TOYS

So, like I said yesterday, I'm playing with little plastic toys (I know, I'm a loser.) all day. And I started thinking about the toys my parent's, both in their 70's now, played with when they were children. They kept a few of them, and I've heard stories about the others. There are some big differences between their playthings and the things filling today's toyboxes. Firstly, they didn't have many toys, and they had to use their imaginations alot. Mom's favorite toys were spools, matchboxes, and a dollhouse made from an orange crate. Dad, being a city kid, was a little more sophisticated. He had cast iron cars and celluloid horses. Mom had a couple of celludoid dolls. And they had their books, and that was pretty much it. But they have more fond memories of their simple toys than I think today's children will have of their trendy gadgets. Maybe I'm just being sentimental, but I don't think so. Growing up in the Great Depression, I think the folks understood that buying a toy was a great sacrifice for their parents. Mom said that her mother used to pinch a penny until it cried 'uncle.' But their childhood wasn't overshadowed by what today's standards might label poverty. They both got up Christmas mornings overjoyed because they'd have walnuts and oranges in their stockings - rarities in their households. I have a hard time grasping how much their world has changed since they were children. I mean, they grew up in a world before plastic. Think about it: cast-iron trucks! Can you imagine it? I wonder what kids will play with when I'm 70.