Birthday Gifts for Kids
February 1, 2007 by Kerri Aldrich
Filed under Arts and Crafts, Children's Books, Children's Toys
My oldest turns six this week and we’ll be celebrating this weekend with an arts and crafts party here at the house. I’ll share more info on the party and the crafts when I have photos to go with (don’t worry parents who might be reading this, no photos of your kids will appear here!).
The odd thing I think, though, is how many parents have asked what my daughter wants for her birthday. I really don’t remember buying gifts specific to kids when I was little, and asked my mom tonight if she ever called the kids’ parents when I was young to see what gifts they wanted. She said no.
So, what do I tell the parents when they ask? Well, the first response that pops in my head is, “Whatever’s on sale.” Then, thinking that I might sound as if I don’t really care what my daughter would like if I said that, I usually say, “Whatever you child would like, mine would, too.” And that is the truth. I don’t think my kids have met a toy they don’t like, yet.
Mostly, this year, if people are really looking for a helpful answer to their question (and not just my smart-alec answers), I recommend books. We don’t have a huge house, and it was just Christmas, like, a minute ago (it seems). Books fit nicely on the shelf and don’t cause injury (or a stream of not-so-nice words) if stepped on in the middle of the night, and she truly does love to read. Crafty gifts like the one pictured above are fun, too. Honestly, though, every gift is loved and appreciated, as it means the giver was thinking of my daughter and wanted to honor her special day. The thought truly is a gift in itself.
What about you? Do you have a lot of kid parties to attend with your little ones? Did you put a ton of thought into the gifts, or figure, “the kids all have similar tastes and if my kid would want it, so would most others”?
My best birthday gift was an electronic toy car I received as a child. Still have that with me though it does not work anymore.
Peep into my birthday blog at http://birthdayecards.blogspot.com for some interesting info and cool e-cards for your loved ones.
Michael: How fun that you still have that car! I think a few of my favorite gifts are still in my mom’s basement.