Why do kids covet expensive, electronic toys?

This, in no particular order, is the list of things my son has requested for his 10th birthday: I-phone, I-pad, X-box 360, laptop, any cool-looking cell phone, and a motorized mini-motorcycle known as a pocket rocket that can take you straight to the ER at 30 miles per hour. In response, I asked him if there was anything he wants that isn’t electronic and expensive. He thought for a second and said, “nope.”

I think I got off easy with my older son, who was thrilled on his 10th birthday to get a Swiss Army knife, a book about whittling and instructions that if he was ever seen whittling toward himself, the knife would be taken away.

But this year I am left wondering why my son thinks he wouldn’t like anything he might actually be able to use during a black-out. What is the continued appeal of the gizmo, gadget, electronic toy, even though I can list several (UCreate computer animation screen, Nintendo DS, even the Wii), which for my sons were, ultimately, more exciting in the wanting/receiving than the having? Why don’t they see that the gifts that are often underwhelming to get, like the book about how to draw cartoons that I gave my younger son for Hannukah, are often the ones they end up spending the most time using? Clearly, they don’t remember those toddler years when they never had as much fun with the big gift as they did with the giant cardboard box it came in.

Maybe my son has become addicted to what those judges on American Idol always say they are looking for: a “wow moment.” My son wants something over-the-top stupendous, something he never thought he’d actually get, something that gives this year’s birthday the stamp of bonafide greatness. Unfortunately, I think he equates greatness with great expense, a misconception I hope is more a sign of his immaturity than of being terribly spoiled.

I want my son to have a “wow” birthday, too, but I’m just not sure how to achieve this given his current wish list, which I don’t think accurately reflects how he likes to spend his time, which is outside and in constant motion. Yet at the same time, I want my son not to over value the “wow.” I want him also to appreciate the thoughtful gift that was purchased as an act of love — even if it doesn’t require electricity to operate.