DEAR AMY: My oldest son will be turning five next month. We are planning a party at a local park with simple games and food. My problem is, I don’t want guests to bring presents.
He has lots of toys, and I feel our house is overrun! However, I don’t want him to be hurt with the expectation of opening presents. Please help!DEAR PRESENT TENSE: At your son’s age, giving and receiving gifts is important, not because of the stuff you get, but because of the social exchange -- that of generosity and gratitude -- that children demonstrate as they celebrate birthdays.
You will then recycle these “basket toys” by giving them to another family member, donating them to a local charity or shelter, or by having a yard sale. DEAR AMY: I agree with you that gift exchanges are important for young children. A friend of mine handled this by asking all of her little guests to bring food, a toy, etc., for a dog - and they donated all of these gifts to their local shelter. It was a lot of fun, and the kids enjoyed it too.
We don’t have Barbies in the house for all the usual reasons, and the Bratz/ Monster High dolls are simply disturbing.
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