jedamum:i am more stubborn than my kids. the more they insist on wanting the toy, the more i will not buy for them on the spot if they throw a tantrum (maybe i'll go back to buy some other day) cos i cannot afford to 'lose' to them. i will glow in my own little victory and ignore their cries. fortunately when it comes to toys, my boys are sensible. we don't buy toys for them without planning. i also do not let my ds2 choose toys freely; i will take a few and get him to select. even for ds1, we set a budget and will also assess his choice before buying. usually when we go to the store, i will have my mind make up if i am going to buy anything or not. if it is something good that we chance upon, i will offer to buy before he asked for it. High-five! I do the same for my son. I have to be the \"boss\", cannot crumble and give in to a tantrum. I also give my son a budget when it is time for him to choose a toy for his birthday or Christmas. He would run around the toy shop, grabbing toys and coming back to me for approval. If the item was too expensive, he would go round the shop again. Very funny to see him do that.