DEAR READERS: It’s time again for Straight Talk’s shopping list — direct from the source. I’m always hoping Santa will “think outside the box” (literally) and scratch video games, computers and TVs for the bedroom, and anything else that can make a teen irritable, lazy, addicted and friendless. Even laptops and smart phones are suspect for the under-17 crowd. (Do they really need a laptop before college? The internet in their phone?) Many parents say it was the laptop that ruined family life — their teens hardly came out of their rooms again. Consider expanding your family computer station instead.
Lean times must breed character. Many panelists talk about what they are giving to others and say they don’t want anything. Nonetheless, young adults are currently America’s poorest demographic, so please, if you are financially able, ask what the young adults in your life need and help them out.
Favorite games and books at the bottom of this column. Special thanks to Geoff for one of the best tech lists anywhere! —Lauren
From the Panel:
Girls’ favorite books: “Harry Potter,” “Water for Elephants,” “The Alchemist,” “The Red Tent,” “Cannery Row,” “Siddhartha,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Perzival,” “Bel Canto,” “Garden of Eden,” “Love Walked In,” “The Hunger Games” (series), “The Scarlet Letter,” “Secret Life of Bees,” “The Help.”
Boys’ favorite books: “Harry Potter,” “Wheel of Time” (series) — new: “Memory of Light,” “Song of Fire and Ice” (series), “DaVinci Code,” “Kite Runner,” “The River Why,” “Outliers,” “Power of One,” “Confederacy of Dunces,” “The Sun also Rises,” “East of Eden,” “Infinite Jest,” “The Sound and the Fury,” “Into the Wild,” “Lord of the Flies.”
Top games: Taboo, Apples to Apples, Settlers of Catan, Power Grid, Agricola, Game of Things, Scrabble.
Other ideas: Sporting goods, kitchen tools, car breakdown kit, gas card, shampoo, movie passes.
Editor’s Note: About those gift cards… Simple, convenient, more personal than cash, and what kids want, right? Well, maybe. But did you know that anywhere from 10-30 percent of all gift cards are never redeemed? This number edges closer to 50 percent for cards given to adolescents. (In 2006, Home Depot reported $43 million in unredeemed cards sold before 2002.) Cash might be a better option, unless you think the recipient might use it to buy drugs or alcohol (not that uncommon). Check in with parents and see what kind of grades and activities the teen is involved in. Failing or poor marks in school often indicate drug or alcohol abuse, another addiction like video gaming, unhappiness or depression. In this case, buy an actual gift to show you care (many are listed above), and offer cash to help pay for tutoring or professional counseling. As Lennon says, the best gift is “active listening and participation in someone’s life.” —Lauren
Comments
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It’s not World of Time, it is The Wheel of Time. It’s a fantastic series, and I’m happy to see it so high up in the boy’s book list. But please correct that typo.
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Johhna,
Corrected! Thank you!
The panel has great taste in literature. The list is a great go-to for adults, too.
Lauren
