What to do about Barney (and other annoying toys!)

[InquestofaWoman]

You have a parrot? I don’t think I could stand his screeching. But I did have a very loud Siamese. He sounded just like a baby when he got to meowing. When I was on the phone people would ask if that was a baby. Funny, my next Siamese was mostly quiet and only loud when he was agitated. The cat I have now is also quiet. I can’t even hear her purr very much and have to feel her neck to fine out if she is doing it.

Hey, I have a Siamese, too, a bluepoint, but she is surprisingly quiet. She wails when she wants attention sometimes, or wants me to move in bed so she can find a more comfortable position (now that is annoying!). Yes, she does sound quite a bit like a baby when she does this! Otherwise, she goes off by herself and won’t meow for hours, especially during the morning, afternoon, and early evening. I got lucky, I guess. However, my kitty is typical to her breed in every other respect: self-centred in her needs, demanding, impatient, and unbelievably vain! She reclines with nose trained high in the air…Errr…similar to my posture as a child beneath her ‘parasol’. Well…I suppose I deserve her.

My parrot is not one of those who screech all the time, thank heavens. But he will if I am sitting at my desk working or talking on the phone, rather than paying attention to him. He seems to accept my ‘busy-ness’ when I am in the kitchen or in my room. At those times, he mutters quietly to himself and chews his blocks (no more birdie bells!!!). If nearby, however, his level of consideration drops DRAMATICALLY!

I really should place that cage elsewhere. When I move to my new home, I certainly will NOT have it by a working desk!

 

[EasterJoy]

That triggered for me what up until now I must have been mentally blocking out. My kids had this Winnie the Pooh train walker/seat. It is one of those contraptions that serve a dual purpose of being something for the kid to sit on or also walk behind and push it as they are learning to walk. The music on that was very loud and could not be stopped once it was started. Further, there was no on/off switch and no volume control. Eventually, I took out the batteries. It was the only way.

Someone ought to tell the toy companies how much money they could make by offering an option that cost an extra $20 for a volume control, not to mention a secret volume on-off switch that was turned using a nickel (so a toddler couldn’t manage it).

 

[pensmama87]

Someone ought to tell the toy companies how much money they could make by offering an option that cost an extra $20 for a volume control, not to mention a secret volume on-off switch that was turned using a nickel (so a toddler couldn’t manage it).

One child I know (thankfully not mine) has a talking dog, and it is very, very obnoxious (and loud). One day he amused himself by taking the batteries out and trying to put them back in. (Did the manufacturer really think that a simple velcro cover was going to keep him out?!)

I have noticed that several toys have volume controls, but they do need to implement something so children can’t just turn it up all by themselves. But I can see my 3yo at the nickel slot patiently trying different objects to see what else can fit (not that he can be patient with anything else…)

 

[EasterJoy]

One child I know (thankfully not mine) has a talking dog, and it is very, very obnoxious (and loud). One day he amused himself by taking the batteries out and trying to put them back in. (Did the manufacturer really think that a simple velcro cover was going to keep him out?!)

I have noticed that several toys have volume controls, but they do need to implement something so children can’t just turn it up all by themselves. But I can see my 3yo at the nickel slot patiently trying different objects to see what else can fit (not that he can be patient with anything else…)

Access to batteries?!? Ack, indeed!

 

[Luvz2travel]

DId you ever own a Lego set? Everyone I know who did (including my brother), always ended up losing some part of it and thus found himself with an incomplete project!

As a woman, I concur with My Little Pony. Reflecting on the show and all its commercials and products, the brief craze must must have been a misery, especially to young boys, though perhaps not as traumatizing as others. I admit I had a pony, myself, with long pink hair; I but I kept it away from my brother, who would likely have used it as a ball for batting practice !

I would always lose Barbies shoes or the part that connected the lincoln logs or parts of Mr. Potato Head. It used to drive me nuts as I tried to be so carefull to keep them all together which I was rarely able to do. lol Wasn’t much into legos…tht was my brother.

 

[InquestofaWoman]

I would always lose Barbies shoes or the part that connected the lincoln logs or parts of Mr. Potato Head. It used to drive me nuts as I tried to be so carefull to keep them all together which I was rarely able to do. lol Wasn’t much into legos…tht was my brother.

Never had a Mr. Potato Head, but I did play with one at daycare. I owned one Barbie doll (she came with a modest long dress, no skimpy wear…LOL!) and several little dolly toys. They were the inspiration for our family project (brother excluded): creating a doll house. I could never sit still to learn to sew the traditional way; but Mum tricked me into getting interested, by suggesting I make curtains and bed spreads and such. Dad provided me with a box to get started and helped me with the dimensions for the house; and Mum provided material for the decor. I cut and measured and sewed. The finished result was AWESOME, best doll house I ever had.

Before the house, I habitually lost my dolls’ clothing. But then I commenced to store them in their new home. This was a largely QUIET project. My parents, doubtless, were the happiest of all!

 

[InquestofaWoman]

One child I know (thankfully not mine) has a talking dog, and it is very, very obnoxious (and loud). One day he amused himself by taking the batteries out and trying to put them back in. (Did the manufacturer really think that a simple velcro cover was going to keep him out?!)

I have noticed that several toys have volume controls, but they do need to implement something so children can’t just turn it up all by themselves. But I can see my 3yo at the nickel slot patiently trying different objects to see what else can fit (not that he can be patient with anything else…)

I am guilty of this. (Actually, it seems I am guilty of just about everything on this thread…LOL! I was, in principle, my parents’ ‘Barney’. Well, as children I guess we all tormented our parents in some way. 'Tis a birthright of childhood )

Anyway, I had a little red and white player made of durable material (definitely designed for kids). I fancied myself a singer and often imagined crooning to the sound of a large, majestic orchestra. Of course, the closest thing I had to an orchestra was my player; thus, I turned it up as loud as I could and sang the lead to all my favourite children’s songs. My parents, unfortunately, were not nearly so pleased with these ear-splitting, passionate performances, especially those punctuated with high notes I could not eloquently reach. I was often relegated to the basement at such times, with only the washing machine and dryer for an audience. This didn’t dampen my spirits, however. I still sing now, only a little better

 

[oneofmany]

Oh my, I am taking care of my 3 grandsons tomorrow from dinner time until after Mass the next day. Actually, they are usually good but the first time we will have all three for the night,

The first one had a rescue toy truck here and the part that is the intercom that keeps saying, “How may I help you” or something like that, I hid. He plays with all the other parts but that part got tiresome really fast. I think we all do it to save our sanity and our patience.

My nephew throws loud toys away. His sons know it too. I have never done that. I donate them to charity. LOL

 

[InquestofaWoman]

Oh my, I am taking care of my 3 grandsons tomorrow from dinner time until after Mass the next day. Actually, they are usually good but the first time we will have all three for the night,

The first one had a rescue toy truck here and the part that is the intercom that keeps saying, “How may I help you” or something like that, I hid. He plays with all the other parts but that part got tiresome really fast. I think we all do it to save our sanity and our patience.

My nephew throws loud toys away. His sons know it too. I have never done that. I donate them to charity. LOL

How kind of you to spread the joy around, oneofmany. You should provide your name and number with the toys you give to charity, so the parents of the next little recipient(s) can thank you !!

 

[porthos11]

This is where I have to post my favourite Barney songs.

I love you. You love me.
Let’s get together and kill Barney!
With a whack and a thwack and Barney’s on the floor
No more purple dinosaur!

Or:

I love you. You love me.
Let’s get together and kill Barney!
With a baseball bat and a shotgun to his head,
Aren’t you glad that Barney’s dead!

 

[InquestofaWoman]

This is where I have to post my favourite Barney songs.

I love you. You love me.
Let’s get together and kill Barney!
With a whack and a thwack and Barney’s on the floor
No more purple dinosaur!

Or:

I love you. You love me.
Let’s get together and kill Barney!
With a baseball bat and a shotgun to his head,
Aren’t you glad that Barney’s dead!

Ah, yes, I have seen quite a few versions of the song online. In fact, I met a grandmother once, who murmured that by half-time at a live Barney show, to which she took her grandchildren, she had to restrain herself from rushing the stage. By her facial expression–the narrowed eyes and flaring nostrils, clearly love and adoration were not the source of her motivation

 

[oneofmany]

I don’t think it is wrong to tell kids we don’t like something. I told my grandson I really don’t like hot wings when he wanted to order them at the restaurant. It was not on the kid’s meal menu and I thought I would need to finish them. Blaaa. So he ordered a hamburger instead on the kids menu.

I think telling your nephew, Barney is just not something you like, I bet he would let you turn it off sooner.

 

[InquestofaWoman]

I don’t think it is wrong to tell kids we don’t like something. I told my grandson I really don’t like hot wings when he wanted to order them at the restaurant. It was not on the kid’s meal menu and I thought I would need to finish them. Blaaa. So he ordered a hamburger instead on the kids menu.

I think telling your nephew, Barney is just not something you like, I bet he would let you turn it off sooner.

He already knows !! But it’s OK–little boys grow up. Besides, all the stories on this thread reminds me of things I loved as a child, but my parents could do without. An amusing walk down memory lane, indeed! These days, I am more concerned about the Barney toy, to which my mum has a deep attachment. It is her intention to keep the creature forever, the way she kept a few of my childhood things. She loves the Barney show, too, and she will not turn it off if I am around, for she delights in tormenting me. Sweet revenge, I guess! Hehe!

'Tis too late, oneofmany. There is no hope for me! I think Barney has managed to find a home in my family. I wish it were my nephew’s immediate family instead of mine…But we rarely get everything we want in this life. Go figure! :crying: