"Daddy, in this game cellphones are not allowed, at all." said my four year old daughter one afternoon after school. She's always been good at telling me exactly how she feels and at four years old that sometimes comes with a brutal honestly that I need to hear. Sometimes I need to be reminded that playtime is our time.
My days with her as a stay at home dad have been full of play ever since she was old enough to grasp things in her tiny hands I hold out an action figure in front of her and say "This is Duke, he's the leader of the G.I. Joes. Can you say Yo Joe?"
To be honest when the kids were babies I found it kind of lame. They'd eat, sleep, poop and repeat all day long and I couldn't wait for them to start doing things. In fact, with all three of my children I can recall a time where I thought "They are so little now. When am I going to get to play with them?" I later realized that play was going to be what kept us closer together.
I managed to squirrel away toys from my childhood which I kept in the attic waiting for the kids to get to ages where they would enjoy playing with the same ones I loved as a child. I slowly introduced my Star Wars figures, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a crate of things my wife wouldn't let me display anywhere in the house. So, through all the years and multiple moves they survived and patiently waited for their turns to be manhandled by my children.
It became a rite of passage as they became old enough for each of my children to play with Daddy's toys. As they were growing up I was always on the lookout for ways to introduce them to the ways I used to play. It took some getting used to the way they would play with them as I had kept them neat and organized in their respective cases. After my son's first time with my Secret Wars collection I just about had a panic attack when I couldn't find the black claws to my rare variant Wolverine.
Ask any man who has a collection of their old toys and they'll probably tell you how hard it was to let their kids play with them. It's that feeling you would get taking your toys to someone else's house and not wanting to share with them. My kids are the reason I saved all the toys before they were even a discussion my wife and I had over dinner a year into our marriage. I put them away so that they could enjoy them as much as I did but still had trouble letting them go. I guess when you spend so much quality time with them that they become a part of you. Luckily for many of us, we won't have to let them go.
With Hasbro's #PlayskoolHeroes line the old classics became new ones. Jurassic World? Transformers? Marvel? They are all here in preschool friendly versions so we can pass on our legacy of play and start new ones with our children while keeping their grubby paws off of our toys. I'm kidding! Sort of. What is most important about toys is not how much they are worth monetarily but what playing together means to our relationship.
I'm that dad cruising the toy aisles for the newest thing and I don't avoid them when we are at the store. I'm that dad on the floor playing until the last possible second before our next activity. Play is an important part of a child's development and I'm happy to be a part of it.
My daughter was immediately drawn to the Jurassic World T-Rex and while playing, loved to chomp everything in sight and apparently wanted more iron in his diet as War Machine Iron Man was her next victim. It's just in the nature of a T-Rex to want to bite everything.
Our play time is important for development but more for each other. When we play we are together and having fun, away from the internet, tablets, and life's distractions. Play is our time to bond and while playing with a four year old usually means I must copy everything she tells me to do and say or she might get angry, I'm happy to be her hero in that moment.
MORE ABOUT THE PLAYSKOOL SUPERHEROES PLAYSETS
Ask any man who has a collection of their old toys and they'll probably tell you how hard it was to let their kids play with them. It's that feeling you would get taking your toys to someone else's house and not wanting to share with them. My kids are the reason I saved all the toys before they were even a discussion my wife and I had over dinner a year into our marriage. I put them away so that they could enjoy them as much as I did but still had trouble letting them go. I guess when you spend so much quality time with them that they become a part of you. Luckily for many of us, we won't have to let them go.
With Hasbro's #PlayskoolHeroes line the old classics became new ones. Jurassic World? Transformers? Marvel? They are all here in preschool friendly versions so we can pass on our legacy of play and start new ones with our children while keeping their grubby paws off of our toys. I'm kidding! Sort of. What is most important about toys is not how much they are worth monetarily but what playing together means to our relationship.
I'm that dad cruising the toy aisles for the newest thing and I don't avoid them when we are at the store. I'm that dad on the floor playing until the last possible second before our next activity. Play is an important part of a child's development and I'm happy to be a part of it.
My daughter was immediately drawn to the Jurassic World T-Rex and while playing, loved to chomp everything in sight and apparently wanted more iron in his diet as War Machine Iron Man was her next victim. It's just in the nature of a T-Rex to want to bite everything.
Our play time is important for development but more for each other. When we play we are together and having fun, away from the internet, tablets, and life's distractions. Play is our time to bond and while playing with a four year old usually means I must copy everything she tells me to do and say or she might get angry, I'm happy to be her hero in that moment.
MORE ABOUT THE PLAYSKOOL SUPERHEROES PLAYSETS
TRANSFORMERS RESCUE BOTS HIGH TIDE Playset - Ages 3-7 years
Transforming rescue boat High Tide comes with a mini version of high tide that transforms into a rescue sub. Place the figure inside, push the lever, and High Tide is transformed and ready to deploy via the swivel secret compartment in the hull.
SUPER HERO ADVENTURES IRON MAN ARMOR UP FORTRESS Playset - Ages 3-7 years
Iron Man Tony Stark’s armor fortress comes complete with two suits of armor. You must supply Jarvis' voice. Push down on the tower and Stark is fitted with one of two suits. Store the extra suit in his armory and watch out for the trap door or you could be caught in the jail!
JURASSIC WORLD TYRANNOSAURUS REX - Ages 3 years and up
Everyone loves dinosaurs and who wouldn't want their favorite T-Rex complete with light up eyes and chomping sound effects? Comes complete with snack, er - dinosaur tamer.
MORE ABOUT PLAYSKOOL
Disclaimer : Thanks to Playskool Heroes, which compensated me for this post, for encouraging dads and kids to be heroes together even if it means we have to sometimes share our toys. Back to playing!
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