As the father of four preteen boys, I experienced a variety of reactions–all unpleasant–to the article on toy registries (“Toying with kids’ values,” Metro Chicago, Dec. 1).
What kind of parental values justify a child going through a Toys “R” Us, aisle-by-aisle, scanning every toy that catches his/her momentary fancy into a computerized gift list that can “minutes later, be beamed nationwide”? And since when has holiday gift-giving become an exercise in mistake avoidance, where the giver needs on-line validation that the gift will not be returned?
The inmates obviously have taken over the asylum when parents accept a value system for their children that is dictated by commercials for Teletubbies and Furbies. Even sadder is the image of survivors of the Great Depression–who should, and generally do, know better–being cowed into pandering to admittedly spoiled brats that are unhappy receiving the toy they wanted because it’s the wrong color.
One way to deal with the gimme-itis of value-challenged children is to replace the demanded blue Teletubbie or pink Furby with that traditional holiday gift, the classic lump of coal, in basic black only.
It would go a long way toward ensuring that, come next Christmas or Hanukkah, even that pair of fuzzy reindeer slippers from Aunt Betty will be viewed more appreciatively.
