AIBU to think this is the strangest attitude towards Christmas presents ever in a month of Sundays?

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

An acquaintance of mine only wants to buy her 4yo "tat that will break in 3 weeks" so she can quickly dump it - she's says the DC have git too many toys as it is and can't bear the house cluttering ip even more.

AIBU?

What a total waste of money! Surely 1 or 2 quality items aren't so mu h of a burden to her?

A bit unimaginative of your acquaintance to not think of having a clear out and ebaying/car booting toys and things no longer needed/never played with/outgrown. Or send to charity shop. Then she wouldn't get so swamped in stuff.

Or buy more 'consumable' items like bubble bath, magic flannels etc and items like pants/socks/novelty gloves which will be outgrown.

Only buying tat gives the message to the DC that stuff is disposable, that they don't need to look after it, or even that they are not worthy of more expensive better quality toys.

My MIL is a bit like this - she HATES clutter with a passion.

So tricky to buy for. I have to go for edible things (not in a nice tin or anything) or a plant or flowers that'll die or she can kill off in February.

Why not one really good present....

Tat I find the description of childrens toys and the bits and bobs they enjoy as 'tat' very sad

Surely that's just going to teach kids that gifts/stuff is disposable - not a very good message to promote. Yes, by all means, fill a stocking with little bouncy balls, chocolates, toothbrush etc which while not 'tat' is stuff that isn't going to clutter, then buy one general 'solid' gift which will be used loads like a play kitchen or a bike?

How odd.

How do her DCs behave, are they wasteful / lack respect of their possesions?

Just seen this - yes, that is odd.

My DCs have too much stuff and although they are very good at playing with it some of it does get messed up and clutters the house. But that is our fault not theirs! We have overbought in the past and are rubbish at decluttering. That's why this year we are trying to have a massive clear out and organise the stuff we are keeping so that on Xmas day the new toys don't just get lost in the mess.

Some of the presents this year are going to be 'used up' quite soon after Xmas, but they are crafty kits, because I want the DCs to enjoy doing messy and creative stuff in the holidays. But the actual toys they are getting are bought to hopefully last!

A bit sad to be planning on throwing away DC's toys after a few weeks. Baffling! :(

That's a very odd thing to say.

I wonder is she having money worries or hates Christmas or something but doesn't know you well enough to tell you that, so just said the first thing that came into her head?

Sounds like a fleeting moment of genius, to me!

Most of it WILL collapse into a wretched broken heap after 3 weeks anyway, or be forgotten about.

I'd never thought of doing this

I can see what she means, but no, I wouldn't do it. We tend to try and confront the tat, and get rid of it and keep the nicer stuff.

I do end up buying tat that they really want (Ben 10 comes to mind) - no point getting them wholesome wooden toys they find excruciatingly boring.

I try and buy quite a lot of disposable stuff, not exactly breakable tat but lots of craft kits/art and craft supplies, things they will make or do. Because we have an awful lot of nice quality good toys already and they just don't need any more. So I can see where the mother is coming from.

Depends what she means by "tat". I tend to buy lots of craft stuff or things like soap making/crystal growing/science experiment sort of kits for the same reason. My kids have too much already and we've no room despite ebaying or giving to charity on a regular basis. The crafty things are great in that way, loads of fun and the mishapen pathetic end result doesn't take up any room!

I can kind of see what she means. I try to only buy stuff that can be added to an existing set (so lego, stuff for the dolls house, cars, trainset bits etc) or stuff that is meant to be disposable so I don't have bits of 'stuff' all over the house for ages. My children already have loads of toys so they aren't being deprived and if there is something they want that's a decent gift that isn't part of something we already have (eg the scalextric ds has asked for) they're likely to get it but will need to get rid of something else to be able to store it.

I think she was being a bit flippant surely?

I can see both sides of the argument - one big treasured gift with hours of play this year, and then bits of things in the stockings.

As everyone else has mentioned - magic kits, chemistry experiements, things they have fun with but use and get rid of make great stocking fillers.

But I get sooo much value out of Lego with my DS. So that will be his big main present.

I agree with CalmingMiranda. I have noticed that the things that bring most joy on Christmas morning are of the "tat that will break in 3 weeks" variety. Four weeks after Christmas, the good quality stuff that was initially ignored comes into it's own.

I bought my niece some lurid pink plastic rubbish in a big box for a birthday once, in the full knowledge that a) she would adore it and b) it would break at about the same time as she got bored with it, and therefore my sister could throw it out without feeling guilty about getting rid of Auntie's present.

Yanbu but I know what the person meant. Poundland is full of tat that would make my kids happy and would break before the kids returned to school.

The person should go for experiences like cinema, theatre... rather than toys that willl be chucked by Jan.

I think it's more indicative of the bizarre thought that many presents are better than few or one present. Which is really the unreasonable position, not so much the disposable bit.

What's wrong with NOT getting 10 presents?

That is bizarre.

If she thinks the kids have too many toys, why not buy consumable stuff? Like crayons, craft items, bubble bath, sweets, clothes and so on?

That's got to be better than buying a cheap toy that's going to break in 3weeks.