# Parents - Ever bought your kid something that you secretly craved? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 28, 2014, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344 "2014-12-28T06:33:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/1 "2014-12-28T06:33:01Z")
This Christmas my son got a slot car set. As a Dad I couldnt be happier. I personally always wanted a slot car set and I’m glad now that I have a son, it gives me an excuse to buy a set. Now I’m building a table for it and plan on adding more track and doing a bigger layout. Wait. Wasnt that a gift for my son? Well… yeah. The samer as the new video game system and the rod hockey set. he got before. Ok. Have any of you other parents done the same? Bought your kid a gift but did it secretly in the hope of playing with it yourself? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/2 "2014-12-28T06:45:12Z")
This year The Nephew got an RC helicopter. It was at their house so I didn’t see it first hand, but the story we were told is that he got it, squeed, and then he stopped short. Made sure his little sister was busy. And gave his father a raised eyebrow. Bro did his best innocent face. The Nephew says his father shouldn’t play poker for bottle caps “but I wouldn’t have gotten it if he hadn’t wanted it, and this way _he_ gets to help _me_, so it’s all right”. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/3 "2014-12-28T13:45:18Z")
Not yet, given that my son is only 2.5 years, but we have taken many walks together through the Lego aisle of toy stores and made plans. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/4 "2014-12-28T13:50:04Z")
I don’t have kids. But if I did, I’d buy them a model train set . . . [“Z” scale](http://modeltrains.about.com/od/zscale/a/Introduction-To-Z-Scale-Model-Trains.htm). It’s the really tiny ones, and something I’ve always wanted. Bridges, tunnels, overpasses, steep grades . . . my kid’s gonna love playing with them . . . if he can pry them from my cold, dead hands. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/5 "2014-12-28T15:54:09Z")
[Recent Penny Arcade comic](http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2014/12/22/due-diligence) on this. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/6 "2014-12-28T16:05:42Z")
We’re getting dirt bikes. He’s 5 weeks old now, so it’ll be a while… ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/7 "2014-12-28T16:17:16Z")
> [@GoodOmens](#): > > Not yet, given that my son is only 2.5 years, but we have taken many walks together through the Lego aisle of toy stores and made plans. My daughter isn’t two yet but man, there are a few Lego sets I’m eyeing as soon as I know she won’t try to eat them. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/8 "2014-12-28T16:50:15Z")
The year we got my five-year-old daughter a Cassio sampler! None of the adults, including me, could keep their hands off it. Recording some random word or sound and then playing scales or songs with it - hilarious and addictive. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bruce\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/9 "2014-12-28T17:00:39Z")
Yeah all the time, Legos. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/10 "2014-12-28T17:02:16Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I don’t have kids. But if I did, I’d buy them a model train set . . . [“Z” scale](http://modeltrains.about.com/od/zscale/a/Introduction-To-Z-Scale-Model-Trains.htm). It’s the really tiny ones, and something I’ve always wanted. Bridges, tunnels, overpasses, steep grades . . . my kid’s gonna love playing with them . . . if he can pry them from my cold, dead hands. You would have loved visiting Fran’s house. What would have been the living room for any other family was his dad’s “trains room” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/11 "2014-12-28T19:23:07Z")
Not a parent, but this year I bought my nieces some toys I secretly wanted to play with. Fortunately the girls let me play along. The window markers for the little one and the bracelet maker for the older one were a lot of fun! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/12 "2014-12-28T22:11:16Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > You would have loved visiting Fran’s house. What would have been the living room for any other family was his dad’s “trains room” 😃 Quite frankly I dont see why they even try to act like trains are for kids since in the long run its the grownups who play the most with them. ---
**Author:** ![CheshireKat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheshirekat/32/1207_2.png) [@CheshireKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheshireKat)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/13 "2014-12-28T22:27:59Z")
When my brother and I used to live in the same city, we had a standing tradition of giving each other toys for Christmas (we were grown). It was so much fun! I really don’t see why adults can’t buy themselves toys if that’s what they want. (says the woman waiting for her Sea Monkeys to hatch). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Holdsworth_Effect)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/14 "2014-12-28T22:31:25Z")
Of course!! ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/15 "2014-12-28T23:00:38Z")
My daughter couldn’t even pronounce “Nintendo” the year we got the Wii. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/16 "2014-12-29T05:33:07Z")
> [@CheshireKat](#): > > When my brother and I used to live in the same city, we had a standing tradition of giving each other toys for Christmas (we were grown). It was so much fun! > > I really don’t see why adults can’t buy themselves toys if that’s what they want. (says the woman waiting for her Sea Monkeys to hatch). 😃 True. And certain items like action figures, slot car sets, and toy trains - I even wonder why they are even labeled as “toys” and sold in toy stores since I doubt any kid would want them let alone afford them. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/17 "2014-12-29T07:56:35Z")
Yeah, there was a bit of this going on when I was putting together the Lego sets for my 3.5 year old son’s Christmas present. Especially picking the pieces for a custom set from the back wall of the Lego store. “Hmm, I’ll probably want a few of these … I mean, he’ll, he’ll probably want a few of these!” This present was the great migration from Duplos to Legos. So they’re more interesting to me. Unfortunately they’re also a lot more hazardous to the bottom of my feet. My wife purchased a lot of Legos this Christmas. A set or two for him. A set for me (from the architecture collection). And a set or two for both of us to work on. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/18 "2014-12-29T13:40:33Z")
I got the oldest Dungeons & Dragons Clue, and the youngest the first 2 seasons of the classic Scooby Doo. So, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/19 "2014-12-29T14:22:24Z")
My ex-husband always used to buy Lego sets for our son and then put them together himself before giving them. My son had no idea that Legos were meant to come apart, or to build other things besides the picture on the box. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344/20 "2014-12-29T15:23:21Z")
Yes, the year I bought my nephew the two giant Nerf guns. We had a LOT of fun with those. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-ever-bought-your-kid-something-that-you-secretly-craved/708344.md?page=2)