Hello and welcome to another blog!
We were recently fortunate enough to feature in Pipersienna’s latest blog, where her lovely mumma Kerry talked about why she prefers quality over quantity when it comes to choosing toys for her daughter Miss Piper.
This is obviously a huge part of what we’re all about and was something that I also wanted to discuss and dive into a little deeper with you all here because I think, and I really really hope that this is how more and more parents are looking at the way they purchase toys and gifts for their children.
Unfortunately, there is no denying that we are living in a fast paced, materialistic, compulsive consumption based society and I fear that for the most part, this is actually getting worse in some cultures.
In my humble opinion (and no, I’m no expert!) I believe that the ever expanding world of online shopping plays a huge part in feeding this ‘need to have it’ view that many people have to the point where it can easily becomes an obsession. And I can’t really blame anyone. With the introduction of services such as Afterpay (shop now pay later), what hope do we really have of saying no?!
Before having our son Leo, I know that I fell into this category. I ‘needed’ new make up, clothes, nail polish, shoes etc etc….the list just goes on! It’s not until you no longer put yourself first, nor have the means to be spending carelessly, that you realise the difference between ‘need’ and ‘want’ and how much you can actually survive without!
I don’t think anyone can teach you this lesson better than a child. They don’t care what brand of clothing they wear, where their shoes came from or whether they have 5 toys or 50. They’re just happy if they’re clothed, fed, warm and loved (in a nutshell!). Some of my son’s favourite ‘toys’ to play with are not actually toys! Like the spray bottle we use to water the plants. He can easily spend hours outside playing with it and just having silly, messy fun with his Dad.
So, how do we change? It’s up to us, of course! We are the ones that need to provide them with the right tools to learn and not overwhelm them with all the latest play things, just because WE think they ‘need’ them. To me this is something we can all learn and practice, starting today and is also something very important for us to teach our children.
Purchasing items such as clothing or kids pyjamas that you know are of high quality and can be passed on when they are outgrown, is a great place to start.
Thankfully it is becoming easier to find small businesses in Australia and worldwide who share this view and have created products based around this ethos.
Impulsive, excessive buying and consumption effects us as well as our environment. When we no longer want the things we thought we HAD to have, where do they usually end up? Landfill! Conscious shopping is something we should all practice and I have found myself doing it more and more but it’s also something that I do need to continually work at because, well… I really enjoy shopping! Like, If it were a sport, I’d have no trouble taking home the gold!
So, back to toys! I know it’s easy to get carried away, especially when it comes to Birthdays and Christmas and I understand that a lot of parents just want to give their children all the things that they never had. And all I can say is, don’t you remember your childhood? (unless your parents were millionaire’s) then it was probably quite similar to mine. You chose something you really like (usually just 1 thing like a bike) and you waited and waited and waited until finally it was Christmas or your Birthday and you got to open it and play with it….and you did! Until it was worn out or you simply outgrew it and then you passed it on.
That’s what I want for my son. I want him to know the value of things and that it takes hard work to get them and that you actually can’t always get what you want! So while he is blessed to be in an environment where he is surrounded by (only the best!) toys, we have never gone overboard or overwhelmed him with choice. He has a few very special pieces and he plays with them regularly. If and when he no longer does, they will either be kept for the next one (argh!) or donated so another child can play with them and cherish the memories they help create.
These are keepsake toys and a huge reason why we started Happy Go Ducky in the first place.
Thank you so much for reading!
If you’d like to check out more of Piper Sienna’s blog, click here
Amy xx