Ever Bought Yourself a Toy for Kids?

Updated on January 13, 2012
C.L. asks from Saint Paul, MN
20 answers

My 12-year-old son is really into Legos. As you may have seen, Lego has come out with kits aimed at girls (there has been some criticism and backlash). My son was browsing in the most recent Lego catalog and I saw one of the new kits that would have been my dream toy as a kid. I did have some similar playsets. I am thinking of buying it for myself. I think it would be really fun to assemble although I don't know what I would do with it after that. I think my son might like it although he won't admit it because it's aimed at girls. He keeps talking about one of the mini figures that comes with it and says he gets that if I get the kit. So am I being silly? Have you ever bought a toy for yourself? (I also went through a stage where I wanted an American Girl doll, but so far I have not gotten myself one of those.) I don't have any daughters or nieces to pass it on to.

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So What Happened?

I love all of these respones! I think I'm going shopping tomorrow. (-:

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M.D.

answers from San Francisco on

Sometimes I see a classic toy that I buy "for the kids" and it is really for me :)

And definitely have bought children's books for myself.

2 moms found this helpful
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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

I buy toys for myself all the time.

Works out great.

We both get to play together. We may not even be doing the same thing, but playing TOGETHER (sharing the same space, showing each other cool schtuff, etc.) is priceless.

2 moms found this helpful

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D.H.

answers from New York on

I actually did buy myself an American Girl doll...on eBay. It is the doll from Morocco. At one point, AG had international dolls in period costumes but no longer (hence the eBay purchase). These are much smaller than the AG American line.

I say go for it!

3 moms found this helpful
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J.D.

answers from Dallas on

Yep... I am the proud owner of my very own Texas A&M Reville Pillow Pet. Sleep with her every night. As for legos, I played with my daughter's new pink big box set the other day for about an hour. We are all still kids no matter what our birth certificate says. :)

3 moms found this helpful
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A.C.

answers from Savannah on

No fear! Girl, get yourself some legos and and a doll. :P

Another mom mentioned Nerds (the candies)---I gasped because I didn't know any other adults liked that! I'll buy some and my kids are like "Um, mom, we don't like that. Can we have...?" And I'm like "yes, because the nerds are not for sharing! Mine, all mine!" and they just laugh.
Dorky story: One of my prized possessions is a 1978 Shogun Godzilla (with all working bits!). It was my very first baby doll when I was just a toddler. We were freakishly poor at that time, and my mom saved up everything she could to get me a beautiful little babydoll bed for Christmas. My grandma took mom and I to Toys R Us (can we say WOW back in the 70s without Walmarts on every corner?) to pick out "Any" baby doll I wanted. I sneered and turned my nose up at ever one. I just didn't like them (they kinda creep me out, even today). Grandma gave up and we were leaving, and she said I gasped, mouth open, eyes lit up, I squealed "BABY" and ran arms open like in a cheesy commercial and scooped up this Godzilla (nearly as tall as I was) with huge yellow teeth and claws, a "fire tongue" that sticks out with a lever, and a shooting fist. I cooed, rocked him, and called him Baby. Mom cried. Grandma got him for me, and he slept in the doll bed. When I was around 6th grade, mom thought I'd outgrown it and got rid of it without asking me!!! I have been upset for many years, and then I started seeing them on ebay. We'd get into bidding wars, and evil nerds would snipe my bids in the last 2 minutes of the auction and keep winning them (like $150-225). But for the Mother's Day after my youngest son was born, my husband got me BABY as my gift!!! (Yay, ebay!)
I also periodically buy Star Wars stuff (vintage) for my brother, and Dr Who toys for my husband. Not a lot, but maybe one every couple years, when you see one that's just awesome. I also think there's nothing wrong with buying yourself toys that help you play with your own children! A year ago I bought my husband (and me) an X Box even though our kids are too young yet, but my oldest will be able to play some simple games with us shortly. And we ALL have soft nerf-type swords so we can have family fights and imaginative play (sometimes Barbarians, sometimes Star Wars, sometimes pirates, or ninjas, etc). Before getting married (but an adult) I got all nostalgic and went on ebay and bought the whole series of some books I loved as a child, and made me think of my mom and grandma. I reread all 36 books in like 5 days, lol. Then it was out of my system. 8 years later I know I'm not having any girls, just boys, and I gave them to a stranger I met in a half priced bookstore because she was the age I was when I started reading them, and didn't have a lot of money but they wanted to start a little library. And besides: your son can play with your "girl legos" with you just like you play with his "boy legos" with him.

2 moms found this helpful

A.C.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Cindy, you should go for it! I saw those too and thought they looked really fun.
I bought myself a giant tower of Crayola crayons for Christmas and I always buy myself coloring books. I will also buy board games "for the kids" when they are actually games I want to play (like Operation!). And...I always want to buy myself Barbies. I haven't, but I always want to... you know, those cute chic ones with the black dresses and stylish hairdo's, or the fancy collector ones? I just always really liked Barbies as a kid and I guess I still do, even though I wouldn't play with them.

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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Not a toy--but can we count Nerds? :)

Get it for yourself! LOL (Valentine's Day is right around the corner...)

2 moms found this helpful
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A.C.

answers from Madison on

Yes, I have! I am a writer and adore reading Medieval history. I have quite a few Schleich Medieval knights and horses in their Crusade outfits in my office. I also have a set of Weebils that I "play" with when I get stressed.

I think there's a little bit of kid in all of us. It's a shame that we stop endulging the childlike part of ourselves just because we grow up.

1 mom found this helpful

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

Awww.. get it. You can play with it and you can give the mini-figure to your son! My kids LOVE the little figures that come with the sets. Heck, half the time that is all they really want out of the box anyway!

You can store it in a little plastic bin and keep it for unexpected girly guests (babysitting for someone in a pinch, grandkid one day?) or maybe when you are done with it you could just donate it to a women's shelter or something.
I haven't ever really bought myself anything like that... unless you count watercolors. I tried my hand at watercolor painting (it is pretty challenging) and spent a pretty good bit of money on quality paints, etc. But if you think about it, it is just a more expensive set of kids stuff. lol

1 mom found this helpful

A.M.

answers from Kansas City on

i think having a boy (me too!) we really just long for those girly toys at times lol.

i buy for my niece so i get my fix that way.

i say buy away!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.2.

answers from Chicago on

I saw those Lego kits at Target earlier today and loved them myself - thinking of adding some of them to my daughters birthday wishlist. She has the pink box set already but there's not nearly enough legos in there for when her and Daddy play!

I think you should treat yourself to some new legos =)

1 mom found this helpful
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I.G.

answers from Seattle on

There are A LOT of adults into high end toys like Lego or American Girl. My DD is too young for Legos but DH is really into them and we have several sets at home. Go for it.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.J.

answers from Atlanta on

My hubby do it all the time! When we were making christmas lists this year, he bought our sons all of the stuff he wanted. lol. He got the older boys a playstation 3 with the games he wanted, one of those huge airplanes, with the remote and a basketball goal. He play with the stuff more than they do!! He got my younger kid a kid tablet. He was taking pictures and making videos with it. He played with it longer than my kid did. He's just a big ol' kid. LOL

1 mom found this helpful
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C.W.

answers from Shreveport on

My own family helps feed my desire for toys. A lot of my Christmas and birthday gifts tend to be the Harry Potter lego sets, Be Goth dolls, halloween themed My Little Pony,Care bears(not the new style), Ty beanie babies, and for the most part if a doll or toy is a Halloween theme they will pick it up for me. Also Nightmare before christmas toys are a huge hit with me.
I display them where I can find room for them. I have no shame in and will even brag when I get a special item I have been wanting for a while.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

I have always bought toys for myself... even before I had kids.
When I was a college kid or high school kid or as an adult with kids.... I have bought toys for myself.
Love it.
It is great.
And, I have passed on "my" toys, onto my kids. And it is real special. And they think its neat that Mommy has toys too.

My late Dad.... even when he was older, he'd buy toys for himself too. And, display it in his office. RIGHT there on his desk. He was always a kid at heart too.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.M.

answers from Duluth on

Go ahead and get it. It is something fun you can do with your son.

J.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

nope but I would. I wouldnt geta doll because I J. find having dolls for fun odd, but then again I was a tomboy, but I'm thinking of getting that remote helicopter thing for M., Collin and Emmy that Jo was talking about, and that would be more for M. than anyone else=)

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T.J.

answers from Seattle on

I do love American girls, but all I've bought for myself are some collector edition barbies, including one that looks like me!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.G.

answers from Boston on

I also have boys and love getting the Lego kits I might enjoy helping put together. I would get the girl lego set and build it and then let your son do what he wants with it. He can always take it apart and use the parts for other things.

☆.H.

answers from San Francisco on

Ha Ha! Yeah, I have mouse trap.

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