I can't tell you how many times our children have gotten gifts that don't last long. Either they are cheap toys that they chew through or manage to break quickly, they are age inappropriate or they are simply something that we do not need. They end up in the trash, Goodwill bin or taken to the soonest White Elephant gift exchange!!
And now is the gift receiving season in our house as our three boys' birthdays are coming up. I can't believe my baby is almost one year old already! Anyway, now comes the dreaded time of "what did we get this time?" Luckily we have a no gift policy at our birthday parties. It worked well for Jack and Ewan's party last year and we're doing it again for Sean's party and Jack and Ewan's combined party. Speaking of parties, all the boys have fabulous plans for this year....details to follow!
For those people that still give presents, after all you can't stop everyone, I've been working on my list of "approved" presents. Friends and family ask what the boys "need". I use this word loosely since they truly don't need much of anything. So I've compiled a list of things they could use. Some may find it boring, but they can always use shoes and frankly, they love shoes! There are of course a couple toys on the list, but as ya'll know we try to really minimize the toys in our house.
It's been difficult to come up with much for Sean. As the third boy he has many hand-me-downs and really doesn't need much. I did manage to come up with a few things and found something at our favorite toy store in the mountains for his birthday...even made of recycled materials in the USA! Oma also found the perfect present for Jack and Ewan to share. Plus of course their own present they'll get on their respective birthdays.
After talking to many other parents, I know we aren't alone in this situation. Luckily our families are relatively small, and of course our no present parties really cut down on all the clutter!!
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