Toy Story

funny how when you buy toys for your kids, you pick two things:

1. The toys you enjoyed as a kid, especially those with much improved features. we're talking about three decades of research and development, so they're bound to get cooler.

or

2. The toys you wanted before but you were either too poor, too old, or too clumsy to get.

I got elan a toy biplane for Christmas, one held together by lug nuts and comes with a power screwdriver. Despite the fact that the kid is barely a year, and this toy is designed for 3 years old and up, i still wanted him to have it, as i was afraid that by the time he's 3, it wouldn't be on the market anymore.

I got a similar toy back when i was three or four and instead of a power screwdriver, came with a plastic wrench. I'd spend hours playing mechanic, making plane noises and alternately assembling and disassembling the plane without even considering the damn thing was too fat that it wouldn't fly at any point. It was fun. And it made me curious.

I had visions of Elan running around the house pretending he was flying in the pilot's seat and strafing the furniture with puckered lips. I was even giddy if he would just sit and tinker with the assembly and decide which part goes with what, and from there learn more about the nuances of design, harmony, and maybe aerodynamics. I'd then grab a book from my shelf (Dragon Tattoo? Calvin and Hobbes? Umberto Eco?) and let him learn more about the principles of flight and why men weren't really meant to fly.

Elan took one long look at the plane and then began to eat the screwdriver.

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