This real life situation got worse when JDaniel had to go through it surrounded by a circle of my husband’s relatives waiting for his reaction to the wonderful gift Nana has just given to you. He had all eyes on him.
Here is how the situation unfolded from JDaniel’s perspective:
You feel the heat start to rise in your face and your demand that it has to be possible to get it out of the box. Mom has just removed a talking garbage truck you have also been given from its package. This present should be able to be freed too. Words of frustration start to fly out of your mouth and your feet start a little stomping dance.
Your mom and dad look like their faces are turning red. Your mom tries to calm you down with the reasons you have to wait and why the garbage truck is enough to play with just now. You think they just don’t get it so, you try telling them what you need again. Mom decides what you need is time out of the conference room the family has gathered in to have a Time Out in the hall. She warns you that if you can’t settle down you will need to go to the hotel room and get ready for bed. All the while she is hugging you tight and trying to help you calm down.
You finally calm down and can be walked back into the conference room. Dad sits you on his lap and you get to watch the other two young children in the family get to open their gifts. They receive dolls that are easily removed from their boxes and you wonder why remote controlled cranes are so difficult to remove theirs.
When your cousins finally finish opening their presents, you quietly drag the partially boxed crane and garbage truck under a tablecloth draped table and try to enjoy the rest of the evening resigned to the fact that the crane will remain in the box until you get home.
Lesson I learned as a mom:
- Carry a small set of tools on a family vacation.
- Pray that the toy packaging design for young children’s toys will change.
- Remove all packaging before giving a child a gift. They don’t need it in the original box.
- Work with JDaniel on handling different situations a little better even though you know it is hard at almost three. Helping my child through tough times will help him handle them better later on.
Amber says
I can just picture this scenario in my head. I feel so bad for him, so young he doesn’t understand! Cute story.
CM says
Oh, poor little guy. I’m totally with ya, isn’t it crazy how they package those things nowadays! Just a thought…would the hotel front desk have a screwdriver?
cooperl788 says
Poor JDaniel! Those packages are absolutely ridiculous with all the tools you need to get a child’s toy out of a box. It was a pretty cute story though, something to remember later on (after he gets the crane out of the box).
blueviolet says
It’s maddening at any age to deal with that packaging!!!
sandbox gems says
Oh, you brought up a great point and a wonderful idea for families who might encounter this if on travel for the holidays. It is crazy how tight they package the toys nowadays. It takes a half an hour to get it out and playable!
lissa says
at least in this situation you learn something for the next time, though I don’t understand while a child toys even have a screw in the packaging, I suppose they make them for the parent and the toy for the kid?
Jo says
yes, always open the package first, remove all zip ties, elastics and whatever they have fastening the toy down … then repackage and wrap … or toss into a gift bag … it makes it sooooo much easier on everyone! mom’s included!
Tiggeriffic says
I think you did a great job calming him down and then he had to control himself and realize that his crane wasn’t coming out of the box. Why do toy co. do this..? Can you imagine the person working in the factory that has to fasten this toy down ? Yikes~! Hope they get paid hourly and not by how fast they get each toy fastened down. Too bad our world has gotten to this point.. ta ta for now from Iowa…
Melissa (Confessions of a Dr. Mom) says
That packaging is the worst! Really…why should we need screwdrivers to get a toy out of a box? Poor little guy…I feel his frustration. I agree…carrying tools can be handy, in just about every situation 🙂
Nora Johnson says
Wonderful ideas here for busy families – especially at this time of year!
Great post as always,
XOXO Lola:)
Mary says
Poor JDaniel! Items are packaged for guerrilla warfare these days~ I want to throw my own tantrum with ‘peel & lift’, & ‘squeeze & twist’ that never are that simple to open!
myorii says
Wow. Poor JDaniel. I can totally understand his frustration. I find that the packaging on kid’s toys these days are way too complicated for us to open without having to bust out any tools. I know they want to make the package safe for kids and so on but seriously, it’s a kid’s toy! By default it should be openable by a kid! Besides, having a screw around is also a hazard for young kids!
I think you handled the situation pretty well given the situation and I think JDaniel did well with calming down too.
ღღღ-Mumsy says
I have this experience too many times to count, and I can just imagine how frustrating it’s for you as well as for Daniel.
Carry a set of small tool is a great idea!
mle says
Aaaaw! poor little guy! your solution to remove packaging before wrapping is a brilliant idea! At my husband’s family Christmas every year there is an inevitable meltdown by a little one who is frustrated by packaging.
JDaniel did great!
waytenmom says
We have all been there!! I can completely relate, and I think it is very original how you told the story from his viewpoint. Whoever designed kids’ toys packaging ought to be stuck in one of those conference rooms with an antsy toddler who can’t get into his/her toys!!
Diane says
Oh, those toy packing strategies have always driven me INSANE! One should not need a chainsaw and a jackhammer to remove a toy from the box!
Sherri says
LOL! I had to laugh…this has happened too many times! I am going to add a tool kit to my travel supplies…I can’t tell you how many toys the kids have had to play with that still have plastic or paper screwed on the bottom. (While on a road trip!)
TornadoTwos says
awww, poor little man! I really cannot understand why kids toys are packaged so rediculously well. Makes for lots of frustrating moments!
CollectIn Texas Gal says
Lessons at every turn….for you and for JDaniel. I carry a small tool box in the trunk of my car at all times. Packaging for nearly everything is child proof and adult proof! Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!
jen says
I’m just wondering if you still carry small tools around?
gabe says
Poor kid. . .seriously, how else would a kid react?
You needed someone with a really big pocketknife!
~SHANNON~ says
Awwww! Poor lil JDaniel! What a difficult situation for a tike!! Hope he is enjoying it now that your home and its out of the package! 🙂
littlewondersdays says
This has happened to us too! Part of our Christmas prep for Santa is to undo all the twist ties holding toys hostage and load batteries.
Gattina says
That’s cruel ! I would have behaved like JDaniel, ! Adults are so stupid ! Next time give him a hammer ! lol !
Life in Rehab says
That gave me SUCH a flash back- toddlers aren’t good with explanations at all, are they? But in a way, sometimes, I wish my world was just that simple for a while.
Bruna says
I have a toddler too and can so relate to you! Trouble is, they’re still learning how to deal with their feelings and emotions. Patient is a word that is non-existent in their vocab or understanding.
I agree! Bring tools with you everywhere! LOL
Visiting via Mama Kat’s!
Mommy Needs a Vacation says
Those packages drive me INSANE!!!!! I am going to take everything out and apart, etc.. this year. It takes forever!!!!!!!
Mrs.Mayhem says
That is a tough situation. I hate when toy vehicles are screwed to the box. It’s so frustrating! It sounds like you handled it well.
Emily says
I can so relate to opening those boxes! A screwdriver?? Now, really, that’s going too far!
Run DMT says
I’m leaving a second comment because my comment seemed to slip away in cyberspace.
UGH! I hate all that crazy packaging. Thankfully, amazon will ship packages in frustration-free packages. Gotta love no wire ties! 🙂
Here’s my WW entry:
http://deniseisrundmt.com/2010/12/07/a-bold-move/
Jennifer says
Poor boy! Isn’t parenting fun? We get to learn new tricks of the trade with every new experience!
Donna says
I feel the frustration mounting. Didn’t marketing people study this problem in business school? After all, first impressions make a big difference.
Glad to learn an important lesson. I’ll put this one in MY toolkit. Thanks for sharing!
The Pilot's Wife says
Oh My Goodness, poor little guy!
Found you on the December Blog Hop on Bloggymoms! Happy to be following you! I look forward to reading through more of your site…
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Valerie says
Oh my gosh, I can only imagine the blowup! You wouldn’t think you’d need to carry a tool set to open a birthday present!
Annie says
You could have just asked at the front desk of the resort if you could borrow a screwdriver. I’m sure housekeeping or maintenance department would have had one!
Lourie says
Oh how I loathe the way childrens toys are packaged. Especially at birthdays and Christmas. UGH! One year I had blisters from all the Barbie crap I had to set free. I think that same year my husband cut his hand with an exacto knife as he put a toy kitchen together.
Annesphamily says
I think Hulk Hogan would have trouble dealing with the craziness of opening these packages today! Talk about environmental unfriendly!
Lala's Pequenos says
Why oh why do they make it so difficult?? We can put a man on the moon but we can figure out how to package a toy simply!
Melissa says
I think the toy companies must also be in the business of selling small tool sets. Because now, in addition to everything else moms carry in their bags, we must also carry tools. Thanks for visiting my blog!
This Daddy says
Great ideas. It is no joke that yo cant get kids gifts open, out of box and untied fast enough before the u – know – what has hit the fan.
We have even gone through and opened and unclipped and then put toys back in the box for the big day to make it easier
Stoping by from MOM LOOP. Have a great weekend.
Teresa says
Poor baby. It’s not fun when things don’t go well. I’m sure he’ll be better off learning to handle a tough situation than mom always rushing in to fix everything. Trust me on that one.
Judie says
I have a screwdriver set in my purse, and a hammer in my car. I also have a level in my car, but don’t ask me why. I forget.
~ Noelle says
LoL
I KNOW what you mean!
I told my mom that all of Broxtons gifts will not be packaged…
Easier for EVERYONE involved!
Hope he is enjoying it now
Judie says
I had to add a post script. I have always loved Calloway Gardens. We grew up in Atlanta, and my father, an architectural photographer, was asked by the Calloways to photograph it when it first opened to the public!
When we lived in Memphis, we took our Canadian cousins on a tour of the south and stopped at Calloway Gardens on our way to Atlanta to see our families!
GrammyMouseTails says
Oh I can still see & feel a moment like this… poor Little JDaniel. I think he did very well, as those little minds can not grasp the “why” of such things, with that kind of packaging either can I! What a great job you did with him to calm down. My two grandsons about 2 & 1/2 years apart have big problems in different areas, and with special handicaps & attention spans it is a great adventure! ~hugs, Faythe @ GMT~
H says
Poor JDaniel! How unfair. Those toy package makers need to stop and think about how children feel when they open something new. I wonder how many other children have felt the same frustrations. Even at home, a phillips head screwdriver might need sme unearthing!
Jenny says
This was such a vivid description of this event. I feel for JDaniel! How difficult to delay gratification for any of us when we are so excited about the “perfect” gift.
It’s almost as bad as getting the toy and not the batteries.
Thanks for this sweet little story. You are such a good Mom. I admire your patience and problem solving.
Thank you for linking.
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