Raised eyebrow at niece’s Christmas list

[Princessmushroom]

Mostly posting for traffic. For context we are an early 30s childfree couple.

We received our niece’s Christmas wish list, (well husband’s niece), she’s just turned 13 and I have to admit that I raised an eye brow that 95% of her wishlist were some plastic horse toys of some sort. Popped on to Amazon to buy some and the recommended age was 4-10 years old IIRC. The upper suggested age was definitely 10.

It made me think about toys when I was 13 years old. I didn’t really have any apart from my favourite stuffed animals. I was all about make up, music, posters, books and magazines. I don’t have any siblings to compare to (20 year age gap) and my friends didn’t really have toys at 13 either.

So my question is if you or your children still had lots of toys or got new toys like this (plastic horses, Barbies etc) aged 13?

(We obviously did buy something from her wishlist, just to clarify).

My youngest still loves soft toys at 17 and only last year gave away her Barbies... yet she's incredibly mature for her age, smart, feisty and about to go flatting. I guess we love what we love, regardless of age.

I suspect Breyer horses too, my nine year old has several, they are beautiful and likely for a collection rather than to play with. But then she may have her own YouTube channel where you can make a fortune playing out scenarios with Breyer horses! My dd went through a stage of loving a grown woman’s channel ‘cookiesworldc’ where she puts on a high voice and plays with the horses. My dd has moved out of that phase but still adores her Breyer horses!

I think it’s lovely that is what she wants. It may not be all it seems though my 13 year old DS still wants lego, sometimes because he likes to make the kit into an ornament ( lego architecture), or he uses the pieces to make films. However that doesn’t really matter, if that is what she wants, buy her what she wants.

well if that’s what she has ask for then just get her what she wants. I think is lovely that in this age of iPhones and iPads that she wants a toy!! Top of my granddaughters list is a soap making set!!

I am old. I still play with my doll's house.
Some my contemporaries call it something else like oh I collect, I curate, I restore dolls houses. It's play.

onetwistedangel I was the same. Drinking, taking drugs not going to school when I was 13.
My dd is 10, her imagination and joy she takes from her toys makes me so happy. She's beautifully innocent but not naive.
Hopefully I can shield her from the clothes/makeup shite for awhile yet.

op glad to hear you bought your niece what she asked for. There are many of us with children who thankfully are still children even at age 13

I had a very pretty Daisy doll, a bit like a Barbie. I still liked her at 13-14. I certainly wasn't allowed make up, and had no radio or record player to play music.

It's awful to raise an eyebrow at a 13 yr old girl OP. I'm pleased you've bought her what she asked for.

I love children behaving like children, I hope mine are the same at her age!

Also thought 'how sweet' here. My DS is young for his age and has been bullied very badly at school about it. He has soft toys he loves and uses when he is feeling vulnerable to stroke and comfort himself. So I thought about that from your post.

Possibly she paints them, it' s quite a popular hobby and they then sell them on to buy more! Think it's Breyer horses that get painted.

My best friend at school and her mum were talking one day and she asked her mum why did she let her have dolls still when at senior school, the mum just said you weren't ready to give them up and what's the hurry to grow up ... enjoy what you like
Wise woman!

Get the kid some make up to help her lose her innocence faster! How dare she like sweet innocent toys?! What is WRONG with her??! (sarcasm).

I still loved toys at 13, actually I'd love it if anybody bought me toys now
I think at this age children do still like toys but often pretend that they don't in order to look mature. Please stop judging her op and buy her what she likes rather than what you think she should like.

My DD was getting Sylvanians and music etc at that age. All of her friends would make a beeline for the little animals of her dolls house when they came over, however sophisticated they were.

I was drinking and sexually active at that age. My sister played with Barbies until she was 14. Which would you prefer?

Childhood is so fleeting. Let them have toys as long as they ask.

OP I think you’re getting a bit of a hard time here. You said you were childless and yes, the media (inc social media like MN) would often have you believe that kids are growing up much quicker these days and even young teens are only into brands/make-up/technology/music and their boyfriends/girlfriends.

I think your niece sounds like a lovely girl - probably unusual to some, but not way far from the realms of normality. FWIW my 14 year old DS is getting some nanoblock sets for Christmas including the titanic one and he’ll be absolutely delighted with it. My 8 year old DTs have Schliech horses and I sincerely hope they are still playing with them and loving them when they are 13. (They cost enough - they’d better love them forever!)

The only thing I will pick you up on is wish lists. I assume it’s an amazon wish list? I can totally understand why lists would annoy you - I didn’t grow up in a family that did lists and DH did. In fact, his family’s lists were so specific they had to specify exact details of everything - even when the DC were small - it wasn’t enough to suggest anything generic like “craft stuff”.

Having said all that, all the DC in my family now have amazon wish lists. They are absolutely NOT Christmas lists though. All through the year when the DC see things they like, or if I see something I think they’d like, we stick it on the wish list. It’s a way of remembering things more than anything else. With regards some items like the schleich horses or nanoblocks/Lego, it does mean we avoid duplicates (like the year DS got 4 of the same Lego set) We don’t routinely give out the wish list and it certainly doesn’t go to friends. There are no demands on anyone. But - with our families spread across 4 countries and 2 continents, it’s much easier to be able to buy something you know the child actually wants and having the wish list means you don’t get double ups. 2 of my SILs don’t ever buy off it and that’s absolutely fine - it’s just suggestions and my DC know that nothing on the list is guaranteed. This year I have bought some items from the lists for my nieces and nephews and some not - no-one is bothered.

It’s a bit ‘unusual’ tbf, and certainly there’s no need for pp to say ‘you can tell you don’t have kids’.

I’d have been thrilled if this had been my daughter’s wishlist. She wanted crap promoted by Youtubers.

I don't know any adult men who (admit to?) getting things like this.
Computer games, yes.
I know at least one. More common to join in with the kids though. I was very disappointed when my child outgrew Lego at age 8, I can't justify buying it for myself. It's not just men who love Lego, I grew up with it too.

At secondary school my best friend had loads of sylvanian families. She didn’t want people to know, but I loved going to her house so we could play. 13 is still young in so many ways.

Seriously???
I don't know any adult men who (admit to?) getting things like this.
Computer games, yes.

Loads of adults do Lego there's a whole range marketed at them. Its the same as airfix kits of collectable models of sci-fi or comic characters.
You haven't hung around geeks enough.

It's nice when children don't feel under pressure to grow up too fast. On MN we're always complaining about young girls being sexualised but when they go the other way its mocked as babyish.
Let children grow up at their own pace.

I think that is lovely- that she wants 'toys'. Lots of girls are into horses.
I thought it was going to be the opposite- youre niece demanding a long list of expensive gadgets or concert tickets or demanding adult sophisticated stuff way beyond her age- specific brands of perfume or expensive brands of make-up.

The large Lego sets are usually labelled Age 16+. I can’t picture many twelve year olds wanting a three hundred quid model of the Taj Mahal but David Beckham famously loved his.

My niece is 13. I find her very ‘young’. She plays role play games with my 9 year old daughter. They’ll set up shops and make menus etc. Come and take your order haha. I can’t imagine her asking for kids toys but she’s very creative so anything like that she’d love. I think it’s sweet but I can see why you’d be surprised x