The Evolution of Fun

It started with a rolled up newspaper.   The boy, still crawling, couldn't get enough of it.  Mostly, he wanted to put it in his mouth.   That lasted a few days before the colored doughnuts on a stick and the self-propelled "space-ship" walker took over the living room floor.  Every piece of furniture, at about 8.5 inches above the carpet, carries evidence that we owed one of those.  

Spring arrived and out on the driveway the Tiny Tykes car raced up and down the asphalt.   A toy picnic basket and other supplies were stuffed in the trunk.  The sound of plastic wheels on a hard surface is something you just don't forget.

You think tastes are fickle with adults.   We learn the trait as children.   At age 4, one year is a quarter of one's life and there's lots to pack in.   And so, the toy car was tossed aside for stuffed animals and Legos.  The latter is, perhaps, the toy with which our young man stayed loyal longest.   Lego, the smartest manufacturer of the bunch, makes sure its product evolves with the child.  Simple brick fortresses morph into more complicated contraptions with phone book-sized instruction manuals.  Lego, also, has theme parks in Florida and California and God knows where else.   They've got Marketing nailed!   Harry Potter stuff came next and I learned that Disney and all things related are even better at Lego than wielding the rodeo lasso around kids.  Not much has to do with Mickey anymore.

As the golden years of 7 and 8 passed by, trinkets were replaced by books, DVDs and game consoles.   After a try with Wii's fine product, only a Sony Play Station would do.  That too faded into obscurity when PS3 came over the horizon.  Lest you think we spoil our child, the Wii still stands at our house, only because it still connects to the Internet and still does the game job.  To get his PS3 fix, our boy has to travel wide and far to the neighbors.  They are more generous than we.

His preferred mode of transportation has shifted too.   Tiny Tyke was parked in lieu of a scooters and other weirdly self-propelled conveyances.   Tricycles with training wheels grew to midget bikes with knobby tires and cool lights.   As always, helmets are mandatory.  Ask the kids who have smashed faces on the street how much the helmet made life easier!  

I was about to start listing all the sports items that have come and gone but that sounds like a good subject for another blog and I'll leave it at that.   Besides, I'm kind of busy getting ready for a garage sale.  Anybody, need 5 tons of Legos?