Christmas shopping for my son is fun!

[DeeBye]

My 3 year old son loves BIG TRUCKS, so my wife and I went out and found him one for Christmas. It's a really BIG TRUCK.



The box is over 4 feet long. It's bigger than my son. It's pretty nifty in that it comes with it's own rechargable 9.6v battery pack, so no worries about buying batteries. Apparently it also comes with some spare parts in case some get broken, like the antennae and side-mirrors.

I wanted to open it up and inspect it further to be sure it works correctly, but my wife saw through my cunning scheme to play with it for myself and said no.

Oh yeah, it also has SPINNAZ! This ride is pimp, yo.

[Yrrek]

Wow, I remember being a kid and getting a Tonka truck and thinking it was the best present ever! Parents these days *shakes head* =)

[Doc]

All I can say is... WOW.

That's spiffy!

I have a little tyco rc car with it's own rechargeable battery pack. I use it to chase the cats around. But with that, I could run over my insolent kitties and make them fear and obey me again.

You deserve to be Father of the Year.

[DeeBye]

Wow, I remember being a kid and getting a Tonka truck and thinking it was the best present ever! Parents these days *shakes head* =)
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My brother buys my son every Tonka truck he can get his hands on. He's in the air force so he doesn't get to visit often, but when he does it's a veritable Tonka party. Lucas loves his Uncle Art.

[DeeBye]

You deserve to be Father of the Year.
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It's as much a present for me as it is for him :)

I did get it for a really cheap price though. I knew from inside sources that a particular store chain was running a 60% off sale for specific toys, and that this toy would be one of them. I found out through various 3rd parties that a store about a half-hour drive away from me had one of these toys and hadn't bothered to advertise it or display it in any way.

I did my homework and put in the legwork to ensure that I got one. I mean, I got one for my son.

I am SSOOO looking forward to my son's expression when he opens this on Christmas.

"THAT'S A BIG TRUCK DADDY!!" *jumps around and bonks his head on something*

[[wcip]Angel]

Well, if he falls and hurts himself, he can just jump on and drive himself to the emergency room :)

Nice vehicle!

[TheDragoon]

I wanted to open it up and inspect it further to be sure it works correctly, but my wife saw through my cunning scheme to play with it for myself and said no.

Everything I've always heard about planning for Christmas says that you should definitely open it up and make sure that the truck is fully assembled and that there won't be any little plastic ties or other unnecessary packaging that would prevent your child from opening the box, pulling it out and playing with it immediately. You also need to make sure that there are batteries in it, too.

I'm sure you could use your google-fu to find some newspaper/magazine articles that say this same thing to prove to your wife that it is essential that you test it out before Christmas. :)

[LochnarITB]

Your son is very fortunate. He has a dad that loves toys as much or more than he will. My dad was not very interested in my toys, except for trains and racing sets. Therefore, I did get several sets of those through my years and they usually tended to be more elaborate than any other presents I would get. My mom still tells a story about the first set I got for Christmas. I was just 2 or 3. I got one of those wooden train sets, with tracks and everything, for my big present. I was too young to put it together myself so my dad and some uncles put it all together and, of course, started playing with it like big kids. I went over and tried to play too. My dad quickly said, "No no Timmy. Mustn't touch!" :lol:

[DeeBye]

Your son is very fortunate.  He has a dad that loves toys as much or more than he will.
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I never really thought about this much until I read your reply, but looking back on it my dad never had much interest in my toys either. In fact, the only time I ever remember him playing with my toys was when I got a Lego Technic set which was way to complicated for my young mind.

It was this one.


I had to ask my dad to help me assemble it. This was the only time I ever had to ask for help putting together Lego. I can recall no other time that my father had any interest in my toys. My parents were pretty good to me as far as buying nice toys as presents, but that was as far as it went. I don't really regret this because I have a brother 2 year's older than me who I played toys with. My son is an only child, so maybe that's why I make a huge effort to be his playmate as well as his father.

I still love toys, and I love playing trucks, Mega Bloks (my son is still a bit young for Legos), and whatever else with my son. Heck, last Christmas my in-laws bought me 3 Lego sets. I had a bunch of fun putting them together while enjoying their other present to me -- a bottle of Glenfiddich.

Yeah, I still have a lot of little kid in me.

[Doc]

I never really thought about this much until I read your reply, but looking back on it my dad never had much interest in my toys either.  In fact, the only time I ever remember him playing with my toys was when I got a Lego Technic set which was way to complicated for my young mind.

It was this one.


I had to ask my dad to help me assemble it.  This was the only time I ever had to ask for help putting together Lego.  I can recall no other time that my father had any interest in my toys.  My parents were pretty good to me as far as buying nice toys as presents, but that was as far as it went.  I don't really regret this because I have a brother 2 year's older than me who I played toys with.  My son is an only child, so maybe that's why I make a huge effort to be his playmate as well as his father.

I still love toys, and I love playing trucks, Mega Bloks (my son is still a bit young for Legos), and whatever else with my son.  Heck, last Christmas my in-laws bought me 3 Lego sets.  I had a bunch of fun putting them together while enjoying their other present to me -- a bottle of Glenfiddich.

Yeah, I still have a lot of little kid in me.
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That's my secret to staying young right there DeeBye... Keep your thoughts young and playful.

Right now, I am building my self a big wooden toy. A big wooden mangonel based on an early Roman design. I am still cutting up logs with a chainsaw and fitting stuff together.

I have made a catapult, a trebuchet, and a ballista. It would be so much fun to have a son to do this with.

Your son likes trucks... Are you going to take him to a monster truck rally when he gets a little older? I bet he would love that!

[Tal]

Everything I've always heard about planning for Christmas says that you should definitely open it up and make sure that the truck is fully assembled and that there won't be any little plastic ties or other unnecessary packaging that would prevent your child from opening the box, pulling it out and playing with it immediately.  You also need to make sure that there are batteries in it, too. 
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This man speaks the truth!

[Tal]

I still love toys, and I love playing trucks, Mega Bloks (my son is still a bit young for Legos), and whatever else with my son.  Heck, last Christmas my in-laws bought me 3 Lego sets.  I had a bunch of fun putting them together while enjoying their other present to me -- a bottle of Glenfiddich.

Yeah, I still have a lot of little kid in me.
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I got lucky - my daughter loves playing with the Justice League and Teen Titans action figures with me. Though I had to buy a couple of figures just for me since she wouldn't always share the Batman and Robin ones with me. :(

;)

[Urza-DSF]

I got lucky - my daughter loves playing with the Justice League and Teen Titans action figures with me. Though I had to buy a couple of figures just for me since she wouldn't always share the Batman and Robin ones with me. :(

;)
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Batman? Feh. All will be crushed under the Iron Heel of DOOM! (Well, as long as Richards can be removed from the universe...)

Anyway, at 22 I'm still a while away from needing to worry about buying christmas presents and whatnot (hopefully at least) but like Dee this thread has made me realize that I never really did play with toys much with my parents growing up.

Yes, I did have a one-year younger brother, but even to this day I really don't have too much to connect with my parents with. It used to be that I'd spend more time with my mother playing catch/outdoorsy stuff since my father used to work graveyard shifts, but now things have changed so that if I am spending any time with my parents, it's usually with my father.

This I attribute to differing tastes. I take after my mother by being a correcting, somewhat arrogant pain-in-the-ass who loves to read, but she prefers writers like Danielle Steel or lawfirm-plots while I prefer George R.R. Martin, Dean Koontz, and...can't think of her name right now but she writes the Anita Blake and Merideth Gentry series. So even though we have something in common (sincemy brother and father have no interest in reading) I still really can't talk/share the interest with her because of our mutual dislike of our subjects.

Now I can connect to my father a lot better, because I got a lot of my rationality, easy-goingness, and stubborness from him. I can easily spend time talking with him (though now I tend to shy away from religion because of clashes between my agnosticism and his street-level catholicsm) but we both still love old movies/music/cars* or just how things used to be when he was my age, and can talk about them for hours.

Hmm...went further than I expected with this one, but really I'm just hoping that when I have a child eventually that I want to try and be there for things other than buying/putting together the things he plays with.

*For any who love old musicals/long dead crooners, go rent "Beyond the Sea" Had be grinning like an idiot last night, and wondering if that was actually Kevin Spacy singing and dancing like Bobby Darin.

[Tal]

Batman?  Feh.  All will be crushed under the Iron Heel of DOOM!  (Well, as long as Richards can be removed from the universe...)
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DC Universe household represent yo.

[ShadowHM]

Good Lord, DeeBye

I just get home from the Thanksgiving closing up of the cottage, glumly noting all the Hallowe'en paraphernalia adorning so many homes on the trip back, thinking about what the purchasing expedition that lies ahead, and you have already started buying Christmas presents???

Although that is one fine looking truck, I can't help but inject my jaundiced and cynical observation that these things eventually take up more space than you would believe. I still feel guilt about my part in the overflowing dump sites of Toronto, due to purchasing several of that ilk. And I have finally convinced my sons that the collection of oversized Fire Trucks also has to go - although we failed to find time to actually get them to the dump, so they are lined up nicely beside the deck of the cottage, waiting for that first dump run of the spring.

Having said all that - Do open it up and make absolutely sure it is in working order before Christmas ! Big Trucks are big fun.

:D

[Doc]

My Goddaughter is entirely to girly. She loves Dora the Explorer. And this Maya and Miguel show on PBS. And she is absolutely horrified if I mention how much fun it would be to launch one of her dolls from a catapult.

Hrm. This is going to be a shameful admission... I am no longer sure of her age. Three or four now? She doesn't act like it. She acts very much like a little adult. She doesn't like kids her own age. They annoy her. Or as she says "Dey ware wetawdwed." She knows how to read and she is not even in school yet... Mostly due to my efforts.

And she is amazing in the kitchen. She knows how to use a measuring cup. She knows the difference between a teaspoon and a quarter teaspoon. She knows how to section butter. She knows how to make pancakes. All by her self. She can make the batter, pour, flip, and serve.

But I wish I had a boy around to play trucks with. DeeBye, you are a lucky man. If I bought her something like that... She would call me "wetawdwed."

And Shadow, firetrucks? Don't through those out! Save them for grandkids!

[ShadowHM]

And Shadow, firetrucks? Don't through those out! Save them for grandkids!
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Don't think so...

They were purchased before I understood the relationship between batteries, noise and kid games. The biggest one takes eight D batteries, and caterwauls just like the Real Thing™. :o And they are getting more than a little bit rusty, now that they are forced to live outdoors. That makes them both a hazard to my mental well-being and the physical safety of the age group that likes them.

I have become a fan of toys that take no batteries at all, and whose noise output is limited to the squeals of joy that the children make while using them.

Here are two of the winners in that category. The first, as you will note, has been through a few repair jobs. Red Green would be proud of us - when the first repair job (done with fiberglass) fell apart, we just duct taped the seat back together. The kids love this one - it turns on a dime and can move at an impressive speed.



This next one is a mite prettier, albeit less agile on the cornering. Many good times have been had barrelling along in it.

[Count Duckula]

Don't think so...     

They were purchased before I understood the relationship between batteries, noise and kid games.    The biggest one takes eight D batteries, and caterwauls just like the Real Thing™.  :o      And they are getting more than a little bit rusty, now that they are forced to live outdoors.    That makes them both a hazard to my mental well-being and the physical safety of the age group that likes them.
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You could still offer them to a local daycare center or other children's organization. Back in Virginia, a coalition of do-it-yourself guys and gals fixed broken toys to donate for Xmas. They may not be in the best of condition (the duct-taped seat?) but somebody might want them, especially if they're a free donation. ^_^

[ShadowHM]

You could still offer them to a local daycare center or other children's organization. Back in Virginia, a coalition of do-it-yourself guys and gals fixed broken toys to donate for Xmas. They may not be in the best of condition (the duct-taped seat?) but somebody might want them, especially if they're a free donation. ^_^
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*grins* Those two pictured toys are not going anywhere. They are still on the 'much-loved by all' list.

The ones that I am still determined to send to the dump are battery operated large Fire Trucks. My judgement is that they are:

1) not repairable
2) a disservice to the receiving organization, because if I deem the battery replacement unaffordable, why would I foist them off on an organization that runs on a small budget?

It is a bit of a catch22. If it is good enough, then I should keep it for visitors and eventual grandchildren. If it isn't, is it fair to foist it off on someone else? Some currently unused toys in our household probably would be well-received at a women's shelter or a day-care - like the huge Brio train set, or the Duplo train set. But some things should never have been purchased in the first place (like those fire trucks) , so passing them on when they are rusted out and unloved does not seem fair.

[jahcs]

I understand your plight Shadow. My family tends to stay away from battery operated toys unless they actually do something.

The remote control truck is a prime example. The batteries in the truck make it move and are rechargeable, the batteries for the controller will last a while if the power switch is not left on.

Batteries for the sake of noiseght are not enough to justify the cost IMHO. And many battery operated toys are much more fragile than their non-powered kin. That's without considering the metal to plastic content of similar toys.