Dear Santa...

[jabberwocky629]

So the paper this morning had a whole section of letters to Santa from local schools.  Some of them were really cute, like the ones explaining why Oreos were their favorite cookie, and the kid who said "in case you're on a diet, I put the sugar free cookies on the left."  Haha, kids are funny.  But a lot of them kind of disturbed me.  When a whole bunch of first and second graders are asking for phones, ipods, cameras, and laptops, I have to wonder a bit.  Even the fact that 9 out of 10 of these letters asks for either a nintendo, playstation, or wii was kind of scary to me.  Now, granted I was never a videogame kid, but aren't kids that young supposed to ask for action figures, dolls, sports equipment, etc?  Things that require running around or social play?  Let alone phones and computers!!!  And I suppose people don't give cd players anymore, so ipod isn't as strange as it first seems, but I don't think I would give my 6-year-old an ipod.  Where are they going that they need their own personal music system?  I don't want to sound like a grinch, but honestly!  The only thing that disturbs me more than a first grader asking for an iphone or a laptop is the thought that their parents might just get them one.  Is that the expectation now?  I suppose I'm going to be the uber uncool parent who doesn't let their child have a cell phone until they start driving.  Which by the time I have kids will probably be akin to not having a tv when I was growing up-something that was unheard of and horrifying.  And what on earth is an elementary school kid going to do with a laptop?  I guess play games, but other than that...just get them a videogame system, if you're contemplating that!  I'm going to be an awful troll of a parent-forcing my kids to go outside and play, to play board games with the family, sit down at the dinner table and talk about their day, play with Barbies or Transformers instead of videogames.  And no cell phone!  My goodness-(and I feel really old and crotchety when I say this)-but what on earth do 8-year olds need phones for?  I was helping out for awhile with a kids theater group of ages 4-15.  ALL OF THEM had phones, and most of them would sit there and text and whatnot while we were trying to do stuff!  And their parents would get pissed if you tried to confiscate them.  What the hell?!  Your child does not need to be that tied to you (and their other high-tech friends) at all times!  Ugh.  I suppose I am a grinch.  Oh well.

Happy Holidays-and please don't get the young children in your life a phone or a laptop!