One of the great parenting lessons that books don’t teach you is how to deal with your kids’ terrible taste in stuff. You ever look back at old photos with horror and wonder why your parents would allow you to wear that fugly horned-rimmed specs to school for 2 years? Or cringe at the sight of your bad hair that was plastered to your head with enough oil to make roti prata? Lucky for me, I did.
I was a walking fashion disaster as a kid but hey, I’m allowed to look like a a cross between Mick Jagger and Cyndi Lauper at the age of 9. Ok, so I insisted on picking the godawful glasses myself but there should be some parenting guideline on how to stop your kids from making choices they will regret. Moments like these, you’re entitled to play the “I know best because I’m your mother” card, even if they throw the biggest hissy fit of all time.
I was hoping my kids wouldn’t inherit my questionable taste but alas, it seems like I’m going to have to exercise my veto power more than I was prepared to. So I figured, until the kids turn 21 or have good taste (whichever comes later), I’m responsible for helping them make good choices.
This morning, we brought baby girl to Toys R’ Us to pick out a new toy and she was real excited about the whole process. She was busy browsing all the toys, looking at each one intently before tossing them away. Daddy was all like “you can choose whatever you want, sweetie” so that’s exactly what she did. When we got to the doll aisle (she’s really into dolls recently), she started bouncing on the spot in her stroller, a sign that we were getting close to finding what she wanted.
Which was this.
I don’t think it can get any worse. Of all the toys in all the world, this is probably the worst possible choice. We were like “NOOOOOOOO, don’t touch it!” but she started hugging it and kissing it and patting its face so lovingly (the kid obviously haven’t watched Chucky). We tried offering her a whole bunch of other dolls that were so much less likely to stab us in the middle of the night but she found what she wanted and she wasn’t going to budge.
At that point, I think I knew why my parents indulged my awful choices – because it was what I wanted and for what it’s worth, it made me happy, which was (arguably) more important than not looking like an alien life form for the better part of my adolescent years.
If you must know, we didn’t get the doll eventually. She’s probably not going to remember wanting the doll when she grows up, but she will sure as hell remember if she gets attacked by a psycho doll in her sleep. Call me paranoid but this is the kind of risk I don’t take.
17 Comments
She’s sooo adorable. :D
@Anon, Kirsten and not the doll right? hahaha
omg we have the same doll! it took us about 3 years to relent. it sleeps beside the kid in her bed now. i try to pretend i can’t see it.
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@strawberrymilkmama, You actually BOUGHT it?
You are the best mother in the world. Do watch out for your ankles though.
Chucky? Shudder… I still hate that show! :P Thankfully my boy doesnt have a thing about dolls yet. (Though if he does, having the doll turn into a psycho evil killer at night is probably not the only thing on my mind).
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@San, Tru doesn’t give the dolls a second look, he was checking out the DC universe action figures the last time we were in a toy store. He was really into Flash and I must say I rather splash out $39.99 for that than a mechanical ankle-chopping doll. Which was only going for like $7.99 or something, for the record.
@Daphne, Your ankles versus Flash? No argument from me there! Hahaha! :)
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Good move, not to get it! But those pictures of her hugging the doll were so cute!
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@Jus, Thanks. The second picture looks like the zombie doll is chewing her neck though. Urgh.
ya this kind of doll that looks like it is going to come to life at night freaks me out too until now. I will never allow my girl to own one no matter how much she like it. I will just try to avoid that section if we bypass them in the toy shop.
@YH, Ok just avoid the left-side aisle at the tampines outlet near the Barbie dolls section. You’ve been warned.
erm, I have got 2 of those dolls at home and the girls love it to bits – they bath it, cuddle it, hug it, push it around in the pram, fit it, changes the diapers…I cant complain since it effectively occupies alot of their time.
Until I found much prettier ones at Robinsons…the Japanese brand “XXX chan” I think. Only buy it during sales, when it goes for 20% off retail price!
@Fang, What!? I wouldnt have expected of all people your little two princesses! i doubt they are the exact models though, probably a less malicious looking prototype.
And sorry but XXXchan just doesn’t sound right.
Hhaahaahha!! You guys are funny. For me, I think we should let our kids choose and play with any toys that they want! Kids of this age LOVE playing with dolls. That’s because they are in the “imitating” stage. Doll is a good medium for children to practice pro-social skills, have a sense of comfort/security, express their emotion and etc. Hehe, so parents, don’t let all the scary movies that we watched affect our kid’s choices of play. =D
@Izzy, hahah i agree on giving them what they like and not we think they should like. Still, you wouldn’t let your kids lay with a hot iron even they wanted, would you?
Severe exaggeration, that I’m aware.
Hahaha…this entry speaks of one of the fear i harbor even before my gal was born. What if I bought her an iPad and she demands for something normal with keyboard and mouse? Or I bought her a designer bag like what the offspring of Hollywood stars are carrying and she request for a Barney or Dora bag? I wonder how does the stars do it? Katie Holmes, Jessica Alba..how did they make their kids fashionable and have ‘taste’? haha…
@Ranna, I can definitively say that the kids will probably be happy with the iPad. In fact they’re so fond of my iPhone they’ve brought it to the bath with them. Twice.
On the fashion sense – I think its choice by elimination. I doubt the kids shop anywhere else beside design label boutiques.