Boys and Toys Part 1

A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara

Shortly after our second grandson was born, a friend asked if I needed any “Grandma” toys. Being new to this role, I said “Sure” whereupon she brought a large bag and box of Playschool toys that her grandchildren had outgrown.

Alex, who was two at the time, was thrilled. These were toys he did not have at his house, so they were a hit.

When we were cleaning out Brian’s father’s house, we found an older version of the Playschool family and schoolhouse. We added it to the “Grandma” toys.

All the pieces were in remarkable shape considering their age.

Alex thoroughly enjoyed putting them all in the “right” spot – the table with the chairs around it, the stove and refrigerator in the kitchen, the toilet and tub in the bathroom, etc.

Back in May, there was a terrible storm in North Texas. A tornado went through the town where Alex’s other grandparents live.

The whole family helped with the cleanup, and it made a huge impression on Alex. He frequently re-enacts the storm with his toys. I think it just gives him a reason to make a big mess.

I happened to notice during this visit that one of the playschool chairs was broken.

I asked Alex about it, and he said, “I broke it on accident in the big storm.”

While I was not at all upset or even surprised by this, it did occur to me that these toys had survived the entire childhood of Aunt Jennifer yet the second time the boys played with them, something got broken.