Is Depriving My Kids of Toys a Good Idea?

This is one of the questions that everyone has their own point of view. And, I just hope that by reading this blog, you are able to take a good decision. 

According to several experts, parenting patterns and attitudes have changed drastically over the last decades. While there are many positive effects of this change, one negative effect includes parents pampering their kids too much in the name of love. Occasionally, pampering is good and recommended sometimes, but over-pampering can have undesirable consequences. It’s good to be able to meet the needs and wants of your child, but a parent should limit his or her material love towards his/her kid.

There was a time –most probably decades ago –when kids were gifted toys only on their birthdays and Christmas. However, today if a kid cries for a certain toy, the parent would buy it for him/her to make him/her stop crying. In fact, some parents like to track the latest toy craze as they want their kids to have what’s trending on the toy market.

If you buy your kids lots of toys or all the toys they wish to play with, chances are they might grow up spoilt and snobby. If they get everything with the click of a finger, they will eventually grow up with a sense of self-entitlement and expectations that the society will not tolerate. Life doesn’t work that way, but if that’s what you teach them, it will come back to kick them in the arse when they are older.

But, then the question is: Can you really deprive your kids of toys?

Punishment

“Can I? or “Should I?” isn’t what you should be asking yourself. The key lies in the “Why?”

When kids are deprived of things that mean a lot to them, it can end in resentment. Or, they can actually learn something from it.

There are many who are against the conventional reward-and-punishment model of disciplining kids. However, one cannot deny its usefulness even in this contemporary era where kids are constantly evolving.

There was a time when occasional spanking would keep children focused and in line and remind them of who was in charge. However, over the years, psychologists have talked about the negative impact extensive use of spankings can have on children. So, if you don’t want to use this traditional method of discipline in your household, how about punishing your kids by taking away special items of sentimental value to them?

On the road to adulthood, children have to be taught many lessons. And, who is going to teach them those lessons if not the parents?

One of the most important lessons is that irresponsible or bad behavior can lead to loss of privileges and this can be taught by taking away your kid’s favorite toys. Confiscation of toys might sound a bit hard to do but it is a reasonable consequence of a kid’s bad behavior. It’s also normal then for your kid to test your limits by throwing tantrums and being angry with you, but it’s important to hold your ground.

Don’t Throw It

Keep in mind that I’m talking about taking the toy away and not throwing it. In the early phase of childhood, toys represent stuff that cannot be replaced. So, throwing them would be a devastating consequence for normal childhood misbehavior.

Canalization

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of it, but there are some parents who’ve never offered any toys to their kids. This, I believe, is somehow extreme!

According to sociologists, a child needs to play in order to grow and learn the appropriate human behavior. Toys play a critical role in helping kids learn and carry out their respective gender roles. Hence, depriving them completely of toys would not be a smart decision at all.