As a parent and a family law attorney, I know that children’s best interests are always paramount. With that thought in mind, we all know that children like toys. Indeed, my son likes toys – although he is only eleven-months-old and he would just as soon play with an extension cord as a toy block.
My wife and I area also shopping for our first Christmas gifts for our young son. It won’t cost a lot, and, thankfully, we have enough money to buy him something nice that he might like. However, some parents don’t have the desposible income to be able to purchase toys for their children.
Apparently somebody realized that some parents either can’t afford to purchase toys or don’t want to purchase toys outright when their children will grow out of them quickly. The solution? Rental toys.
The Family Law Prof Blog had a very non-legal but still interesting post this morning about renting Christmas toys. I read it and had to chuckle. Check out the CBS news story for the original report.
Are Rental Toys a Good Idea?
The company that that allows parents to rent toys is called Toygaro. Apparently, the company allows parents to rent toys for a fraction of what the toys would cost to buy. From my short review of the website, it looks like the company is targeting the infant and toddler demographic. My son fits squarely in that purview.
However, the question still looms in my mind: “are rental toys a good idea?” My first reaction to the article was to question why anybody would ever rent toys. Aren’t children going to miss them when they are gone? Then again, I know my son grows out of things pretty fast. He’s also very young, so I have a lot to learn. Maybe renting toys is actually a great idea.
The company also appears to have a great selection of toys which toddlers play with and then leave behind. After all, they grow up fast. The more I write about rental toys, go back and look at the Toygaro website, and then think about whether renting toys is a good idea, the more I want to give it a try.
I hope you enjoyed this non-legal post. I am often too focused on the law and, especially in the family law arena, I realize that I should think a little bit more about people. In my experience as a Minnesota family law lawyer, the law is very important, but emotions and people skills are often equally important. Thus, the largely non-legal post about rental toys. Thank you Family Law Prof Blog.
If anybody has comments about whether you would rent toys for your children, feel free to post them.
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