Timeless Toys for Children

My son will celebrate his 21st birthday this week. There is a storage container under the bed in his room that he comes home to when he is on college break. The container is filled with Star Wars Lego vehicles and characters that he constructed when he was a small boy. I remember how proud he was of himself when he was able to look at those booklets and place brick upon brick to build the vehicles.
I take care of a nine year old boy, the nephew of my heart, when his mother is at work a few days a week. The glowing face took me back in time when he completed a fire rescue Lego boat last week. This week he was assembling Indiana Jones, and his motorcycle with great pride. He got a catalog in the mail and I had to watch for traffic as he walked with his nose buried deep, picking out the exciting kits he wanted, for the entire walk home from the post office. Legos are a timeless toy that will carry on for generations.

A very long time ago I was thrilled with two gifts for Christmas. The largest was a train set. For the early sixties this was a thrill to find under the tree on that frosty December morning. I still have that train and the box it came in, which is miraculous as our family has endured three house fires in my life time. There will always be trains in many forms for children to play with. The second treasure I got was the fashion doll, Midge. She was the early sixties best friend to Barbie. She was exotic to me with bright red hair. I played the poor thing to pieces and will always remember she was given to me by my cousin, Dennis, who I've always loved as a brother. In my adult years my husband and mother have given me Barbie dolls in fancy boxes. The memory of Midge will always be the most exciting of the lot. The ten year old sister to my Lego loving nephew is a doll devotee. She has Barbie, Ken and more Barbie dolls. She also has American Girl dolls. She plays dress up with them for hours. She is at the stage where she is designing clothes for them. She is learning how to use a sewing machine to create the fashions she is dreaming up for her dolls. A huggable doll will always be a need for a little girl or boy.They spark creativity and a nurturing spirit.

Stuffed animal toys are a favorite for children and adult collectors. Children know the true value of a stuffed toy when they hug them close and carry them wherever they go. Stuffed toys are there when a little one is sick or tired. Stuffed toys go on car trips and lay in hospital beds listening to the scared whispers of a sick child. The cuddly pillow-like bears, dogs, cats, dinosaurs and more, are a security toy that will only become more popular over time.

Many toys have come and gone in my family homes and in the home of the young ones I care for now. The many toys with longevity are impossible to list here. Marbles, bouncy balls, yo-yos, paddle ball, tiny cars, soldiers, jump ropes, bat and ball will go on for generations to come.