If you're a parent, you've seen it happen dozens of times. A kid gets a cool new toy. A toy that comes in a big, cardboard box. It doesn't take long before the toy is cast aside and the toy of choice becomes the box itself. Think about it. The toy in the box has one function. The function for which it was created. If it's a gun, it shoots. If it's a truck, it rolls. If it's a dollhouse, it houses dolls. You get my drift. But the box... oh the glorious box! Its uses are limited only by the imagination of the child playing with it. I remember as a kid decorating boxes to look like a cars. The neighborhood kids would then race their "cars" as they slid down a grassy hill. Tons of fun for hours on end. Sveta has a large box that has been transformed into an ice cream shoppe at her other grandparents' house. At our house an over sized box has now become Sveta's Pet Shop. The versatility of the cardboard box is unmatched. Put a bunch of kids in a room with a bunch of toys and some boxes. Just try to convince me the kids will not play with the boxes. You know as well as I they will.
Speaking of cardboard box cars, here's Michael and Abby in theirs:
On a similar note, let's talk about bubble wrap. This stuff is irresistible to kids. A new toy in a box is like two toys. If that new toy is covered in bubble wrap, it's the trifecta! You'd have a tough time showing me the kid who wouldn't pop the bubble wrap before playing with the new toy. How about adults? Do you think they're immune? Nope! Show me an adult who says they don't pop the bubble wrap and I'll show you a person in serious denial. Go ahead. Admit it! You like popping the bubble wrap. I know I do. I like to twist it and create rapid fire pops. It reminds me of fire crackers. How about you? Do you pop bubble wrap like I do? Do you pop them one at a time, row by row? Maybe you pop them randomly and search the wrap for un-popped bubbles. Everybody has their method of choice.
I'm also reminded of the times when Michael was a little boy. He'd play outside and there was no shortage of toys. He had toy guns, soccer balls, cars, trucks, action figures, a bicycle, a scooter and loads of other toys I have long since forgotten. With all those toys, guess what his favorite was? Don't say cardboard boxes and bubble wrap. He didn't have that stuff outside. It was a stick. Yeah, you read that right. A plain old, ordinary stick. Most days we would look out the window and there was Michael whacking a tree with a stick. No, he hadn't lost his mind. That stick was a sword and the tree was some giant monster or a dragon. Or maybe the stick was a gun. It was never a surprise to see Michael shooting bad guys with his stick (gun). Strange only because he had other toy guns that looked real and even made shooting noises. There were times when his stick was a light saber, a baseball bat, a spear, a fishing pole and sometimes it was just a stick. The point here is simple. Apparently there is no substitute for imagination.
In this day and age, toys are over the top expensive. They're not considered worthy playthings unless they have every bell and whistle known to mankind. Most of the time they're just junk. Let's face it folks, kids play with what entertains them, not necessarily what daddy maxed out his credit card for. You be the judge. $100 remote control car or boxes, bubble wrap and sticks. We all know which toys win that contest. Always have, always will. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some bubble wrap that needs popping.
