Blessed Children

Eversince I have become a parent, trips to toy stores have almost become a ritual. Everytime I look at these toys, I couldn't help but to think the kids today are so lucky.

Or at least, my daughter is so much luckier than me.

Being a child from a humble family, I never had the luxury of having toys like Barbies, Cabbage Dolls, Care Bear which were the craze in the 80's. In fact I dun recall myself owning any fancy toys like those from Little Tikes, Fisher Price or Playskool that we as parents now willingly burning our pockets for. Thinking harder, I don't think I ever own any kitchen set, a doll house, or a nice big cuddly teddy bear to hug to sleep.

All I can remember is a paper doll which costs 20 cents a piece, and it comes with ready sets of clothes. I also remember having a plastic doll that would close its eyes when you lay it to sleep. There were also four or five stones that I used to play with friends. Or Rubbers, which you try to flip over the others in a game, so that you can win more erasers and show them off in your pencil case. Zero-point, another game, is played during recess time everyday during my primary school days. That's when we girls can show off our "gymnastics" skills by jumping over ever increasing heights posed by the rope of rubber-bands.

Fast forward to 2006. Look at my daughter now.

She is barely 2 yrs old, yet she already has so many toys that are almost filling up our living room! I believe she is not the only one. There are many kids out there just like her, thanks to parents like us. Perhaps we, parents, do that because we want to give them the best as a form of compensation--to make up for the guilt of not being able to spend all the time with them due to our work. Subconsciously.

Whatever the reasons are, kids today are undeniably and truly blessed.