Toy-ing With the Idea of Smart Mommy-ing (Part II)

Most parents approach the subject of choosing toys without much thought. Some buy toys without much planning and weighing. As long as it is in vogue, it is affordable, or it simply excites their children, they go for it.

It is crucial for parents to choose the right ones – even if they are relatively few in number. What matters most is that they would have such a great impact on the owners that they grow in more ways than one while playing with them.

Toys are the objects with which children first develop the concept of personal ownership. Toy ownership is thus an excellent opportunity for you to teach them about keeping their belongings (in this case their toys) tidy, sharing them with others and even the concept of not wanting too much and too many at a time.

It is helpful to explain to the children that at some point in time, they will have to let go of some toys they have grown out of to make room for newer ones. They should not cling to them when other children can also benefit from these toys. In doing so, the children are trained early on in life to de-clutter and have room for those toys that they love best.

Last but not least, toys are not always bought – they can also be made by the kids themselves. Open to them the possibility of making their own toys. With art and craft materials, you can join them to make silly items that make them laugh or put their imagination to work.

During these sessions, you can actually observe them and can tell what their interests are and what they will be good at. You can tell who have more patience and persistence or those who are resourceful, who have artistic inclinations and who need more help in that department. Turn these sessions into regular times of bonding and developing their character.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to guiding your child’s development with the right kinds of toys. Whatever effort you put in today in choosing the right ones for them, the more returns you will have in the form of well-adjusted kids.

Toy-ing With the Idea of Smart Mommy-ing (Part I)

To take off from my last post on evolving into a blog that will tackle issues on parenthood and mommy-hood in particular, here is the first installment of a two-part article on making the right choices of toys for kids. Hope you will pick something wise from it:

Being mom is such a demanding role. If you want to play it satisfactorily, you have to have serious commitment to continue growing and learning from past mistakes. It requires you to consistently apply yourself to the task of nurturing, caring, guiding, and loving the whole family. Most essentially, you will have to be vigilant in protecting them and making sure that nothing or nobody harms them physically, spiritually and psychologically.

You might say, “Well, that’s a given and I surely will bust anybody’s butt who has the gall to hurt my baby.” Unfortunately, most moms maintain this protective stance in regards to people, mostly. They do not have the same vigilance when it comes to toys they allow their kids to have access to.

Yes, toys are important and they play an important role in a child’s development. Remember, though, that they did not come to be on their own – they were made by people, businessmen, to be exact, who are after profit only. Yes, they may employ the best designers and child psychologists to come up with these costly toys and gadgets. But there are some who want nothing but gain and go on to sell products that are unsafe, inappropriate or totally useless.

There are also clever businesses that use the best marketing strategies to sell their products, so much so that they are able to create a need for these products in the minds of their consumers. Of course, the parents will have to shell out the bucks to buy them.

Toys are indeed important, and this is the very reason why moms should be smart enough to determine which ones the kids should play with to ensure they are safe and they are actually benefiting (either physically, emotionally, or mentally) from all these playthings.

Mommies should be extremely discriminating and choosy when deciding which toys to buy their children, or allow them access to. Safety of the kids when playing with toys (i.e., will your three-year old not end up making dinner out of those small parts?) is the number one consideration. Make sure that they are non-toxic, they do not have small pieces attractive enough to swallow, and other similar factors.

Safety is not the only consideration, though. You should also look into the mental, physical, social or psychological benefits of the toys that you give the children. Go for age-appropriate ones that have educational value. Look for pieces that stimulate them to think critically and to be resourceful and creative. Or, choose toys that encourage them to be active while playing with it. Social growth is also important so go for toys that can be played by a group of children, instead of just one.

Go for toys that do not encourage violence or portray hurting others as a normal behavior or glorify characters that have evil characteristics. You might think that I am a killjoy since most kids have access to video games. You can still allow them video games but choose the right games. In the long run, when they are teen-agers, you will have lesser worries that they will get into fights or brawls since the behavior was not encouraged early on in their life.

Consider the price of a toy as well. Even if you are filthy rich, avoid splurging on toys that end up under utilized, anyway. Decision making in purchasing a toy should be made into an opportunity for you to teach them how to be money savvy (at least the older ones). It is wiser to deposit what little amount you were able to save on toys towards your child’s bank account.

Sometimes, busy moms and dads fall prey to guilt and buy the most expensive toys and gadgets to make up for the fact that they do not spend enough time with their children. The sad news is, if they pick the wrong kind of toy, or they give toys too often just to make up to their kids, they end up doubling their shortcomings to their children. Not spending enough quality time with your children is not a good sign in itself, “bribing” them with toys just to make it up is even worse.

Choices in toys and how often you buy them tell a lot about your parenting style. Be sure to send the correct messages to your kids. Even in such simple things, you can show them that you value them and that you are concerned how things like toys can affect them in the long run.

More on “smart mommy-ing” in the next post.