that educate, not just entertain. I hope Eva and Amanda grow up learning how to use their imaginations, to come up with ways to occupy themselves when they're bored, and have attention spans longer than 10 seconds. It's a tall order in today's instant, electronic, entertainment obsessed world, but we'll do our best.
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