Toy Talk #11: Child Wrangler
One of my pet peeves at my son’s old nursery school was when children brought new toys to class to show-off. When they do this, it inevitably degenerates into fights over who gets to play with the toy with the owners not willing to share. And, it also sets off the “I want” train of thought that gets all the rest of the parents into defensive mode. This happened to us last with a Buzz Lightyear action figure. Grrrr.
I wish my son’s teachers were as firm as Jen of Child Wrangler who wrote a list of tips for parents on how to help make a teacher’s life easier with a tip about toys.
3. Please don’t bring a toy to school every day when it is stated in the parent handbook that toys are to be brought to school on sharing day only. In addition, if you do choose to let your child bring a toy to school on a non-sharing day–don’t get mad at us when we tell your child that he/she must keep the toy in his/her backpack for the duration of the day.
Are you guilty of any of the behavior on Jen’s Please Don’t list?
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5 opinions for Toy Talk #11: Child Wrangler
Jen
May 21, 2006 at 8:49 am
Thanks for the comment, and the link! The toy thing drives me nuts because we have almost a dozen kids who bring a toy in on a daily basis.
Hsien-Hsien Lei
May 21, 2006 at 9:14 am
Jen: I don’t know how you stand it! :P I really liked the candor of your blog. Thank goodness for teachers like you.
Deb L
May 22, 2006 at 10:01 am
Great list! :) Parents need to grow a spine and realize that giving their child limits isn’t going to break them. I wouldn’t let my kids take toys to school mostly because usually what they want to take is something prized, and if it gets broken they’d be crushed. A room of kids? All wanting to play with the cool new toy? Almost guaranteed the toy will meet a doom of some sort.
My son’s preschool allows them to be in diapers and pullups- so one of my peeves is parents not sending diapering supplies to school when their kid is almost out.
As for snacks and lunches, whew. that’s a tough one. My son is guilty of bringing sugary treats for snack time, but I send what I do because I know it’s something he’ll eat. He has some oral sensory issues, so food is problematic. I try to aim for the kind of stuff that makes an attempt at nutrition, and I don’t send things like mini Oreos. What bugs me though, is when parents send stuff for ‘holidays’- at Valentines my kid came home with a bag full of stuff I couldn’t let him have most of, because it was mostly chocolate. And that doesn’t sit well with his digestion.
Hsien-Hsien Lei
May 24, 2006 at 8:45 am
Deb Excuses excuses. ;) Of course, I totally konw what you mean! Not all parents are conscientious, though, and I think that’s who Jen is referring to.
As for a spine, I’ve been teaching S the bones of the body and he loves to look in the mirror at his spine. LOL
Deb L
May 24, 2006 at 8:53 am
LOL, I can just picture that! Kids are so fun. :)
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