It’s a difficult time to be a parent. Shops are putting up their Christmas decorations and kids are really noticing them. Especially in the toy section. They want their gifts and they want them now.
So, after one mom got sick and tired of in-store meltdowns, she decided to put an end to them. And found a brilliant way to do so as well. Kristina Watts from Belfair, Washington came up with a simple yet genius trick – creating a photo wishlist.
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The mom-of-three said everything started last year. “Our town was hit by Hurricane Michael, a Cat 5 hurricane, and it was devastating. I was approached to help find a way to provide Christmas toys for a local Title 1 Elementary school. The church that usually supplies Christmas gifts to Lucille Moore Elementary couldn’t do it last year because everyone was struggling so much. So I made an Amazon Wishlist for all 500 kids, kindergarten – 5th grade, and went LIVE on Facebook and called my friends to action. Within days, our house was filled with toys from people all over the US. Then we added a second school and before we knew it, we had our own USPS truck delivering toys for a week,” she told Bored Panda.
“We had about $45,000 worth of toys and Razor scooters in our garage and bedroom. Our kids helped my husband and I unbox and organize all of them. Of course, as a two-year-old, you want all the toys that are in your own house. Dolls, arts and crafts, everything you can imagine. It was like having our own toy store. [Emmie] wanted to open and play with everything and did not understand that they weren’t for her. I mean she was 2!”
“So, I started to take pictures of her with the ones she liked and told her that maybe she can get one too,” Kristina explained. “It worked. She stopped trying to get everything out of its package. She’d carry it around, take a picture, and put it back.”
“We ended up distributing a toy and Razor scooter to every child at Lucille Moore Elementary, and a toy to each child at Cedar Grove Elementary. Around 1100 kids. It was crazy, but that’s how we started doing it!”
Kristina believes that the hack works so well because the child ultimately feels seen and validated. “Like you’re listening to them and getting excited with them. I’m not promising Emmie all of these toys, nor does she get them all. It’s just hope and joy. It’s the modern-day version of circling all the toys in the JC Penney catalog. We never thought we’d get it all, but it’s fun to dream and feel like your parents are looking.”
“A lot of people have been criticizing me for not just ‘saying no,'” she added. “Believe me, my children hear ‘NO’. A lot. This post was just something fun and quick I threw up on Facebook one night. I’m not trying to be a parenting guru, I’m by no means the perfect parent. I’m just another mom, running all the Christmas errands, trying to make shopping a little easier and a little more fun. I’m just trying to do my best and raise decent humans. This hack is just another way to prevent some tears and get through. Plus, how cute is Emmie in all these pictures on my phone?!”
Here’s what people said about Kristina’s trick
Heck...I do this with MYSELF. I take pics of things I think I want in the moment. Later (when I'm home) I go through the pics and delete the ones I don't actually want. I will then search online for the things I REALLY want and usually end up finding them at a better price.
I do this too haha. I have a folder on my phone of pictures and screenshots of things I want to buy. I visit it every so often and remove stuff I no longer want after the moment passed.
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To all the people with the "back in my day" comments, YAY. I somewhat agree, I did the same. But seriously, move on...life and technology has changed, stop bashing parents for using tricks that are available to them but were not available to you or yours. Grow...Up! Yes, even the "adults" here need to grow up. My kids don't need this trick, they accept the word No. But, I still use it for ideas for their birthday and christmas, and it does work. I also dont tell them Santa is real (I have an issue with the lie, but also teach them not to interfere with other kids believing and the spirit of Santa and giving is important) so they know that the pictures are idea generation for family. They might get it, and like circling the overly expensive gifts in a catalog from my day it allows them to dream of getting a huge item they know is unlikely.
I thought " back in my day, I wish I had this opportunity". I just did everything in my power to avoid the toy store/ department at this time of year and said: "ask Santa".
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You're lucky you didn't need too, not everybody has the luxury
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I don't know, if this was my sister growing up she would have expected every one of those gifts under the tree. Granted her memory is outrageously good, but I would love to see an update about this AFTER Christmas.
Yeah. Even if the kid tends to forget things quickly, there might be some things they get really excited about owning so they don't forget those... Telling them that they can't have everything (which is the truth, no matter how much you sugar-coat it) forces them to make priorities, and gives you the chance to get them what they want the most.
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Besides this working like a charm to prevent endless whining, it also comes in handy when you actually have to buy something. When I see the pictures it's easier to recollect what they actually seem to want and what was just because of the moment and being there and being a kid in 2019.
What happened to teaching your kids "NO" and teaching them NOT to have tantrums . Tantrums = consequences. There is no way my mom would have tolerated a tantrum. Not at home. Not in public for sure.
Um...here's a parenting hack...don't spoil or entitle your kids. My parents didn't treat my brothers and I that way and we never acted like the world owed us something. I am raising my daughters the SAME way, as a single mom. No issues.
I used to let my kids pick out toys to donate. It made them surprisingly happy to share their good fortune, and they learned to keep giving as they grew up.
Good idea - glad it's working for you! Thanks for sharing it. Also, your daughter is adorable. :-D
Or you could teach your kids not to act that way and that they don't get everything they want. Grossssss.
Jennine Paul, how did you teach your kids? Was it easy?
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I guess parents nowadays are afraid to teach their kids the word no and that they don't NEED all the toys. Would create 1000 ways to avoid tantrums instead of dealing with the actual problem...
The kid is 2, not 5. It's not like Mom can either leave her home alone or tie her out in the car. And she said they were buying for underprivileged kids, so she *had* to go in amongst the "I-want-that-for-Christmas",er, stuff. This is a legitimate way to ward off tantrums until the kid is old enough to just look longingly at stuff. I think it's brilliant, myself. It's a parent showing interest in her child's interests.
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Or... you could just say no & teach your kid not to throw tantrums.
I'm sure they do that at home (it says in the article that she says no a lot), but that takes time and in the middle of a store, not really worth it. Besides, for really little kids you can't reason with them. Seven is the age of reason. Before that you are just wasting your energy.
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I love the suggestion. There are those who take pictures of everything, but I'm not one of them. Of course, I don't have any cute little ones who do cute things just by existing. However, my nephew, when he was middle school age, was an impulsive shopper who wanted the first thing he spotted in the store. I convinced him to wait until we picked up what we went in for. Sometimes he found other things he wanted but decided to wait until we were ready to leave before making his choice. By the time we were ready for checkout, he had decided that he really didn't want any of it after all. Sometimes he got something, but usually was satisfied with nothing, the impulse was quelled during the walk around the store.
"Back in the day" when I was jonsing for something from Santa, we wrote him. I don't know WHAT my parents thought from age 5-10, when the only thing on my list was a horse. (We lived in the suburbs. I didn't get one.)
I am a Karen and I judge you as: AWESOME!!! This hack is EPIC!!! Also my kids are wild as anything, I'm not judging anyone's kids!
Even better, don't shop so much, leave darling child a home when you have to.
I recall a father, when confronted with "is Santa real?" had an opportunity to offer a lesson in the true Christmas spirit - giving to others. It was good!
Nice. And if you see your kid consistently going to the same toy, staring wistfully at it, you know you'll have a winner for Santa to bring.
Where has the attitude of entitlement in children come from nowadays? Me and my siblings wouldn't have thought to act up in public. Not that we had the idea and thought better of it... We just didn't get the thought of embarrassing our parents in public. Ever. It was a simple matter of respect. In our parents and ourselves. Something sadly lacking nowadays.
It will work her entire life long! My friend took photos of her daughter trying on different wedding gowns and then of the bridesmaids trying on different dresses. Instead of poring over magazines with tall skinny models, she looked at herself in different designs, made a list of all the things she liked most, then went to the bridal store and asked if they had a gown with these three design elements. THEY DID! Done in a week. She also let her three bridesmaids pick out their own cream-colored dresses -- photo-approved, of course -- and they wore a lavender ribbon around their waist that matched the flowers. Mischief managed!
Genius tip from a blogger I follow for behaving at home - tell them the smoke alarm is Santa's surveillance system and he's watching them. If they really kick off, burn some toast to set it off and tell them Santa's seen them being naughty...
That works for adults too. What do you think Pinterest and online shopping wishlists are for? bwahaha. But credit to mom's who have figured out a way to curtail tantrums.
Abusive sounding? Tell that to your "kid" that's been to jail 100 times. Do you want them to learn now or never?
Just goes to show that kids need attention more than the things that are aimed at them on TV & in the shops.
Two comments. One we always told our girls before entering a store why we were there and what I was purchasing. Our oldest tried the tantrum route the get a Barbie when I only had money for a spool of thread. My solution... to grab the child and leave the store and go home. My neice pulled this once with me while shopping with my mom and sister. Yup, I grabbed the child and announced we would wait in the car. Again never tried this again. The only time the tantrum almost worked involved ruining the child's surprise. My middle daughter threw a crying fit over a doll. It was a Cabbage kid astronaut. I said no. She cried harder and promised to be my slave for the rest of her life if I would buy her the doll for Christmas. After what seemed like hours of her washing (tears) and drying (rolling on) the floor in toys-are-us. I looked her straight in the eye and asked if she thought I wouldn't get her the doll. I than explained that I already purchased the doll and it was home.
Simple and cheap additional hack: Buy a CHEAP prepaid cell phone and put 50 bucks on it. Then, use THAT number as "Santa's". The kid is none the wiser, you can have a phone number that is legitimately "Santa's" and no one else's, then can later decide who should get what for the child, if anyone needs gift ideas.
I do this for myself when I go to the bookstore. I take pictures and later I go to Amazon to see if the books are available for Kindle. Usually I end up not buying anything. It doesn't work with other items so I don't recommend doing it when is Black Friday, for instance.
When im shopping and if i see parents whit melt down kids.. I go there and look littel worry and i say "oh no do you saw the santas littel helper just ther" and kids at least stop.. Then i say whisper " you are nice to momy and Sister.. 😉👍 Many time parents get me and ask where i saw.. 😉👍
Yea it’s always a great thing to do! You have absolutely no idea of what is actually causing their current problems, but because you can’t mind your own business/life you have to jump right in.
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Wait! Isn't that a standar move world wide??? Here in México have seen this quite a wile, or a slight variation " mom i want that" "Cool sweetie, draw (or remember) it and send it to santa (or los reyes magos) in your letter".
lol, i do the exact thing with my girls. i tell them let me take a picture of it so i can tell santa you want it....thought i was the only one ;-)
I don't understand why people are downvoting you. I completely agree with you
Load More Replies... Stop trying to sell your product hon, it's just plain obnoxious
Load More Replies... Heck...I do this with MYSELF. I take pics of things I think I want in the moment. Later (when I'm home) I go through the pics and delete the ones I don't actually want. I will then search online for the things I REALLY want and usually end up finding them at a better price.
I do this too haha. I have a folder on my phone of pictures and screenshots of things I want to buy. I visit it every so often and remove stuff I no longer want after the moment passed.
Load More Replies... To all the people with the "back in my day" comments, YAY. I somewhat agree, I did the same. But seriously, move on...life and technology has changed, stop bashing parents for using tricks that are available to them but were not available to you or yours. Grow...Up! Yes, even the "adults" here need to grow up. My kids don't need this trick, they accept the word No. But, I still use it for ideas for their birthday and christmas, and it does work. I also dont tell them Santa is real (I have an issue with the lie, but also teach them not to interfere with other kids believing and the spirit of Santa and giving is important) so they know that the pictures are idea generation for family. They might get it, and like circling the overly expensive gifts in a catalog from my day it allows them to dream of getting a huge item they know is unlikely.
I thought " back in my day, I wish I had this opportunity". I just did everything in my power to avoid the toy store/ department at this time of year and said: "ask Santa".
Load More Replies... You're lucky you didn't need too, not everybody has the luxury
Load More Replies... I don't know, if this was my sister growing up she would have expected every one of those gifts under the tree. Granted her memory is outrageously good, but I would love to see an update about this AFTER Christmas.
Yeah. Even if the kid tends to forget things quickly, there might be some things they get really excited about owning so they don't forget those... Telling them that they can't have everything (which is the truth, no matter how much you sugar-coat it) forces them to make priorities, and gives you the chance to get them what they want the most.
Load More Replies... Besides this working like a charm to prevent endless whining, it also comes in handy when you actually have to buy something. When I see the pictures it's easier to recollect what they actually seem to want and what was just because of the moment and being there and being a kid in 2019.
What happened to teaching your kids "NO" and teaching them NOT to have tantrums . Tantrums = consequences. There is no way my mom would have tolerated a tantrum. Not at home. Not in public for sure.
Um...here's a parenting hack...don't spoil or entitle your kids. My parents didn't treat my brothers and I that way and we never acted like the world owed us something. I am raising my daughters the SAME way, as a single mom. No issues.
I used to let my kids pick out toys to donate. It made them surprisingly happy to share their good fortune, and they learned to keep giving as they grew up.
Good idea - glad it's working for you! Thanks for sharing it. Also, your daughter is adorable. :-D
Or you could teach your kids not to act that way and that they don't get everything they want. Grossssss.
Jennine Paul, how did you teach your kids? Was it easy?
Load More Replies... I guess parents nowadays are afraid to teach their kids the word no and that they don't NEED all the toys. Would create 1000 ways to avoid tantrums instead of dealing with the actual problem...
The kid is 2, not 5. It's not like Mom can either leave her home alone or tie her out in the car. And she said they were buying for underprivileged kids, so she *had* to go in amongst the "I-want-that-for-Christmas",er, stuff. This is a legitimate way to ward off tantrums until the kid is old enough to just look longingly at stuff. I think it's brilliant, myself. It's a parent showing interest in her child's interests.
Load More Replies... Or... you could just say no & teach your kid not to throw tantrums.
I'm sure they do that at home (it says in the article that she says no a lot), but that takes time and in the middle of a store, not really worth it. Besides, for really little kids you can't reason with them. Seven is the age of reason. Before that you are just wasting your energy.
Load More Replies... I love the suggestion. There are those who take pictures of everything, but I'm not one of them. Of course, I don't have any cute little ones who do cute things just by existing. However, my nephew, when he was middle school age, was an impulsive shopper who wanted the first thing he spotted in the store. I convinced him to wait until we picked up what we went in for. Sometimes he found other things he wanted but decided to wait until we were ready to leave before making his choice. By the time we were ready for checkout, he had decided that he really didn't want any of it after all. Sometimes he got something, but usually was satisfied with nothing, the impulse was quelled during the walk around the store.
"Back in the day" when I was jonsing for something from Santa, we wrote him. I don't know WHAT my parents thought from age 5-10, when the only thing on my list was a horse. (We lived in the suburbs. I didn't get one.)
I am a Karen and I judge you as: AWESOME!!! This hack is EPIC!!! Also my kids are wild as anything, I'm not judging anyone's kids!
Even better, don't shop so much, leave darling child a home when you have to.
I recall a father, when confronted with "is Santa real?" had an opportunity to offer a lesson in the true Christmas spirit - giving to others. It was good!
Nice. And if you see your kid consistently going to the same toy, staring wistfully at it, you know you'll have a winner for Santa to bring.
Where has the attitude of entitlement in children come from nowadays? Me and my siblings wouldn't have thought to act up in public. Not that we had the idea and thought better of it... We just didn't get the thought of embarrassing our parents in public. Ever. It was a simple matter of respect. In our parents and ourselves. Something sadly lacking nowadays.
It will work her entire life long! My friend took photos of her daughter trying on different wedding gowns and then of the bridesmaids trying on different dresses. Instead of poring over magazines with tall skinny models, she looked at herself in different designs, made a list of all the things she liked most, then went to the bridal store and asked if they had a gown with these three design elements. THEY DID! Done in a week. She also let her three bridesmaids pick out their own cream-colored dresses -- photo-approved, of course -- and they wore a lavender ribbon around their waist that matched the flowers. Mischief managed!
Genius tip from a blogger I follow for behaving at home - tell them the smoke alarm is Santa's surveillance system and he's watching them. If they really kick off, burn some toast to set it off and tell them Santa's seen them being naughty...
That works for adults too. What do you think Pinterest and online shopping wishlists are for? bwahaha. But credit to mom's who have figured out a way to curtail tantrums.
Abusive sounding? Tell that to your "kid" that's been to jail 100 times. Do you want them to learn now or never?
Just goes to show that kids need attention more than the things that are aimed at them on TV & in the shops.
Two comments. One we always told our girls before entering a store why we were there and what I was purchasing. Our oldest tried the tantrum route the get a Barbie when I only had money for a spool of thread. My solution... to grab the child and leave the store and go home. My neice pulled this once with me while shopping with my mom and sister. Yup, I grabbed the child and announced we would wait in the car. Again never tried this again. The only time the tantrum almost worked involved ruining the child's surprise. My middle daughter threw a crying fit over a doll. It was a Cabbage kid astronaut. I said no. She cried harder and promised to be my slave for the rest of her life if I would buy her the doll for Christmas. After what seemed like hours of her washing (tears) and drying (rolling on) the floor in toys-are-us. I looked her straight in the eye and asked if she thought I wouldn't get her the doll. I than explained that I already purchased the doll and it was home.
Simple and cheap additional hack: Buy a CHEAP prepaid cell phone and put 50 bucks on it. Then, use THAT number as "Santa's". The kid is none the wiser, you can have a phone number that is legitimately "Santa's" and no one else's, then can later decide who should get what for the child, if anyone needs gift ideas.
I do this for myself when I go to the bookstore. I take pictures and later I go to Amazon to see if the books are available for Kindle. Usually I end up not buying anything. It doesn't work with other items so I don't recommend doing it when is Black Friday, for instance.
When im shopping and if i see parents whit melt down kids.. I go there and look littel worry and i say "oh no do you saw the santas littel helper just ther" and kids at least stop.. Then i say whisper " you are nice to momy and Sister.. 😉👍 Many time parents get me and ask where i saw.. 😉👍
Yea it’s always a great thing to do! You have absolutely no idea of what is actually causing their current problems, but because you can’t mind your own business/life you have to jump right in.
Load More Replies... Wait! Isn't that a standar move world wide??? Here in México have seen this quite a wile, or a slight variation " mom i want that" "Cool sweetie, draw (or remember) it and send it to santa (or los reyes magos) in your letter".
lol, i do the exact thing with my girls. i tell them let me take a picture of it so i can tell santa you want it....thought i was the only one ;-)
I don't understand why people are downvoting you. I completely agree with you
Load More Replies... Stop trying to sell your product hon, it's just plain obnoxious
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