I have seen children become bored with opening gifts on Christmas because there were just so many of them. From what I could gather, the family really could not afford all the gifts either (they'd be paying off their credit cards just in time for the next holiday season, maybe).

From the other side, though, I have a new niece, and my desire to shower her with gifts and things is something I struggle with. Any time I see something cute, I just want to buy it for her. I have to stop and remind myself that she's got plenty of stuff already.

It seems like a difficult thing to balance.

We really have forgotten that a pile of computer paper and a box of crayons can keep kids entertained for hours.

(Are we still allowed to give kids computer paper, or do they now sell special paper with rubber edges to prevent paper cuts?)

Yeah, I have heard the same thing many times: kids are often more entertained with the cardbox than the content itself :) Most of the times, gifts get abandoned after playing a few hours with them.

I think the whole point of the article is that kids need to learn to deal with things like being bored.

And parents need to learn to deal with things like their kids complaining.