Last week, when on my way home from Phoenix, I met a nice lady at the airport. As we sat and chatted, we realized we were waiting for the same flight. She was coming from a toy convention which, as a parent, sparked my interest. She explained how technology has changed the toy industry, which, I guess, I’d never really thought about.
There are so many electronics, but it donned on me that our devices have become “toys.” How many times have you handed your child your device to keep them busy while you were sitting in the doctor/dentist office, in traffic, getting your nails/toes done, returning an item at the store, grocery shopping, or one of the million other things we do every month? I know I have plenty of times. Whether it’s for them to play a game, listen to music, or watch a video, it keeps them from being bored.
She introduced me to Webkinz, which I was not at all familiar with. I am researching it now to see if it’s something I want to introduce to Johnny, and if there’s any value in it for him. As much as we spoke about technology and kids, we found ourselves relying on Facebook at the end of it all to exchange information because we didn’t have business cards on us. Clearly technology has enhanced our world as well as our children’s.
Do your children have Webkinz?
Becky says:
September 24, 2009 at 2:22 pm
My youngest two – ages 9 and 13 – have Webkinz. Too many darned Webkinz. For months, they ate, slept and breathed Webkinz. Seems to be cooling down as a passion now. I never saw anything objectionable on the site. Very wholesome. And very marketing-driven.
avygukim says:
September 25, 2009 at 4:12 am
avygukim…
bucca di pep …
Nicole@BugaboosCreations says:
October 6, 2009 at 10:12 pm
My 7 year old son loves webkinz and I have to admit I myself have enjoyed playing the games on the site with him as well. I think it’s great for the kids, my son loves playing on their, it’s a site I feel comfortable him being on, there are lots of learning games too. The only thing I don’t care for as that you can chat with others, I believe there is a way to block it. I don’t let him do the chatting as you never know. Other than that it’s wonderful!
Jammie says:
October 7, 2009 at 11:44 am
My sister introduced us to webkinz. Iam a sucker for my daughter she is 8 now but started when she was 6 she is up to almost 40 of these furry pets. I even had to make me an account so she would have someone to play with on there.
Teresa says:
October 7, 2009 at 12:10 pm
My daughter who is 8 has 5 webkinz pets and is registered online to play the games and all…she absolutely loves going to her webkinz site and has really gotten into decorating her room and entering her pets in contests. To be able to do that you have to have enough points and those are earned by playing games and answering trivia questions (educational, age appropriate). I love that she loves the site.
Terri Kelley says:
October 7, 2009 at 12:53 pm
I would love to know what you think about Webkinz. I haven’t researched but had it recommended to me for my 7 year old who spends most of his computer time on FunBrain.
Lisa Johnson says:
October 8, 2009 at 1:51 am
I wish my kids were young enough for this trend. Mine were the Pokemon and Beanie baby generation.
@Decotta of @HouseworkHaters says:
October 8, 2009 at 8:40 pm
My 11-year old daughter has loved Webkinz for several years. I’ve lost count as to how many she has but, trust me, its in excess of 50 little critters cluttering her very stylish bedroom. More importantly, the Webkinz codes accessing the website is something my daughter has actually become responsible in keeping up with. I have not found anything of concern with the Webkinz site although I have not thoroughly researched the chat application. My daughter enjoys decorating her rooms and adding accessories. From my observation, Webkinz has become an “old fad” although I think it still maintains a good percentage of popularity. It appears my daughter’s friends continue to enjoy Webkinz as birthday gifts. I have become aware of other products using similar features as Webkinz but have yet to review them. Overall, I would give Webkinz a strong 8+ on a scale of 1 to 10, allowing for the depreciation of the “fad” factor and competitive products becoming widely available on the market for a lesser cost.
@Decotta, Founder
HouseworkHatersClub.com