Toys
“Yesterday’s popular toy is today’s collectors’ item.” (Yahoo! Games)
Remember the old toys that you sold in a garage sale? Or the ones you had since you were a kid and kept in mint condition for a long time but when you turned it over to your kids, it lost an arm or a leg? Well, Yahoo! recently featured “The Most Valuable Action Figures”. “Some of the action figures you loved as a child are now sought-after rarities with enormous price tags… You probably threw them away when you grew up, but you’re about to wish you hadn’t… All toys are not created equal—and these pricy pieces of plastic prove it” (Ibid)
For example, a 1978 Darth Vader action figure with a telescoping lightsaber accessory could fetch up to US$7,000! The most expensive is the 1963 G.I. Joe prototype sold for $200,000 in a 2009 auction.
One ruefully commented, “I guess playing with my Return of the Jedi action figures in the bathtub and melting them with a magnifying glass wasn’t such a good idea.”
But what are toys anyway? We are supposed to play with them. Someone commented about those expensive collectibles, “They’re sought after because people who played with them don’t have them anymore. Some of us get nostalgic and since we can’t buy back our childhood, we try to buy back pieces of it any way we can. And some people can afford to satisfy their nostalgia to the extreme.” Yes, we can’t really buy back our childhood and our children’s childhood. So, instead of hoarding those limited edition toys for some future auction that you’re not even sure would come, why not take out those toys from their boxes and play with your kids?
A memorable scene from Toy Story 2 came to my mind. Buzz Lightyear tried to rescue Woody from a toy collector. But Woody refused. Buzz pleaded with him. “Woody, you’re not a collector’s item. You’re a child’s plaything. You... are... A TOY! …Somewhere in that pad of stuffing is a toy who taught me that life’s only worth living if you’re being loved by a kid.” And it goes not just for toys. I guess that’s why God called our children His heritage and His reward (Psalm 127:3). We are meant to enjoy God’s gifts. We usually think that we are only good stewards of our kids when we discipline them, provide for their needs (usually financially) and give them a good education. But it is also great stewardship when we laugh with them. Life is only worth living when you enjoy the love of your kids and our kids enjoy ours.
It’s playtime.
Remember the old toys that you sold in a garage sale? Or the ones you had since you were a kid and kept in mint condition for a long time but when you turned it over to your kids, it lost an arm or a leg? Well, Yahoo! recently featured “The Most Valuable Action Figures”. “Some of the action figures you loved as a child are now sought-after rarities with enormous price tags… You probably threw them away when you grew up, but you’re about to wish you hadn’t… All toys are not created equal—and these pricy pieces of plastic prove it” (Ibid)
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| Image source: Yahoo! Games |
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| Image Source: Yahoo! Games |
But what are toys anyway? We are supposed to play with them. Someone commented about those expensive collectibles, “They’re sought after because people who played with them don’t have them anymore. Some of us get nostalgic and since we can’t buy back our childhood, we try to buy back pieces of it any way we can. And some people can afford to satisfy their nostalgia to the extreme.” Yes, we can’t really buy back our childhood and our children’s childhood. So, instead of hoarding those limited edition toys for some future auction that you’re not even sure would come, why not take out those toys from their boxes and play with your kids?
A memorable scene from Toy Story 2 came to my mind. Buzz Lightyear tried to rescue Woody from a toy collector. But Woody refused. Buzz pleaded with him. “Woody, you’re not a collector’s item. You’re a child’s plaything. You... are... A TOY! …Somewhere in that pad of stuffing is a toy who taught me that life’s only worth living if you’re being loved by a kid.” And it goes not just for toys. I guess that’s why God called our children His heritage and His reward (Psalm 127:3). We are meant to enjoy God’s gifts. We usually think that we are only good stewards of our kids when we discipline them, provide for their needs (usually financially) and give them a good education. But it is also great stewardship when we laugh with them. Life is only worth living when you enjoy the love of your kids and our kids enjoy ours.
It’s playtime.
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