Generation gap: What do these kids today like?

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Today is my brother's 10th birthday. I'll be 29 in August. Those are not typos. Even more amazing? Original parents, no siblings inbetween.

Besides Pokemon and Britney Spears (oh, the irony!), what are these kids today into? Thanks to the Star Wars rereleases a few years back, we have something we can enjoy together. Otherwise, I'm coming up blank. Help!

-- Anonymous, May 08, 2000

Answers

My little brothers, ages 14 and 8, both had their birthdays last week. Some of the stuff they got and liked: Hope that helps!

-- Anonymous, May 08, 2000
My mom went and gave him The Phantom Menace today, which was going to be my sure bet...what with our bonding over Star Wars and all. Luckily, I still have until his party on Saturday. Thanks for the suggestions, Kaela.

-- Anonymous, May 08, 2000
is your brother into any sports? tickets to a game, especially if you go and take him and a friend (it's way cooler to go with your sibling than with your parents when you're 10, plus a friend is just the end all, if you can afford 3 or 4 tix) are an awesome present...even if you hate the sport. (see liz. see liz's godson who loves wrestling. see liz take said godson to the godforsaken fleetcenter to see the goddamn wwf or some such crapfest. godson loved it. liz is back to being godson's favorite person in the world. yippee!)

gift certificates, to the mall or to a particular store like best buy or a music store are good too, kids like money and they very rarely (if they are normal kids) have their own.

when i was about 11, my aunt got me 1 share of disney stock in a big frame. i truly thought i was the most kick-ass kid on my block.

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2000

I know that little girls are still into jewelry and stuff for your hair. That always wins with the kids.

You can't go wrong with video games. The new Playstation will be out soon. Movie passes or a group of movie passes for him and his friends.

Video rentals. If he's into sports, you might just want to let him go wild at an Academy Sports Center.

You could also hunt around on eBay and amazon to see what are the top sellers for toys and games.

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2000

Take a look around his room. Mentally catalog the posters and toys. You can probably figure out what he is into.

If he's into nature or boy scouts get him a compass and a canteen and some kind of nifty outdoor toy, like a bug box or something electronic and take him for a hike.

I've also had good luck with T-shirts especially ones with sports teams on them. Either the local teams or the school I went to are very popular.

The most popular presents my brother got on his eleventh birthday was a miniature bike that had a bunch of accessories, and anything nerf with projectiles.

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2000

Thanks for all the answers. The kid has a lot of toys, so taking that mental inventory is difficult. He made a list of the exact videos and video games he wanted, but I would like for their to be a few surprises. Yesterday, he did get Pokemon red for his Gameboy and Phantom Menace. He collects baseball caps, so I picked one up for him in New Orleans. I'll ask Britney's product manager for some goodies, so that should just about cover it. I hate to encourage his Britney love, but since I have access to promo stuff, I figure I should get it while I still can.

My mom doesn't want me to spend any money, since I came home from a month long trip with only $32.80 ($17.80 in coins!), but money always seems to come to me when I need it and the boy's only 10 once. I like to play Frogger on his GameBoy while he's at school, so maybe there isn't such a generation gap.

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2000

Unfortunately, I am the bad person when it comes to giving children gifts. I treat them like little adults and they just don't like that. My advice: a book. Something by Shel Silverstein, probably The Giving Tree or Where the Sidewalk Ends. Even if they can't appreciate it now, they'll treasure it later on, I know I

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2000
yeah books! The Harry Potter books! I LOVE them!

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2000
My kids have always loved getting art-kits... y'know, some kind of case with pastels and markers and a watercolor tray and a pad of paper. Maggie once got a kit that folded into its own neat little easel. And you'll feel nice & wholesome, encouraging creativity & all.

If you hate their parents, get 'em a drum set. or a violin.

Also, if you're even slightly creative & have an inkjet printer, get a pack of iron-on sheets and a blank T shirt and make 'em sonething cool & personal. If you pull it off, you'll give 'em the ultimate WOW present that no one else can come close to, for, like, ten bucks. You need some knowledge of what they're into, but with a scanner and some swipes from web sites, you can blow their little minds. (Then make yourself some cool politically incorrect shirts with the leftover sheets! My personal favorites are 'what would jesus do?" shirts, with scans from old cathecism books, retouched in Photoshop... hmmm... what *would* jesus do with a .45, a fattie, a Q of malt liquor & Anna-Nicole

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2000

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