We're Wasting Our Money

We’re wasting our money, and the advertising agencies are entirely to blame (that is, if you overlook personal responsibility on our part).  I’m talking about games and toys.  With Christmas season on the way, we’re seeing advertising flyers, store displays, and TV commercials ramping up a notch or three.

The proof of this concept is not hard to find, and I believe you’ll agree with me after a little bit of observation.  Let’s start out with small children, ages 0 to 3.  On a chilly Christmas morning, when they gleefully tear into the brightly wrapped packages, what is it that they most often end up playing with?  In my experience, it’s the bow on the top of the gift and the box that the present came in.  Maybe not immediately, but after everything has been unwrapped and pushed to the side, they delight in running through the wrapping paper scraps and hiding in the boxes.

As they get older, we spend countless dollars on outdoor play equipment and toys.  Yet, if you go out back and watch my two boys at play, you’ll notice that a stick (yes, from the tree) is their toy of choice.  They will fish with it, throw it, sword fight with it, fly it, or shoot at each other with it.  A second favorite is the water hose.  It doesn’t even have to be hooked up!  It’s a telephone, a snake, and a fire hose all wrapped up in one.

Aside from these special toys, they also like to collect and sort things.  Rocks from our flower beds line the windowsill and patio.  Sweet gum balls and Wall-wuts (Walnuts), are among their favorites to gather at their grandparents house.  If you’re keeping a tally on these incredible outdoor playthings, you’ll notice that we’re all the way up to…um… zero dollars.

I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but it was underscored once again at the Fall Festival our church held this past Sunday.  We spent a lot of time and money getting a bounce-around, games, and prizes all ready for Halloween night.  The kids enjoyed it, that’s for sure, but after the festivities were technically over, the kids kept going.  They went outside and took turns rolling down the hill behind the youth building.  The comment was made that we could have bypassed a lot of work if we’d have just put a big vat of candy at the bottom and told them to pick up a piece each time they rolled down.

It leaves me to wonder, is there a set of parents out there brave enough to throw off the chains of the Madison Avenue marketing magnates?  Give your child that empty box they want, and don’t make them pull some shiny plastic thing out of the way to get in it!  Let them swim through a sea of crumpled wrapping paper sporting a bow for a crown.  If you really must put some effort into it, carve them a special stick from a tree in the back yard.

I don’t suppose there’s anyone that will take me up on this challenge, but if there is, I’d sure like to hear how it turns out.