My kids are infamous for their skills in finding ways to use toys completely wrong. Aside from merely leaving trails of board game pieces in their wake all about the house and setting up “Mouse Trap” just to spring the trap (I don’t think we ever actually played that game), they find ways of using pieces of their games and toys that I’m certain the designers had never imagined.
Michael is the current reigning champion of toy abuse in our house. On any given day, you can find him sending bowling pins, magnetic building pieces, blocks and musical instruments down his Step2 plastic slide. He’ll toss rubber balls into his crawl-through tubes or cram them into empty plastic Easter eggs. Bubble wands become swords to brandish against our aging cat. Toy golf clubs become battle axes to brandish against whichever sister is closest. I recently found horseshoe stakes crammed down inside his wiffle-ball tee and marbles from his block runway set squirreled away to all corners of the house. Wooden sticks intended to serve as musical instruments are regularly discovered jutting out of couch cushions, to be used as levers for some imaginary, demonic machine. Don’t even ask where the legos end up.
I had to hide a little baseball game he has that uses small metal balls. He’s already lost four of them, and when I saw him cramming the remaining four into the couch cushions, I knew if I didn’t act quickly they’d be gone for good.
Are there any children out there who actually play with toys the way they’re meant to be played with? Any who keep the pieces together? Sure, kids are messy and they don’t put things away. But are there any who actually use the game pieces with the intended game? Any who don’t find alternate uses for them?
“He’s being creative! He has a very active imagination!” I hear this a lot. “He’s exploring his world, thinking outside the box!” That’s great. Maybe I should invite these people to come over and put all this creative thinking back into the box so I don’t step on it and lacerate my foot.
If you turned our house upside-down and gave it a good shake, I’m certain you’d see, cascading down in a rainbow-colored plastic hailstorm, every toy piece that’s ever gone missing. And probably Jimmy Hoffa too.
I know I am not alone in this.
But to shell out the big bucks for these whizzy toys that he doesn’t use is an exercise in bad economy.
So I’m thinking next gift-giving occasion, I’m not going to bother with the forty-piece set of educational toy play. I’m just going to get him a clock, a hammer, and a pair of safety glasses.
LOL! If you include a screwdriver with your gift can't it qualify as educational?
My kids are game cannibals. They ransack other games to get enough pieces to play the game they want. And if youngest sees a game board left out – it is instantly a play land for whatever toy she has at hand. Often using the game pieces as food for her doll or animal.
That's great. My husband says I should quit wasting my money on toys I want for Ethan and just give him cardboard boxes, kitchen utensils and anything that rolls.
His latest trick is raking the remote control back and forth on our BRICK fireplace hearth! Not good for anybody. He's now been banned from playing with the remotes.
I understand your frustrations, foot lacerations included, but I think most kids find new ways to play with their toys. At one point I wanted to shake our house to find all the hidden toy pieces.
My kids were always into board games as well. I'd find those pieces they just "forgot" to put back in the box, usually with some part of my anatomy. I was always picking up funny money from those games. One time I got so frustrated, I took the game and threw it out.
Now, they still love board games, but usually put the pieces. Usually. They play those games with each other, friends and relatives. I'm happy they are still hanging out together.
What do the sister's do when Michael brandishes them with his toy golf clubs?
BTW, I really hate that Mouse Trap game.
@Seashore — You'd think toy makers would get wise to this and just sell boxes of random spare parts.
@Baby News — Seriously. We talk about it, but never do follow through on our promise to just give the kid a big box to play in. That's all they need anyway. That and their very active imagination.
@Surprised — Actually the golf clubs got used on a sister one too many times, and have ended up in the garbage. I warned him. Those things can leave a mark.
Sister S loved Barbies when she was little and I was so tired of stepping on little pointy Barbie things. I had to draw the line on these butterfly hair clips a grandmother gave her. They were cute but had pointy wings. One evening I was walking through the play mess and stepped on one. It impaled my foot and being a single parent at the time I had to remove it myself. It was really crammed in my foot and I should have had stitches but being a nurse I took care of it myself.
@Wife — And if I remember correctly, those Barbies had to live with straight hair for the remainder of their plastic lives. Glad you don't have to worry about that any more!
Grandma B says: "I remember some years ago when I sent a big box of stuff for Christmas.
There was a little war between sister L and Michael about who got to play with the BOX– clearly it was more valued than the contents thereof.
How many people have the old hammer and clock story in their past? My mom's story of course.
I think a boy just needs a stick, a ball and a box a nd he will be happy —– for awhile at least."
@Mom — I just remember wanting to cram them both inside the box and taping it back up.
Tat sounds like a gift that would give him hours of joy. BTW, We can have Geraldo come do a prime time special "Search for Hoffa Under the Couch" at your house.