Ok, what do I buy a four-year-old boy whose parents probably don't buy him enough books* or learning toys who's having an impromptu birthday party thrown for him on Saturday to which I'm unable to excuse myself because transportation has been arranged on my behalf.
Curious about what I've already bought? I have a convenient list.
edit- I guess I should clarify that these are things I've bought for previous birthdays and christmases, not this birthday.
*I vividly remember a conversation about how I hadn't bought Dr. Seuss for him last year because I assumed they already had them all. The reply was they didn't have ANY Dr. Seuss. WHAT? Isn't it illegal to have a child in the US without possessing the entire Dr. Seuss library? Wasn't that one of the lesser-known insidious elements of the patriot act along with the repeal of the fourth amendment and that clause that allows for civilians to be tried in an offshore military tribunal?
I've also never bought one of those "Baby Einstein" sets for baby showers assuming people already have them only to find out no one else at the party has ever heard of them.
Remember the Disney wedding last year? Well, the bride (who never sent her thank you note! bad bride!) is having a baby shower a week from Sunday. Hey, call me a cynic but I'm just happy (and frankly surprised) the wedding and baby shower are in this order.
I am most likely not knitting something for her. This is not someone who would appreciate the quirk and beauty of a handmade gift. Not to mention her mother-in-law is the crafty aunt who taught me how to cast-on and knit so she likely has handmade gifts a'plenty. But she's also kind of a bling bling girl who likes Disney so much it usually makes me slightly uncomfortable trying to have conversations with her. Sort of reminds me of the women who collect Hello Kitty appliances without the pop culture irony.
And, here's where my embarrassing pettiness comes in, I don't want to use any of my precious yarn on a present for her. Although..I have some supercheap balls of acrylic I bought at the estate sale for this exact kind of occasion. Maybe I'll have enough time to make something.
A case of beer and a carton of smokes?
Does the kid have Duplos? Little People are always a hit at that age.
There's also the Musini. Philip over at The Blue Sloth recently got it for his kids, and they loved it.
Good luck!
Posted by: Amy at June 16, 2005 11:31 AM
Since he needs books desperately... some of my kids favorites at that age were:
Where the Wild Things Are (sometimes you can find this packaged with a stuffed Wild Thing)
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (My 21 year old still has a copy of this book)
Anything by Shel Silverstein, but especially his poetry books: Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic
All three of my kids list these as their favorite books of all time. Of course, 4-year olds also seem to like anything they can take apart. :)
Posted by: Beth at June 16, 2005 5:19 PM
for the baby shower: if she's having a boy, you could give her PeePee TeePees. http://www.uncommongoods.com/item/item.jsp?itemId=13271
nevermind the Disney bit. Since i found out about those, i've given them to two mommies who said they were very pleased. They could have been just being polite, but i still think those things are pretty nifty. Don't know why they weren't invented aeons ago.
Great shower (so to speak) tip! Thank you!
Posted by: daysleeper at June 16, 2005 9:55 PM
Erm, not sure I understand this, but this is a list of things you already bought for this birthday?
If so, it seems enough to me, but that might be a cult'ral thing :D
Posted by: Juus at June 17, 2005 8:08 AM
Wow, that's quite a list..you must really love this kid.
Posted by: Chastity at June 17, 2005 6:50 PM
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