do you buy your kid a toy every time you go to walmart?

Question

i have noticed this time after time. i am in the toy section of a store like target or walmart and a mom is telling her kid "you can get ONE toy" or "as long as it's under $20" and usually the kid is complaining or acting kind of bratty, so he doesn't deserve anything anyway.

um, is this just normal now? my parents were not poor, but they did not give me toys just on a whim. it seems parents just automatically give their kids things without having to earn it. birthdays, holidays, etc i understand, but i think people are just giving kids toys to shut them up, and to me, that sends the wrong message. they are not learning the value of money and they are being taught to have an entitlement mindset.

i hope new parents will resist this trend...

Answer 1

HECK NO. IF I DID I'D BE BROKE. I GO TO WALMART ABOUT 3 TO 4 TIMES A WEEK. I LOVE WALMART I SHOP FOR EVERYTHING THERE.
IF PARENTS DO THAT THEN THEIR CHILDREN WILL EXPECT SOMETHING EVERY TIME THEY GO SOMEWHERE. THAT IS NOT GOOD. KNOW WHAT REALLY DRIVES ME NUTS? WHEN PARENTS DON'T CONTROL THEIR KIDS IN PUBLIC, THEY LET THEM MISBEHAVE AND STAND THERE AND ACT LIKE NOTHING IS WRONG. WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THAT? I SAY PADDLE THER @SS. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR MISBEHAVING. OR WHEN I SEE PARENTS CUTTING DEALS WITH THEIR KIDS, THAT IS SO STUPID. THEY SAY THINGS LIKE "IF YOU BEHAVE I'LL GET YOU AN ICE CREAM CONE," OR IF YOU BEHAVE WE'LL GO TO THE PARK." STUFF LIKE THAT. AND I'M THINKING TO MYSELF, WHAT IS THEIR PROBLEM, THEY ARE THE PARENTS, YOU DON'T CUT DEALS WITH YOUR KIDS. THEY SHOULD LISTEN TO YOU NO MATTER WHAT. SOME PARENTS NEED CLASSES OR SOMETHING. SOME THINGS I SEE AND HEAR I JUST CANT BELIEVE. AND THEN PEOPLE WONDER WHY THEIR KIDS GET OUT OF CONTROL, WELL DUH, THEY MAKE THEM THAT WAY.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I agree with you. Parenting seems to have gone down the drain in a lot of cases. Entitlement mindset is exactly it.

I don't belive in deprivation either but there is a good balance between both. I saw a spot on good morning america where they were talking about a teenage girl who doesn't do drugs or get into trouble. She gets good grades and eats right.

She was part of a study since whe was a toddler. They were doing a test on self-control. They had this girl standing at a table with a piece of candy under a clear dish. They told her that she could have the candy after a bell rings. Then a minute passed and a bell rang, and she lifted up the dish and ate the candy. They also practiced taking turns with blocks. "You put one on the stack" "Okay. Now it is my turn" "Now it is your turn again"

These simple exercises taught this and many other kids that self-control is a virtue that gets rewarded. Or good things come to those who wait.

Now I see parents who will not even invest that time in their kids. A 3 year old gets plopped into a playpen in front of a TV for HOURS. When they get older, give them video games. These things are the perfect little electronic babysitter. These same parents seem to have the "Give them a toy (or candy or soda) to shut them up" mindset. Yes, let's reward bratty behavior. Let's reinforce their misbehaving and ensure that it happens every time.

Or there's the parents who are not strong enough to disappoint their kids. The kid gets sad or mad and the parent doesn't understand that disappointment is a part of life and something that a kid NEEDS to learn how to handle early on. They are doing their kids a disservice by giving them all they want. Life is going to be hard for them.

... Okay I am done ranting.

Answer 4

Unless you are sitting the toy section of Walmart everyday and seeing the same people time after time, this statement is really unfair.
You don't know why that family is there. They could be buying a birthday gift for a friend, they may be on some sort of behaviour modification program, the child could be spending birthday money. Without knowing all the facts it is hard to say.
I do agree with you that children should not get toys every time they leave the house.
One thing that I do is before entering the store I tell my son "we are not buying toys today", or I will let him hold 1 toy while we are in the store (helps keep him from getting bored) and then it goes back on the shelf before we leave.
My son also gets an allowance for keeping his room clean. Every couple fo weeks we go to the dollar store to spend it. He picks out what he wants, takes it to the cash, and pays for it himself. Really helps him to understand that there isn't always money for what he wants, and the value of a dollar.

Answer 5

well you don't know what the situation behind the kid getting the toy is. maybe the parents told the kid if they were good the night before with the baby sitter then they can have a toy of something. I am a first time mom and I shop at walmart, but I don't buy my son a toy every time we go in there. I DO buy him toys when it isn't his birthday, but that's because his B-Day is 2 weeks after Christmas and if those were the only time I ever buy him toys that would kinda suck for him right? but I don't think its right that parents tell their kids in the store if you are good I will buy you a toy... and then the kid is being a brat they still buy him a toy anyways.

Answer 6

I have four daughters ages 11 and under. there is no way that I would buy them something everytime I went to Wal-mart or any store. I can barely afford rent much less a toy every time multiplied times four.lol. I do find it annoying to watch people do this. Most of the time the child is uninterested in the toy by the time they get home. My gilrs always ask and sometimes beg me but, I find that distracting them or just being blunt that I cannot afford it usually works and now that some of my kids are getting older they are learning the value of a dollar

Answer 7

Well, I never go to Walmart. But when I go to the store, no I do not get my kid something as long as it's under $20. I may get him something that is under $5 if I have the money and he has behaved that day. I think to buy a kid something worth $20 every time you go shopping is ridiculous and doesn't teach the kid that you have to earn the things that you want. My son has chores and he doesn't get an allowance, his payment is that I get him what he needs and sometimes the things that he wants. My son lacks for nothing if it is a necessity. But I see exactly what you see in the store. But not all parents are like that, that God.

Answer 8

Okay I have read a lot of the responses and I agree children are spoiled and some do earn their money from chores and doing well in school. What I can't stand is who much kids get for doing well in school I was working in retail at christmas last year and around here the consistant going rate for an A was $50 now that is insane I know I used to get a whoppin for anything less than a B.

Answer 9

I know what youre saying and I DO NOT buy my child(ren) a toy every time we go to the store. It certainly doesnt make them appreciate what they already have. HOWEVER sometimes at the end of the shopping and at the end of ones wits and patience because we are sometimes too tired to "fight" with the kids it is easier to get them something to shut them up, like gum or something. 99% of the time I say no but every now and again I give in. If you are NOT a parent you will not understand how this works and you cannot understand how children try you patience until there are none left.

Answer 10

I have a five year old daughter who is very well behaved and sometimes she asks when we walk by the toys. But she never nags me for anything. I never buy her a toy when we go to Walmart. She gets toys with her own money, such as allowance, money from birthdays, holidays, etc. I only buy her toys for a birthday or holiday and she is never with me. I think parents that buy their children toys whenever they ask are not allowing their child to understand the limits to spending and the value of money.