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[Pu the Owl]

I went to a toy store today and was amazed by the amount of stupid toys kids are offered nowadays. Videogames seem to be their best option, after all. Especially considering traditional or classic toys are so very expensive. Let's take Lego bricks as an example. They're still awesome as they were when I was young, but they must think they're made of gold. 90 euro for the firemen set?! Are they crazy? What kid would ask for that? And what about those Harry Potter or Star Wars sets? Very cool and beautifully crafted, but no parent would buy it without being drugged or brainwashed before entering a store. And what about plushes and dolls? I saw this beautiful plush bear sitting on a chair, then looked at the price and it was 160 euro... and Disney DVds were no less than around 30 euro. We're complaining about a Ps3 price, but with more classic stuff parents are not very lucky either. Having children and wanting them to have fun isn't easy. It sure is hard and frustrating to grow kids

[Berserker]

Kids should play outside, the only thing keeping me inside when I was young were my parents when there was a thunderstorm or it was too late to play outside...nowadays kids don't go out "cause the sun isn't shining and it's cold"..... They're all a bunch of spoiled weaklings, with them as adults in the near future we'll turn into a third world country real fast.

[Pu the Owl]

On a general level, I agree with you. Kids nowadays are spoiled and all. But about the outside thing... I don't know. I think cities are not anymore what they used to be when maybe you and me were young ourselves. And honestly, there are many interesting and useful things kids could do also at home, not necessarily involving expensive toys. I remember how great was to invent stories and games at home, too. Maybe I liked being at home because I didn't like much more physical activities, like running, kicking balls, jumping and chasing other kids I doubt it really matters where to play; I think it's more that nowadays kids lack some creativity and will to have fun in a "personal" way. They mostly like standardized kind of fun, which is a shame, because childhood is a period in life especially awesome for being yourself and develop peculiar aspects of your character.

[Berserker]

When you look at it that way, I totally agree. Times have changed indeed, there far more dangers nowadays for kids outside. I also agree on the lack of creativity in kids, allthough there are still kids who have that kid-magic where they can enjoy themself for hours with the simplest of things.

[merylsilverburg]

I used to play outside a lot as a kid. We had a backyard that had a lot of trees towards the back but in the middle of the backyard was just one very large pine tree that I could crawl under and into. So I used to play make-believe and stuff, like I was in an enchanted forest and when I stepped out of the tree, I "emerged" onto magical lands or that I was a thief and robbed the rich, a la Robin Hood - and the pine tree was my hideout. *crickets chirp*

But yes, I agree that toys are pretty expensive although I don't recall seeing Harry Potter or firemen sets for that much (90 euro? That's $126 dollars!). As a kid, I used to play with Barbie dolls and my mother would give me an attitude because $25 dollars for a Barbie was too much at the time.

Sadly, this is a bad time to be a kid considering all the lead poisoning from toys lately.

[Carlito]

Kids are too much like miniature adults these days and adults are very childish. Both are spoiled. Kids growing with spoiled adults will eventually become spoiled adults themselves, and will spoil their children when they become parents. Sort of vicious circle, isn't it?

[Meiko]

Kids have too many things these days. They are submerged with toys and gadgets, they don't even know what to do with them anymore. If parents give them too many things, they learn to lose interest in anything and will be very hard to please them after that. Parents spoil their children too much because they think the more they have the better their life will be. In the days when children had less, they were more pleased for every little thing they received and they treasured it more. A toy was special and it lasted long. Now after a week a toy is old and boring. No wonder there are so many parents complaining they can't keep up with family expenses: parents themselves have to buy several mobile phones and a new car, new TV sets, new computers, new stuff everyday or they feel depressed and left behind the others, and children are the same, they must have more because all their friends have this and that, and after a little time there something else they lack and start feeling miserable because of that. It's so silly!

[Pu the Owl]

Yes, kids have too much these days. Like any other average human being living in a "civilized" country. It's not their fault after all. It's becoming their second nature.

[Faile]

I started a new job recently (working for these people: https://uk.games-workshop.com/ ), which means I'm working with children a lot (and grown-ups too!) it's refreshing to see how unjaded kids are compared to people I hang out with. My circle of friends are far too cynical. We're all too cynical.

[Pu the Owl]

They may be unjaded, but when they touch a toy or anything to play, it's usually something way too expensive. Buy them more old style bicycles and balls! Give them paper and watercolors! Something simple and plain! All they have or wish to have is infested by stupid gimmicks!

Yes, I am a bitter and cynical old lady. We all are too cynical, but trust me these kids will be too one day, and they will be too dazed to notice.

[Hylas]

Toys cost much because people are ready to buy them anyway. Kids are spoiled. Blah blah, we know it. It's nothing new. I think most of us were spoiled kids as well, for a thing or another. Maybe less than kids today, but I think most parents that now are spoiling their kids are parents of younger generations who used to be somewhat spoiled as well, because they were the first generations of kids to start to feel less under pressure, that were able to go to school till they were properly grown up, that could choose work more carefully and more considering their interests or abilities and take it easier, that started to be economically wealthier compared to kids that came before them.

Also, I think some toys have always been outrageously expensive. Lego is one example. I remember they were considered very expensive toy when I was little. Now prices are higher everywhere than they were before. Look at any stupid thing you buy in stores. It costs a lot. There's no place when you can buy good things that are really cheap. It can be cheaper than somewhere else, but imagine yourself 10 years ago being transported to a store today. Imagine the yourself of 10 years ago looking at price tags. Prices are inflated today. Toys are no exception.

[Pu the Owl]

In a way, yes, every kid is spoiled. I was spoiled, and I am sure you, you and you were, too. Because you know, no parent is perfect and no human being is perfect. But this is just a sophism. We are talking about reality.

[merylsilverburg]

Originally Posted by Psychopu

In a way, yes, every kid is spoiled. I was spoiled, and I am sure you, you and you were, too. Because you know, no parent is perfect and no human being is perfect.

It's true that humans aren't perfect. But being parents, I think it should be the parent's responsibility to be even slightly aware of whether they're spoiling their kid rotten. Just because humans aren't perfect doesn't make it perfectly okay for them to become parents and create a little nightmare that is constantly shrieking "GIMME! I WANT IT!" However, some spoiled kids will grow out of this bad behavior and evolve into regular and sensible adults. But a majority of the time, if you were spoiled (either sometimes or completely rotten) as a child, you will grow up to be a semi-adult and thinking that everybody is at your beck and call and that everything in life should go your way.

[Pu the Owl]

I wasn't trying to justify the fact spoiling a kid is ok, I was just intentionally exaggerating a bit my reply to Hylas who said we're all spoiled in her post

[MakgSnake]

Well it all depends where you shop from. In Canada, some toys aren't that expensive. I did hear Europe being very expensive, I guess because most "American" toys are charged more in Europe, but not so much in Canada.

Disney Movies over here are expensive too, starting from $24.99, to a whopping $39.99 (For a kids movie). I hate disney for that (and alot of other reasons).

But if you buys toys from Wal-Mart.. they are pretty ok priced.

[Pu the Owl]

Originally Posted by MakgSnake

Well it all depends where you shop from. In Canada, some toys aren't that expensive. I did hear Europe being very expensive, I guess because most "American" toys are charged more in Europe, but not so much in Canada.

Not only "American" toys, in fact Lego is Danish, if I'm not wrong. But the most ridiculous part is: even with taxes and duties and everything, buying Lego from the US is more convenient than buying it from EU countries, and the same goes for buying many other things. Games? Games too. I never buy them from local stores, because they cost too much. Having them shipped from Australia or Canada or US is less expensive. Same goes for DVDs or CDs in most cases. First thing I absolutely wanted when buying my first DVD player a few years ago was a region-free one, and trust me it payed back Everything costs more here, it seems. The best part is most European countries aren't that wealthy. We're not that rich, we can't afford to pay such prices for the stupidest reasons. Salaries are not that high. Some European countries are slightly better than others, and anyway the wealthy ones decided to stay out of the "Eurozone". That's how things are. There's nothing one can do about it.