Webkinz World

I am no stranger to childhood fads.

When I was a kid, we had Barbies, Rubiks Cube, and trading cards. Through the years, our society has churned out Cabbage Patch Kids, more Barbies, Polly Pockets, POGs, and Bop-Its.

Visiting a Hallmark store recently, I was shocked at how much Webkinz merchandise was stacked on the counter. Charms, bracelets, bookmarks, lip gloss. And, of course, the little stuffed animals called Webkinz. For the uninitiated, Webkinz are a stuffed animal with a code attached on inside of the tag. You enter the code on the Webkinz website, and viola, you are a full-fledge member of the Webkinz world.

The site itself is quite safe for kids. They can play games, interact with other kids/animals (with only pre-set language and responses), and earn webkinz cash to buy webkinz virtual stuff.

It's the explosion of marketing items that shocked me. It happened quickly, and it was prolific. And I'm surprised that it surprised me. They're out to make a few dollars, and they're capitalizing on a huge wave of buying potentional in the kid's market. Like the Internet, our world is becoming faster-paced. Instant access is the norm. What our kids want, they expect quickly.

It's a challenge for us parents, to teach patience and the trap of materialism. Add into the mix the limiting of web time vs. one-on-one human interaction time. "Balance" is my thought of the day. I don't have to be an old fuddy-duddy and reject all new forms of technology and "stuff". I do think, however, that teaching balance is a key of good parenting.