Thought That Counts?

It is your child's birthday party. As the children gather and you scramble for your note pad to try to convince yourself that this time you will write thank you notes, your child opens the gift and squeals with delight. You are silently planning on how to either return the gift or hide it before your little darling opens the package:

Here are the top 7 most horrible gifts to receive:

(My sincere apologies to dear friends who may have given me the toys. You know who you are.)

1. Moon Sand. Is there anything worse? First of all, who thought to bring sand indoors? Color it? And make it available year round in the toy aisle? Damn you Moon Sand.

2. Complicated games. I know the box says 6 and up but I hate learning new games. I am not good at it and I am pretty lazy. Just stick to the classics. Please?

3. Whistles or other music equipment. I am a lover of all things music. But this has to be left to the parents to buy so they can only blame themselves. I gave out little whistles in treat bags to toddlers a few years ago. I am so ashamed.

4. Legos before you are ready. When I was first given Legos, I thought my friends hated me and wanted me to go crazy. I do not want a box with 200 parts in it. I will be the cleaner upper. No thanks! (We now love Legos and the boys usually pick them up themselves. But at age 5, ugh!)

5. Any sort of puzzle, game or figurine that you have to put together that does not come with a box. We are not good at keeping toys together. More work for me.

6. Water guns are pretty annoying. Until the kids are old enough, you are stuck helping them fill them up. Once they are old enough, you become the target.

7. Stuffed animals. My kids LOVE Webkinz. Other than that, stuffed animals are quickly donated to Project Night Night. A few have made it through to their beds. A few. The rest are donated, given to the dog or are used as in house footballs.

So as you can see, it is all about ME! Even if these toys bring hours of enjoyment to my children, I rate them on how much work it takes for me to maintain. So, please skip the Moon Sand, the complicated games and the whistles. With a little girl on the way, I am sure I will be able to add to this list. Please, oh please, no Bratz dolls or make-up for my toddler/preschooler. So, what would you add? I am sure every mom has her favorites.