WTF do you get for a 9 y/o girl?

My cousin's birthday is coming up in a little over a month and shes been pushing for a bunny which she is not getting, shes already sharing the house with a fish tank, a bird, and a weird cat that looks like Sylvester. This girl is a total princess, after having a few talks to her to get her to change her mind about wanting a bunny, she cries, and cries, then cried some more...she really has her heart set on 1 but we all know she won't take care of it and with so many animals in the house already, who needs to bring in another one in?

I was looking up some Dell laptops, they're the only ones I know who will change up the colour of the casing (I was thinking Pink for her with pink accessories) and with reasonable costs though I wouldn't use one personally. Problem there is that nobody else in the family is gonna pitch in and minimum $550(CAN) before taxes and shipping is quite steep for someone who only makes $11/hour. Plus theres already 2 computers in the house, 1 is the family computer and the other is her 12 y/o bro's that we all got for him last Christmas (yeah go figure they'll help pitch in for him but not for a laptop for her).

I'm basically trying to figure something that'll make her forget the bunny. Nothing that'll lose her interest after a couple days but nothing that'll force me to max out my credit card as well. Kinda stuck here!

Buy her fish food, birdseed, and catnip. A nine year old doesn't need a laptop. Bunnies are a pain in the patooty.

Pink is a great color -- how about a pair of pink Converse shoes?

Cheers! S

Are the animals hers? if so, she seems to be into animals, and judging by the sort of money you are willing to spend - how about a few riding lessons? Girls here are crazy about Horse riding (I think most girls are)

books....
cooking shtuff.....
fingernail polish
pinata

cooking lessons with buddies.....offer to teach her and her 3 bestest friends how to make fun shtuff.....pizza is always a good one.....
Include recipe binders

Now that is a gift that is personalized, will keep giving through the years and is fun for the birthday girl to invite buddies to participate.
For your sanity, make the class short and sweet. 1.5-2 hours max.
See if they can have disposable cameras or cameras to take photos during the class, put copies in the recipe binders.

Wow, good idea.....now to remember it for my niece.

Don't spend that kind of money holy cow!

Get her a hampster. They a furry and fun and only live about 1000 days. A Habitrail cage with a wheel in it is a must. Easy to feed, water and clean the cage.
And they won't chew your phone line, electrical cords, and eat the linoleum right off your floor like rabbits do!

doc

My niece loves her iPod ... and that lends itself to more inexpensive gifts down the line: gift cards for music downloads. They start at about $15.00 or so last time I looked, and are good for about downloads.

Shel

She had 2 hampsters when she was younger and they were breeding like crazy. Finally died off after who knows how long. And yes she didn't take good care of them either. All the animals are basically family pets and she likes them because they're "soooooo cute" but when it comes to feeding them all, cleaning up after them, or any other basic responsibilities, she turns away from it all which is why a rabbit is definatly off the gift list.

I gave her an MP3 player last Christmas, she also has a Nintendo DS and some games were considered. Shes not into shopping, just people giving her stuff...like I said, a total princess. The laptop idea may wait until her next birthday, by then she'll probably need it more with projects and stuff and it'll be good for her to have her own computer. I mean ****, even when I was at her age, I had to submit everything typed when computers where $2k starting without a printer.

I had considered another pet for her though, a cockatiel. We had a family cockatiel before she was born and he was a lot of fun and not too much maintenance, may run this idea by everyone else first though. Some great ideas on here though, my ears are still open to more Please and Thank you.

She is a very privileged girl to have so many pets and a relative who wants to buy her more stuff!

I agree with Shroom: time with you and her friends, doing something fun, would be vastly more appropriate.

I used to make "quesadillas" with my sixth and seventh grade students in my classroom. I used flour tortillas and shredded cheese to make a "sandwich", then nuked it all for a minute or so. We cut it in wedges and they loved it. They even came up with ideas for add-ins: crumbled bacon, taco sauce, onions and jalapenos. They could make it for themselves for an after school snack, and many told me they did. It's not very authentic, but it was fun.

I love the idea of making a bunch of pizza dough! They can go savory or sweet with it, too. Take some photos and frame them for her- it'll be a great memory!

One "No" vote on the cockatiel here. The bird, cage, supplies, toys, and initial vet check are much more expensive than you'd think. And a bird is a lot of work...ever spend your Sunday morning cleaning a bird cage??? :cry:

Is she a reader? My 10 year old daughter loves to go to the bookstore. We hit one at least once a week. We like the local Harry W. Schwartz which is a five store chain in the Milwaukee area. If she likes books, a gift certificate from a bookstore could go over very well. I like the national chains less than the local chain which has very knowledgeable employees and wonderful children's sections.

She could get a number of books about animals, my daughter loves books about dogs, and maybe learn something about caring for them, etc. Books could possibly take her beyond the "they're soooo cute stage," and give her a greater understanding of animals. Try a locally owned bookstore, where the help could get to know her. They can always use the business due to online and national competition. Sort of like a locally owned restaurant.

This might not be the most glamorous idea posted so far, but what can I say, I'm bookish. :D

Kevin

I shot 80 yesterday. First time on a golf course in two years. I still have some skills.

I can't believe I am ever reading this, 9 YEARS OLD! for petes sake what are you going to do when she is the big 1-0?

As far as the rabbit goes I suggest hassenpfeffer....

I had the same thought as Bombay Ben.
When I was young I was thrilled to go on trail rides.
After I got a little older I was allowed to go on the all night ride and it is a memory that has me smiling now.
I also agree she is to young for a personal computer,great for learning but for a birthday present,I think I'd rather have the rabbit.........Cookie:lol:

"cooking lessons with buddies.....offer to teach her and her 3 bestest friends how to make fun shtuff.....pizza is always a good one.....
Include recipe binders

Now that is a gift that is personalized, will keep giving through the years and is fun for the birthday girl to invite buddies to participate. " shroomgirl

This is a really great idea! Even as an adult, I would love this!!! Do w/ food she really likes and she'll have a blast making it.:lips:

I understand the issue though. My babys 2nd birthday is coming and in-laws are talking about buying him his own MP3. (he loves his older brothers...):look: Man, we were lucky to get anything besides clothes!!:crazy:

canadiangirl:cool:

When I was ten, I was given one of the best gifts of my life... a little instamatic camera. The current day equivalent would be a small digital. When I look back at the photos I took, I see life from the perspective of a ten-year old. It's even more of a gift to me today than it was when it was given to me.

PS I was a ten-year old girl. Now I'm a middle-aged woman.

Pets are not disposable commodities.....if she is not responsible enough to care for animals why would you send another to it's death?
Maybe princess needs volunteer time in an animal shelter prior to being in stewardship of any other living creatures.

AMEN to that one.

I've always believed it was unrealistic to expect a child to care for an animal before they are even able to care for themselves-though people do it all the time. "Sure, Kimmie, you can have a pet furry thing as long as you take care of it!" That's crazy and unfair to the kid and the animal. Once they can make a meal or two (grilled cheese, soup, french toast) and do a load of their own laundry from beginning to end is the time to lay that kind of responsibility on them.
The cooking workshop suggested by others here is a great idea.
Other crafty kinds of things are good too, like beading with tiger wire, beads and findings. My daughter and her friends loved beading at that age.
Another fun thing is to take her and a few of her friends to a go-cart track. You'd think it would only appeal to boys, but man, those girls can really tear up a track in no time.
Another thing we'd do for my daughter and her friends is get a friend to loan you ( or rent) a big open truck. Fill the bed with bales of straw and stock it with sodas, snacks, a portable musical device with speakers, confetti, bird seed, cheap beads, snack candy bars and other fun stuff for them to throw. Have them paint their faces, load them up in the truck, switch on the music and troll slowly through town on a Friday night with the music blaring for their own Hayride/Mardi Gras style mobile party. It's amazing how much fun they have making a complete spectacle of themselves! The memories will last a lifetime.

DIdn't know that she didn't take care of ANY of the animals, just thought you meant that the bunny wouldn't get taken care of.

When I was 6-7, I had a hampster and loved him a lot. Have had a chinchilla, rabbits, dogs, ferrets, parakeets, and kats.

Getting tired of the kat though, he only catches mice in the garage where I don't care. In the house, he likes to scratch his claws on everything. The more expensive it is, the more he scratches.

No more pets for me after this goes.

I agree with the others, man has treated the animals badly. Don't really buy into the ethic that man has dominion over the animals and can do what they want. Saw too many whipped circus elephants, tigers in cages where they could barely move, in direct sunlight, monkey island in Fejervary park in Davenport, and my parents could never understand why we never wanted to go to the horse trail. The trail was a circle and they whipped the poor ponies to continue all day in the hot sun to go in circles where endless hoards of kids were waiting in line.

I felt bad for those animals. Still do.

doc

I cared for the family cockateil years ago and I've tried my hand at her hampsters plus we had rabbits when I was younger then her so thats why I was thinking of the bird. I found it so much easier to take care of and everyone in the family would be more inclined to help with a bird over a rabbit.

I do personally like the idea of cooking lessons but she has a very short attention span, it would be all over before I'd even start sharpening my knives. Books wouldn't be a bad idea either, but laziness is a trait of hers, shes always getting others to read to her and my mother is more then happy to comply.

I agree that she is very spoiled but don't blame any of this on me, the most $ item I gave her was a $70 flash MP3 player that would have held maybe a few dozen songs. Her brother is even worse, the kid is now 12 y/o and has had a SuperNES, Playstation, XBox and don't forget the TV for all those systems, 2 computers, a GameBoy Advance, and a PSP. My list is as follows in my 25 years life: NES on the family TV that my mother probably used more then I did and 1 computer, everything else was my own purchases.

Shes still not flinching on this whole rabbit idea, shes use to everyone giving and doing stuff for her. I may look up a book, some movies (she liked Ratatouille), and maybe some games for her DS.

How about giving her a really big, thick, heavy book on rabbit care? If she can get through reading the book and answer a quiz on it, you can consider the rabbit. ;)

Hayride/Mardi Gras......I love it. Reads almost like the Mardi Gras parade 1988 Baton Rouge, Louisiana in a subburban neighborhood several adults, infants and small children paraded around the block wearring masks and throwing beads in our neighbors front yards....singing "went on down to the Audobon Zoo and they all asked for you......" well it was the only song we knew the words to.....

Spoiled does not reflect on what you have.....it's all attitude baby!
Decorate Cupcakes.....make the cupcakes, have icing in ziplocs with load of funky sprinkly things, short/sweet.....bonus is it's inexpensive and she'll enjoy it.....take pictures.....and you can get pix on rice paper made of her or something so they can put those on the cupycakes.

First of all, I would be very againest any nine year old having their own laptop computer, it's hard enough to monitor children on a family computer.

Little girls love, lots of little things. And being treated as special with something that makes them feel grown up. You might consider a huge basket filled with some cookie mixes, a small decorating set, tons of colored sprinkles and cookie cutters, and a cookie book. Her own holiday cookie kit. $100.00 will go very far here. Leave some items unwrapped, and wrap some, complete with ribbons. Maybe her own apron.

non traditional gift

A few years back I stopped giving physical gifts and started giving experiences as gifts.. I have found that the receivers love this no matter what the age.. The memory of the experience seems to last longer than traditional gifts..

Perhaps you could give her a similar gift? Enroll her in Zoo school? Special Tea party birthday where everyone dressed in their finest? Etc. Good luck!

Terrific idea FR. Buy her a book. Tell her it is a responsibility test. Explain she is turning 9, and it is time to learn what caring for an animal, a person, anything means.... Give her a task, a mission -- she needs to be worthy of the rabbit, because it is a living, breathing, kind animal (I still think those bunnies are a pain in the patooty :rolleyes: but darned cute and pettable -- trust me, this Awesome Pawsome is quite the animal lover -- I believe in quality of life for all creatures). LIfe is more than wants and needs.... Perhaps it is your time to step up as uncle like cousin. I think you are wonderful for doing all that you have done so far. The little one is lucky to have you.

Cheers! S

princess

StOOOp princessing her!!! she is growing into mariah Carey allready! She will find life very hard if she keeps getting everything she crys for.

i agree with the 'spend time teaching her something ideas...if she is so girly teach her to bake and decorate a real sparkly cake... get her hands a bit messy!

i have 2 small boys who get so excited about making their birthday cake ( pirate ships involving lots of chocolate logs are very popular)

FreeRider,

I totally agree with you about the camera thing. Even though the camera that I had as a child was a Fisher Price camera I felt like a "BIG GIRL" because I could take pictures of the things I wanted.

About the bunny thing. Get her one of those sort cuddly plush stufed bunnies. No feeding, no mess, no nothing.

Don't get her a pet; i don't think you give them as gifts.

Gift certificates are always the way to go! The bookstore idea sounds fantastic. Even if she doesn't like to read, they have calendars and magazines :look:.
It's a hit, I'm tellin ya.

I like the digital camera idea.... will have to keep that in mind for my 9yo's next b-day.... it sounds like the "princess" has too many posessions and pets already.... sounds like other people's ideas about time and experience are better..... what is she really into?? what (besides the bunny) is a passion for her? anything that she likes to read or write about? (check those school essays or creative writing) .... that might be the way to go..... my teen daughter began a few years ago wanting to go eat at a formal restaurant with her friends- it began w/ high tea one year, was "murder mystery theatre dinner" one year- the opportunity for she and her friends to get dressed up and go someplace formal....... ????

I would have an easier time finding Osama Bin Laden then to name you 1 interest of hers. She has a very short attention span so even though she'll claim she likes doing this or that, 10mins into doing it, she'll walk away bored. I would very much like to do cooking lessons but I would need access to a half decent kitchen which I don't, 4 houses in the entire family and not 1 has a decent kitchen, next to no counter space for 1 or 2 let alone 3 or 4 plus. Besides, last time she tried to help, she refused to wash her hands in hot water after touching raw meat (which I told her not to touch in the first place), I had to threaten her with death by bacterial infection to get her to hold her hand out in hot water and even then I had to hold her from retreating.