I was hoping that he would pick 'things to play with' rather than 'things to interact with'. He spends far too much time in the world of Minecraft creating huge, palatial buildings which randomly burn down at regular intervals.
The wailing is enough to send you to the gin cupboard, but I console myself that he might become an architect and design me a nice maximum security home for my twilight years.
But lots of toys seem unsophisticated when compared to online games, and unlikely to hold Ieuan's interest for more than two minutes.
I'm sure lots of parents are currently scratching their heads wondering how to get their offspring off the sofa and actually mobile in the fresh air - or at least away from a screen for a while.
Ieuan's list consisted of Star Wars and Minecraft figures but I am determined to broaden his interests and reduce his screen time!
So what to get? Are you facing a similar quandry?
Here are some suggestions that might be suitable for Ieuan's age group 7+ - although heaven knows, they're all different!
- Tickets for something like Lego Land or the Harry Potter tour. You may find online discounts or be able to use Clubcard vouchers.
- Music CDs - must confess I am unsure of the musical taste of 7 year old boys!
- Board games like Operation or Mousetrap
- Science kit toys
- Unusual outdoor toys like rockets, kites or giant flying discs etc
- Lego or Meccano
- Remote control car
- Metal detector
- Watch / stopwatch / pedometer
- Simple camera
- Accessories for a bicycle - bell / horn / new cycle helmet / lights
- Encyclopedia or a history book (Horrible Histories, books on Ancient Egypt)
- Set of classic boys' own stories
- Football / rugby / sports equipment
- Musical instrument such as a guitar or basic keyboard
(unfortunately Ieuan wants to be a rock drummer so I'll be stalling on that one for as long as possible).
We're at that awkward age where the existence of Santa is occasionally called into question (of course he exists!) so I don't want to let him choose his own presents. We're still telling him he needs to get his skates on and write a list for Santa to work from.
What have you got on your boys' Christmas lists this year (for Santa to deliver obviously)?
I'd love to hear some inspiring ideas.
