All kids love toys. What’s not to love? I think truthfully even as adults we still love our toys. But when getting a new toy becomes an obsession, I get a little unnerved. My oldest son loves toys and is always looking/asking for something new. He is easy to please. The simple $1 toy frog from the grocery store would thrill him to pieces. He loves to go to the dentist so he can pick a cheap molded piece of plastic out of the treasure box when he leaves. He understands the concept of “No, we can’t get toys today,” BUT he insists we just go down the toy aisle and take a look at what they have. He does well for a 5-year-old. He knows he’s not getting anything and he doesn’t ask for anything. However, and that is a BIG HOWEVER, he then talks about a toy he saw that he wants, all day, all night, all week. It drives me absolutely crazy!!!

The conversation usually goes something like this:

Logan: Mom I really love that stuffed stegosaurs at the Target. Can I get it not today but another day after today? He was so cute.

Mom: He was cute, but don’t you have two stuffed stegosaurs at home?

Logan: Well yeah, but not like that one. He’s so great and he needs a family.

Mom: I really think you have enough toys at home. Why don’t you play with the two you have?

Logan: If I give some of my other toys to kids that don’t have toys can I get it? I have money in my piggy-bank.

Mom: You’re not getting what I’m telling you Logan. You have enough toys, you need to play with the toys you have.

2 minutes of silence

Logan: Mom, I have to tell you something but you’re going to get mad but I’m going to tell you anyway. Well, I was thinking that maybe not today but the day after tomorrow I can go get that stuffed stegosaurus.

Help me please. It doesn’t stop. It continues while visions of duct tape dance through my head. He is persistent, a good quality I suppose, and he drives me absolutely insane. Every week there’s something. On Monday he wanted to take money from his piggy-bank to buy his brother a toy after his first day of school. I found the thought very sweet so I took him to the dollar store per his request. He then continued to contemplate what to get his brother. Everything he picked out was something he wanted for himself. I had to keep reminding him that he was picking out something for his BROTHER. He finally chose something for himself and something for his brother. The two of them then had the audacity to ask to go back there again the following day! Seriously.

How do I teach him to be humble and grateful and not WANT, WANT, WANT? We’ve read many books about it. He thinks that by donating toys to other kids then he can get new ones. Mind you when he does pick a toy out of the toy room to donate it is either a McDonald’s toy or one of his brother’s toy. He doesn’t seem to understand that myself, our family, and our friends have spent money on these toys for him and he continuously wants more, more, more. It’s not like he’s spoiled. He doesn’t always get what he asks for, he doesn’t get something every time we go to a store. Am I missing something here? Where did this come from?