Now let me first get an important disclaimer out of the way. I love my kids more than words can say. They, along with my wife, are my world. I would do anything for them, and would never let them come to any harm.
With that said, I am a geek, which largely means I’m a big kid myself. Just like a kid, I love my toys. And the thing that worries me a little is, I think I’ll love their toys too.
There’s no getting around it, toys have got better since we were young, haven’t they? I’m not being unkind to the olden days (yes, when the world was in black and white, I’ve heard them all!). But the toys we had back then don’t even compare. And I’m not even hating on the retro classics of my childhood. There’s still a place in my heart for those. But with a few years to go until I’m a proper grown adult, I do worry that I might end up monopolising the toys I buy for them.
Gaming Consoles
When I was a lad, it was all Sega this and Nintendo that, and they were fine consoles. And then there was the Playstation. Not the PS4, oh no. The old school PS. The original. A great piece of kit it was too. Even though I’m not a huge gamer, I wouldn’t be shocked to raise some little gamers myself.
And I worry, with the faster, more realistic graphics and more innovative games, that I’ll be the dad going “Mind if I play?”. Fast forward to five hours later, they’re outside kicking a ball around, and I’m doing the same but in digitised form.
Drones
Thanks to Amazon and countless filmmakers, drones have been put in the public sphere as useful gadgets. Things that can be used for work. And this is a sign that the world is still run by dads. Because let’s face it, delivering packages with a remote control helicopter is awesome. Take a look at this RotorCopters’ selection and tell me that you wouldn’t buy one “for the kids” and then end up using it more than they do.
Basically Any Movie Tie-In
Okay, so I can be fairly confident that I won’t get dragged into a love of Frozen that surpasses how kids feel about it. But let’s be honest here, kids’ TV and movies are made by adults, and they now work on more than one level. Watch them as an adult, and you and the kids will laugh in different places. I guarantee it.
And things have come on so much since the action figures of the 80s and 90s. Be it video game tie-ins or radio controlled toys, they’re enough to turn the head of any geek. I’m quite certain I’ll need to ask my wife to intervene and stop me from ruining a couple of childhoods by living out the last years of mine.
I can’t be the only dad who worries about this, can I?
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