Happy Birthday to youuuuuuu!

  My nephew has a birthday coming up. This is a picture of what I REALLY wanted to send him! (my brother and I didn't get along much as kids- time for revenge muwahahahaaha!) But no, I like my s-i-l too much to do that to her.

I went to a book store instead, thinking I'd get one of those recordable children's books and kind of "read" him a story.  Pretty simple.  Or so I thought.  But when I got there I was inundated by cloth books, cardboard books, and books in matched sets.  And that was before I saw all the TOYS!!!  Things have really changed since I was a kid.  They had all the toys separated by age & purpose, with handy little guides touting the benifits of each one.  Some toys even got awards.  I must say the guilt-inducing labels/marketing for this stuff is unreal. 

On a set of (very expensive) baby books I found out language develop begins in the first six months of life, which is why reading to your child is so important- all very true.  The reality is you could also read your infant the ingredients off the back of a tube of toothpaste or the instructions from the dishwasher manual. It doesn't matter what you're reading to her, just that you ARE reading.

Along with little factoids about brain development and how important this stage of life is there was a subtle undercurrent that really got to me- this quiet implication that your kid could end up in special ed classes all for the lack of some brain-development-blocks.  Over and over again, I read about how much children learn in the early years.  That my purchase would help shape this little brain for the rest-of- his- life.  But what if I choose wrong?  What if I choose the baby Einstein products instead of the sensory enhancement set??  He may never appreciate art!  Then there was the imagination station and the motor skills section (who wants their kid to end up being a klutz.)  Yikes.  I don't even have kids and I was starting to get a major dose of mommy guilt.  As I'm sure the advertisers intended, this was quickly followed by the urge to purchase every item in the store.

An hour and half later, I finally selected what I thought was the perfect thing- an ecofriendly train made out of recycled wood, with non-toxic colors, and no small parts to serve as a choking hazard.   Geeez.  Pretty sure MY parents never worried about what my toys did to the environment....pretty sure they didn't spend upwards of $50 on playsets either.  I recall many an afternoon happily spent playing with a cardboard box my dad brought home from the grocery store.  A box!  Anyway,  I was walking up to the register and noticed yet another label, FOR AGES 3+.  Well, what kind of auntie gives her nephew a toy that is clearly inappropriate for his age range and ability levels.  Back to square one.    

Time for a dose of reality here.  Last year my nephew enjoyed his birthday presents..... he ALSO enjoyed turning the dog's food bowl upside down and hitting it with a spoon (seriously, he thought this was the coolest thing ever!)  He plays in his non-toxic age appropriate play tent-thingy.  He also rolls around in the dirt.  His parents have all the baby gear and games, but they encourage spontaneous playtime the most.  And he is doing GREAT!

My wish for this birthday is that he continues to play, explore, grow, and be the wonderful little person that he is. 

Auntie Leah loves you!

(Ps. I'll save the drumset for later ;-)