I wasn’t over indulged as a child when it came to action figures. I remember vividly the times when I got to visit my spoiled suburban cousin who had piles of action figures.
I admit that I was impressed with some of the stuff. I also remember the fact that he was completely and utterly bored with all of it. The people who sell this stuff easily convince kids that the plastic objects are necessary parts of imaginative play. By the time most parents are finished raising kids, they have a pile of anecdotal evidence to refute this fallacy.
Kids can have imaginative play using anything, or even nothing. My kids had a game where they created a pretend religion whose deity was an emerging tulip plant. They got me to make some miniature segments of picket fencing to place around the sacred one.
January 14th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
I have two boys, one of whom loves actions figures and now Bionicles, which are made by Lego. I have to say I loved action figures as a kid, and still do. I have the entire set of Where the Wild Things Are monsters and Max marching across shelves in my bedroom. This is one area I am just going to have to live without. No new action figures. Sometimes we have to give up the things we like for a bigger cause.
Your kids sound like a riot! A tulip God, what imagination. Nice blog too.