There's been a spattering of news lately -- at least in our newspapers -- about the recall of some well-loved (well, by kids, maybe) toys due to the fact that they had been decorated with lead paint. Lovely. But here's the thing -- what's the point? I mean, is it too late to do anything about it now? "Take the toy away immediately" [despite the fact that he's been playing with it for three years]. Case in point: Thomas the Tank Engine. I don't know of too many homes without at least one of these little goofy-faced trains, and conversely I do know of many homes that have not only multiple trains but miles and miles of tracks and accouterments as well. How many little kids have been playing with these trains over the years, day after day after day, and now we must take them away? Don't get me wrong -- I am the Queen of Protecting my Children From All Harm and Danger, but as I look at my little stash of toys I should return, I'm really wondering if I will.
It's not so much the train situation. We started purchasing a few trains here and there when Aidan was about 2 years old, thinking he would latch on to them with a fierce obsession like his cousin but ... well, he didn't. Thank goodness we didn't dump hundreds of dollars into various track systems, but instead opted for a 100-piece knock-off set for only $20. Aidan does play with them occasionally but not to the degree that I had hoped. Anyway, out of all the recalled red trains and items we only have 3: a red stop sign, a yellow RR crossing sign, and Skarloey. He can live without the signs -- he never used them much anyway. And Skarloey ... who the heck is Skarloey? What is Skarloey? He couldn't even pronounce the name when he got it. He's not British. And the only reason he got it was because it was on the half-price table at Barnes and Noble. Poor Skarloey -- he's not one of the heavy hitters, and I really doubt that he will be missed if I send him away with the other two pieces. Perhaps my hesitancy in wanting to send them back is because a) we've had them for almost 3 years now so b) what's the point? and c) I just have to do it (which means they might sit on my counter for a long, long time).
Like I said, the trains really aren't such a big deal. My issue is with something I heard about yesterday, that Mattel is now recalling millions of toys as well. I found the recall list online and thankfully most of the toys listed were not ones that we own. Except one, key, sharp-intake-of-breath toy: Sarge, from the CARS movie. I clicked on the link, I checked out the underbelly of this '42 Willy and inspected the serial number and country of origin and yes, our beloved Sarge is affected. I was actually a little upset -- not about the toy so much, but in trying to figure out how I'm going to tell Aidan that I have to send it back. If I don't tell him, he's going to notice. But here's the thing: according to the notice, I will get a voucher to purchase a new one. I don't want a voucher -- I want Sarge. You don't even want to know how long it took for us to find this silly little car, and once we did Aidan was overjoyed. I don't know how it is in other parts of the country, but it's almost impossible to find these things here. Stores are usually stocked with the regulars: Lightning McQueen, Sheriff, Sally. But the others, like Sarge ... forget it. In the year or so that Aidan has been collecting these little cars, I have only seen Sarge once -- and that's the one we have. Now I have to turn him back in, and use my voucher to ... what? Find another one? Impossible.
Don made a point yesterday when I told him about this dilemma. He reminded me that we played with lead-painted toys when we were little (remember the old Little People sets? We still have them) and we're fine. I know, I know -- that line of reasoning is right up there with "we never wore seat belts" and "we never wore bike helmets." But still ... there's a point there ... right? Am I a horrible parent for even considering keeping Sarge? Am I the only one who thinks like this? Am I seriously having this internal debate with myself over a little toy? Oh, what we parents do to ourselves ... So right now my little stash of toys is sitting on my counter awaiting its fate. Weigh in, friends -- the fate of an obscure, hard to find truck is in your hands! No, seriously, I know I should send them back, but it does give me pause. Safety first, as the old adage goes ... but that adage never hunted for a hard-to-find truck ...
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Here we go ... as I got ready to post this, Aidan came running over to my side screaming, "Sarge! Sarge! How did you get Sarge on there?! Cool!" Obviously I haven't told him yet. Is this when an older, wiser person will pass along sage advice, "This is a good opportunity to teach your child that not everything in life goes the way you want it to" or something along those lines? Maybe so ...
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