Are you sure you've got the right one?

With the holiday season fast approaching (or is it already here? Thanksgiving is next week!), my thoughts have turned to what to get the kids for Christmas. I can easily think of many things for Ciara and Aidan.

Ciara is 2 and big into Dora and Diego. However annoying they might be, there will most likely be one toy featuring these characters under the tree on Christmas morning. She also loves to sort things so there will be something along those lines as well.

Aidan has such an imagination, he could find entertainment with a rock and a piece of paper. Give him an action figure or two and some building blocks and he will create an amazing scenario and be entertained for at least an hour or two. And anything to do with art. He loooves his art supplies.

Now, Gavin...he's the one that is giving me trouble. When he's at home his main interests are his video game, his Leapster and the computer. I am trying to steer away from all things electronic and am racking my brain thinking of things to get him. When asked directly he'll say he wants a new video game, a new Leapster game and a scooter. Okay, the scooter is a good one but what else? Out of desperation I asked his preschool teacher what exactly he plays with at school.

Teacher: Well, he is always asking me to take down the pirate ship to play with.
Me: Really?? We have one at home he barely touches.
Teacher: Oh, and that helicopter. He loves that!
Me: Gavin? The helicopter? (neither of the boys have ever been the things-that-go type of kid)
Teacher: And the art supplies. He likes to sit at the desk and draw and cut with scissors.
Me: Really? Gavin? Are you sure you're not thinking of Aidan.
Teacher: (Starting to think I am a tad bit crazy now) Yes, those are the top three things he likes to do.

Now, the thing that gets me is we have ALL these things at home. The helicopter sits gathering dust on the shelf. Aidan plays with the pirate ship and whenever I try to encourage Gavin to he says no. And any time I have tried to do an art activity at home, he participate for all of 5 minutes and then announces "I'm all done with this".

I suppose playing with things at home and at school are different. At school, you have 8 other kids to play with. Maybe that somehow makes it more exciting than playing at home with your brother who has been your constant companion for the last 4+ years.