And This Season’s Obsession Is…
It seems that once or twice a year, my daughter is seized by an obsession with something that she just HAS to have. The year before last it was an American Girl doll. You know, the one’s that cost eighty-seven dollars?
Yes, they’re really wholesome and not even remotely skeevy like, you know..those other skank ass dolls that we all (well, almost all) love to hate. However, at $87 a pop they’re out of reach for a lot of kids and thus, dare I say, a bit elitist? But apparently stinking elitists we are, because we DO have one, now don’t we?
Yes, Grandma was more than willing to plunk down nearly a hundred bucks for a doll. I have my theories as to why, but we shan’t delve into extended family politics right now. The point is…TQ got the ridiculously overpriced doll she so desperately wanted.
Between then and now, many more mini-obsessions have developed and most likely been quelled either by time or occasionally by acquisition of the object of said obsession.
But now, it seems the mother of ALL obsessions has descended upon our house like a pox. A plush, secret code-bearing pox. Yes. I’m talking about Webkinz.
It seems that every girl in her group at camp has a Webkinz plush toy and thus, the secret code that allows you the privilege of accessing the Webkinz web site to care for a virtual version of your particular toy. I think that’s how it works but I wouldn’t really know for sure because you have to have the stupid, frackin’ secret code to get in there and check it out.
Luckily (NOT), her friend (the same one who sparked the American Girl doll fixation) has numerous Webkinz and let TQ use her password to access the site from camp. But when her friend isn’t there or when TQ is at home, she can’t play on the Webkinz site . Of course, TQ’s her goal all along has been for her to have her OWN Webkinz plush toy, which would solve ALL her problems and maybe even world hunger, too, to hear her tell it.
Thus far (two weeks) I haven’t given in because part of me wants her to not follow the crowd, to be her own person, to not always crave what all the spoiled rich girls have. But the other part of me remembers how important it is to fit in with your peers when you’re little.
In fact, my BFF, who I’ve known since second grade (and who STILL doesn’t have a blog!) were talking about all the must-have things we remembered from elementary school and so I’m not completely unsympathetic to TQ’s plight, if I can call it that, but I just hate giving in to every trend that comes along, every craze that sweeps the nation.
Today it’s a $20 plush toy but down the road it will be triple digit jeans and useless, micro-teeny designer handbags or whatever.
Where we’re at right now…
TQ refused to take the swim test at camp because it’s a competition pool with no shallow end. Never mind that she KNOWS how to swim and had three months of DAILY swim lessons a few years ago, paid for by my dearly departed dad. She just doesn’t like that she can’t touch the bottom and thus, she has to wear a life vest.
You have no idea how much this irritates me. I know I should just let her be but this is Florida. You HAVE to know how to swim and swim well and it drives me nuts that her little phobia, which is characteristically irrational, has her swimming with a life jacket. Grrrrr… If my father were actually in a grave, he’s be turning in it; spinning and whirring and spinning and whirring!
So…I told her that if she would swim in the deep end at the pool this weekend and then take another swim test on Monday, I would buy her a Webkinz. If she doesn’t, she’ll have to save for one with her own money. I hate to even allow this silly gotta-have-a-special-code nonsense into our lives but this opportunity for bribery was too perfect to pass up. How do you think I potty trained her? That’s right. I bribed her with milkshakes and french fries.
Anyway, we’re supposed to be at the pool right now but she back-talked to me this afternoon in a major way so I called it off and it’s been a big, dramatic sobfest ever since and I’m actually blogging to keep myself from going in to her room and yelling at her. In case you didn’t know, my tolerance for drama and sobbing is about as high as my tolerance for incessant whining…which is to say practically NON-EXISTENT.
I’l let you know how it goes. IF it goes.
Oh, and the next obsession on the horizon?
God help us… It’s Crocs.
I don’t really care for them but one time I made the mistake of mentioning that the Mary Jane-style crocs were somewhat less ugly than the clog ones, and maybe even kind of cute for little girls, and she’s been on about them ever since.
So like a dumbass, I let her try them on at the mall but she’s between sizes so the guy said to come back in a few months to see if she’s at the next size and now she’s bugging me to go back and try them on. But I can assure you I’m not paying $33 for plastic shoes.
NOT. DOING. IT.
Well, for now anyway…
Because who knows when I may need to resort to bribery again???
You totally crack me up. I’m a big briber from way back when. It’s amazing, the power of the bribes, isn’t it?
As for crocs… I like them. I know they’re ugly, but they are so comfy and perfect for people like me with very sensitive toes. If you don’t want to pay full price, get her the knockoffs. They’re about $10 less and just as good.
We have 3 AG dolls. And a Bitty Baby. And a whole shit load of clothes and stuff.
Em has crocs ( real) and knock offs. She senses NO difference whatsoever.
Today, at a birthday party I apologized to the other mothers for inadvertently sparking the current Playmobil “thing” that is happening. While no Web thingy it is no less expensive….
And yeah, I bribe. I used to keep the closet of goodies to bribe Em, on a whole variety of things.
I call it “persuasion”…..and hang on to your hat, the drama shit is JUST beginning, sweetie. Sorry.
oh how I hate those ugly ass shoes. DO.NOT.WANT.
Right? Well then I wore a pair at a faire where I did 32 chair massages and they are so comfortable. Yet so ugly, yet so comfortable and now I am conflicted so conflicted. Oy.
I have a baby girl and have it all to come.
God help me…
one reason i’m glad i have boys. they’re a bit better about this kind of stuff, though they ask for things too, just not as much and not as insistently, i think.
Oh God, in reading this I realize my mother will be getting her revenge shortly. I was awful about always wanting some new cool trend. Cordy is still a little young for obsessing over possessions, but I see it coming.
On a different kid-marketed product topic, I don’t suppose you’ve seen the trailer for the Bratz movie. Yes. The Bratz movie.
It all starts out like some typical teen movie targeted to tweens and then at the end, the big reveal of the title: Bratz!
My friend and I were at the Nancy Drew movie with out daughters and we both looked at each other, our daughters’ bodies were tensed up with hope/excitement. They looked at us. I was a little more kind and just said, “No!” My friend was a little more tortuous. She told her daughter, “Oh! Daddy is going to want to take you to that movie…” Her daughter perked up with anticipation. “NOT!” (It was a little cruel, I do admit, but we’ve all been very clear on the Bratz embargo.)
The thing is, the girls in the movie were supposed to be incoming freshmen in high school. They were dressed funky and maybe a little too tank toppy. The make up and stuff wasn’t bad, though. If the Bratz dolls looked like that, I wouldn’t have as much of a problem with them. If the girls in the movie were really dressed and made up like Bratz dolls, the movie makers would probably have been arrested for child porn or something.
Grrrrrrrrr!!!!!
Have had to pay big money for plastic shoes for BOTH kids already. UGH!
Yikes! I knew the American Girl dolls were expensive, but I didn’t realize they were that much. My step-daughter has two! I was never into dolls at her age so I can’t relate. It’s funny you mention the Webkinz as we saw them at Carlton Cards in the mall today and a little girl was begging her mom for one. Personally I think they’re ugly and not even soft like a cheaper Beanie Baby. My step-daughter didn’t give them a second glance, but then again, she’s currently home-schooled so perhaps when she’s back in school in the Fall it will be a different story.
I agree with you on the Crocs. I don’t get that whole thing, but it must be a trend for all ages as my Dr. was wearing them!
Ahhh yes, Webkinz. My mom worked in a Hallmark store and was like a crack dealer for my girls. Fortunately, she is a crack dealer who is also very frugal, so they each ‘only’ have about 3 (and she’s quit so they’ve lost their pusher). Also, fortunately, they played the computer stuff for a bit but haven’t in AGES, so I hope that it is ‘over’ or at least quieted down. Webkinz are this generation’s Beanie Babies.
We’ve also entered the world of American Girl too. Now THAT is some scary consumerism.
my kids are obsessed with their webkinz.
and i’m a little bit embarrassed to say that so am i. i help them with certain games that i know can win them extra points…and then once they go to sleep, i go on and play the games i like to help their scores. it’s really sad, actually….
It’s kiddie crack, I tell you…
My kiddos are hooked:o
De-lurking to laugh hysterically at this post.
We have American Girl dolls and all of their stuff (oh brother, DO we, courtesy of a grandmother who is a doll collector). Not only that, but guess who has been invited to be a model in an American Girl Fashion Show? Uh huh. She gets a discount on *more* AG stuff that way.
I might have to put an addition onto the house, just for the darn things. We’ve run out of room.
Fortunately for us, the Webkinz are smaller and don’t take up as much room. Especially since my kids keep LEAVING THEM ON MY COMPUTER DESK. Argh!!!
And the ugly plastic shoes? So comfortable, my middle child wants more — one pair in every color.
to go with the colors of her Webkinz, of course.
But every time I start to complain, I think to myself, “At least she’s not into BRATZ!”
Yet.
My almost three year old son likes to read toy catalogs on the toilet and inform me of what I have to buy for him. He’s been on about Bob the Builder sand toys for a year. HE wants crocs, too, but they don’t make them small enough, thank heaven!
Didn’t our generation do this with those hideous Cabbage Patch Dolls with their cheesy adoption papers?!?
Oh little girl obsessions. Luckily so far it hasn’t been too bad here. Mine is sort of a march to the beat of her own drummer sort.
Some women sell them from home. Like Avon or something.
I’m also the evil mommy who says, “Oh you want that? Cool! let’s count the money in your bank and see how much more you need to earn and save.” Even worse, I don’t extend credit. And I’m horrible for lectures about wants versus needs.
But.
I’m horrible for buying books. Never say no to that.
I like your solution. You could both win, or she could do things the other way. we’re not at the obssession stage yet, thank god, but I think it’s a tough line to walk. You don’t want your kid to feel left out, but you don’t want them to think they NEED thsoe things, either, or that it is easy to just buy into whatever they want. I do like the solution of having them save towards it so they get a better idea of the value of that money and whether they really think it’s worth it. My mom always had this notion that she would put in the money it would cost to buy me the regular version of whatever (shoes, for example), and if I wanted something fancier, I would have to pay the difference. Makes you think twice about that object.
Never ever say no to books. Although I wish we didn’t have quite so many Berenstain Bear books.
OK, I swear I didn’t read this before I posted what I just posted
Good idea with the bribery. Hopefully that will work for you.
I cant’ stand Crocs. They look ridiculous, and I can’t imagine they’re comfortable. But, my brother and my 5-year-old nephew have them. Imagine that.
A Bratz movie *sigh*
Gawd…WHY? Just WHY?
Gah! Comment eaten again. Reiterating…
I like your solution. Teaching her that earning something means sacrifice of one sort or another means she might not take it so lightly. My mom used to offer to buy me the basic whatever (ie. sneakers), and if I wanted the trendy version, I had to pay the difference. Makes you think about whether you really need to spend extra on it. (Sometimes, yes, it feels worth it still, but the pause is worthwhile, I think.)
Thank goodness Webkinz madness has not started at our house yet. I am worried with a whole new set of kids at camp what grand ideas will come home next! I have to say that the Crocs thing was the best thing I ever did, my kids wear them ALL the time and have since last summer, I’ve seriously gotten my money’s worth. I think I am getting the Mary Janes as their back to school shoes they can wear them with everything!
Izzy, a blogfriend (steph) referred me to you because i’m desperately jonesing for a cool look for my blog- are you for hire? :)
Tacy has a Bitty Baby, thanks to MIL, and our neighbor’s daughter does too. Her Bitty Baby is lovingly cared for. Our Bitty Baby is naked and has a Princess band-aid on her head.
I dig bribery, but I also dig making them save their money for what they want. I had to bribe for ballet lesson attendance, but I’m utterly relieved that swimming lessons were enough fun on their own that no bribery was required.
Here’s hoping that TQ loses her fear soon. Too much pretty water in FL to stay out of it!
I’m dreading this “must-have doll” phase. Truly dreading.
As far as obsessions go, the Webkinz craze is actually not that bad. My kids (both of them; it’s big with boys here too) buy their own with their own money. They have two sizes (the smaller ones are priced around $7, the larger ones about $11), so they can save up and get the ones they want. We checked out the web site, and it’s pretty benign and is a safe, closed environment. No talking involved and no identifying info, so no pedophiles can stalk.
The Crocs? My daughter, thankfully, has no desire and, other than the Webkinz, has been blissfully unaffected by the whims of others. Then again, she walks around with an iPod around her neck often (which, I might add, is her dad’s hand-me-down, NOT a new one!).
Oh, and thanks for the linky love, Rockin’ Girl Blogger!
You’re so right. She *could* be begging me for Bratz dolls!
My mom was always hoping I’d get obsessed with something totally geeky like D&D, but refused to buy designer clothes or the latest doll craze.
Right now I wish there was something my 4YO just “had to have” to fit in at camp, since the poor guy is so miserable at his new summer camp and I need something for bribery :) He’s almost convinced the swimming lessons are worth the switch, but still cries.
I’d take webkinz over bratz anyday.
I’m loving fifi and the flowertots though :) not sure if it’s a uk thing??
Ohhh…my oldest, who is 11, STILL wants an American Girl. I just know, though, as soon as she got it, she’d be obsessed with getting every. single. piece. for the doll.
I hadn’t heard of webkinz…but I’m sure I will soon! Ah!
Oh, this is too funny. I have a post about crocs that I wrote today (you’ll see it this weekend) and I mention the whole idea of bribery and how crocs are a lesser evil than other things. We must be mentally aligned somehow. ;-)
Yeah, plastic shoes. Yuck. But those shoes are THE MOST comfortable shoes I have ever worn. I plan to buy a few more in different colors. I only wish my daughter liked them too.
Sorry to be so late on the discussion, but WEBKINZ are ruining my life! OK - I exaggerate, but both my kids jockey for space in front of the computer, and if I let them, they’d be on there for hours. At first I was amused, justifying their play by thinking about how computer savvy they were becoming. Now I’m just sick of it and want them to go outside and ride their bikes.