Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas and all that…

Again, with the thinking…is it better to give kids toys or books for presents? My family wants to give my 10-year-old cousin an iPod. Sure, she’s computer savvy. She knows how to download music illegally. But she’s 10. TEN. Shouldn’t she be playing teatime with her dolls, or chasing frogs with the boys or something? My ‘beef’ is that, if we give her an iPod now, what do we give her next year? And will she really appreciate this gift? Shouldn’t she be learning the value of buying this for herself with her hard earned money? Crap. Am I really going to be the boring aunt that prefers giving books instead of contraptions that will require sitting in front the the tv or computer for hours? You want a game? Sure, I’ll give you a game. A BOARD GAME. One that requires 2 or more people to play. Is it really bad to want kids to read and interact more with other people? I want them to be kids and to have fun. But to me, that means going outside and playing and getting dirty. Argh. I don’t want to be the boring aunt (or cousin)!