While wandering through the local mall during my lunch break the other day, I happened to pass by a temporary store that was selling a wide variety of gifts. I noticed that many of them could be classified as “children’s toys of the past,” even though they were brand new, modern items. For example, there were electronic fire engines, monster trucks, tanks, helicopters, and so on.

Why do I call them toys of the past? Because I think that if most children got one of those light-up vehicles for their birthday or under the tree for Christmas, they’d be disappointed.

Personally, I loved that sort of thing growing up. Big electronic vehicles to play with made many a Saturday afternoon fly by in my younger days (though I never had a fire engine; I was more of a train guy).

Kids today are far too focused on video games, the Internet, and other interactive media to be satisfied by such “simple” toys. You might be able to get away with it with a preschooler, but after that, you’re risking whining, complaints, and derision. It’s almost too much to ask for a kid to have an imagination anymore.