Who agrees that it is absolutely ridiculous to buy expensive gadgets for children?? (10 points!)?

Question

My Aunt and Uncle are constantly buying expensive gifts for their kids. Their sons (ages 10 and 13) and their daughter (16) all three have Ipod touches with otter box cases. What a waste of money!! Recently my 16 year old cousin lost hers and on a whim my Aunt went and bought her a new one at walmart along with the case. I think it's absolutely ridiculous! I am 19 and never received anything expensive from my parents and I turned out just fine. We are thrifty and get nice things from yard sales and are always using coupons, etc. When i was younger and everyone had to have ipods, I got a $20 mp3 player which was just fine. When I have children, I will get most of their items from yard sales and instead of spending $700 for three kids to have ipod touches (that are worthless unless in a wifi area anyway) I will put that money towards their college funds!! Who agrees???

Answer 1

Is it possible you are a little jealous?



Just 2mts ago you were talking about getting a new phone & said "my phone is about to crab out and I'd like to have something a little nicer"

https://answersrip.com/question/index?qid=20120531120055AAyszKB



If a family can afford it then I don't see the problem.



My niece & nephew have iPhones. They are only 10 & 11. They live with their father in a trailer type home that belongs to the fathers father. I think this is nuts because if a father can't afford to support his own kids then why by them iPhones? He could have saved that money to buy a home of their own and get away from the drunk grandfather.



Also iPod touches are not $700. You can by them for $199 & up. But the up is no where near $700. I don't know where you get they are that much.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_touch/select

Answer 2

If they have the money to spend, it's none of anybody's business how they spend their money. I bought an $800 side-by-side refrigerator, even though a top freezer refrigerator for $500 would have worked just as well. So, did I act "absolutely ridiculous"?! How about the people who buy SUVs? And those people who buy McMansions? Should these people drive a Ford Fiesta instead and rent an apartment, so they can put the extra money into a college fund?

Answer 3

I come from a low income family so it dosnt bother me to do without things..but when I had kids I wanted them to have the best of things.. My husband gets our kids xbox360,playstation 3, and a ipod touch but my kids already has choirs to do and are Excell students in school they all around a great kids... So I grew up without a pair of shoes and I didnt complain.. I was content with what I had So I dont see a parent giving there children exspensive gifts wrong or bad.. as long as you teach them what the improtant things in life are.. maybe you have some jealosy issuses for your family

Answer 4

Well... Once I was once 10, I begged my mom and dad for an NES until the broke down and acquired me one... And that was once the top of the line tech at the time (and at $199.Ninety nine, it was highly-priced tech). A few year later, I begged them for a GameBoy, and received one for Christmas. I don't see any difference between me getting an NES/GameBoy when I was once 10, and my 10 yr historic cousin getting a DS last 12 months. Besides which... Nintendo products are developed to take the abuse. My usual Gameboy went by means of hell and again, and still works as well because the day I got it.

Answer 5

Im sorry but I disagree... firstly because it is their kids and their money and if they can afford it then good for them. ifI could afford things like that mine would have a DS so I cant really say anything against it. Are you jealous of what they have? My kid had her scooter stolen and I replaced that the same day on a whim... because I hate to see my child unhappy and if I had the money and I could fix it I would so I did. Chances are if they can afford to buy all those things then the college fund is probably already sorted anyway x

Answer 6

I completely agree with you all the way on this. Children need to be taught that material things are not important and that they should be raised on the belief that what they do get is special. IE: We received silly putty, etch-a-sketches, barbi dolls and thought they were just magnificent. There is no need to buy expensive things for kids, I do not care if you have alot of money. They will become spoiled rotten brats who will then expect a bigger and better present each and every time thereafter.



Being brought up in this manner has made me appreciate all the small things in life. Being raised in this manner has made me come to respect just how hard my parents worked and how respectful I was of them.

Answer 7

If you have the money I guess do whatever. I don't have that kind of money, so my 5 year old does not yet have a game system of any kind and I definitely won't consider a cell phone until he's in middle school.

Answer 8

Faith; she was taking the C $200 figure and *3 which equals C $700

Answer 9

To each their own, I came from a family that was very, very poor and we had none of those things. Our own children were limited to what they had. The parents can afford it so I would just let it be.

Answer 10

When I was 10 I went around playing with sticks from trees thinking I was Jackie chan my friends youngr brother who is 10 just got an iPad for finishing a year of school with Bs I was like WTF that's either bribery or black mail but i ain't the one to tell others how to raise their kid even though he spends most of his time playing video games while I was jumping on garage roofs when I was younger

Answer 11

I agree with you. I come from a faimly that is not financially gifted and never had any of that which caused me to be more active and actually helped me out in the long run

Answer 12

It isn't ridicluous. If they have the disposible income to spend, there is nothing wrong with spending it on things they enjoy, or that their kids enjoy.



Now, if they have maxed out their credit cards, can't make the payments and need to declare bankruptcy because of this, then you have a point.

Answer 13

I heard somewhere that such kids grow up to know the price of everything, but the value of nothing.

Answer 14

It's up to the parents what they do with their money.