With all the distractions and disruptions brought about by the ubiquitous digital devices of the day, it's no wonder that parents worry about their children enjoying the same sort of carefree childhood experiences that they did. But firsthand experience with three young boys has taught me that these fears are mostly overblown. For while it's easy to see how much things have changed, when you stop and think about it for a moment, you realize how much things are really still the same. Consider the following list of items which capture the fancy of boys (at least my boys) today much in the same manner as they did when I was a lad and as they have for at least the last sixty years:
Pirates
Knights
Dragons
Dinosaurs
Sharks
Tractors
Trucks
Trains
Planes
Rockets
Robots
Balls
Guns
Tools
Throw in timeless toys like Legos, Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, blocks, and puzzles and you realize that while much has changed in our world, what animates and excites the imagination of young boys are essentially the same things that always have and, God willing, always will.
