Toys Store

D has 12 inaanaks ranging from 3 to 12 years old. He is the generous type of Ninong as opposed to me the scrooge Ninang who doesn't give gifts to her inaanaks. I have 7, most of them I haven't laid eyes on since they were conceived! So we have been making the rounds of the different toys store like Toys Kingdom, Toys R Us and the toys section of department stores.

I was shocked to discover the costs of toys - mucho expensive! I mean come on, most of these toys end up scattered all over the living room. They eventually start gathering dust after the kids have lost interest and move on to other distractions. Besides kids these days are tech savvy they won't settle for anything less. They want those Nintendo, PSP games or worse the latest cellphones. In short, very expensive items. Phew!

I told D why don't you just give cash instead? He tells me well (1) the cash go to the parents who won't spend it on the kids and (2) kids are easy to please just hand them a toy, they are happy for life. Ok fine, whatever. I guess he has a point. My only input - give toys which will nurture their skills and/or develop their physical activities. You know items such as badminton sets, Frisbees, almanacs, jigsaw puzzles, jewelry beads weaving machines - things that make use of their brains.

While D was pondering on what toy to give each child, I was tinkering with sketch o matic screens, little drum sets, remote controlled toy cars and flying helicopters and musical xylophones. I had so much fun. The fun part for D though ended when his wallet got a lot lighter. Heh!