I’ve been hiding a secret only a few select friends and family members know about. For years, I have been buying Matchbox cars for myself. I just love them. The real finds are the cars with the doors and hoods that open. I like the ones that aren’t covered in any stickers or detailed with flames and such. A regular looking car suits me just fine. I’m not a collector. All of my cars are immediately removed from the package and wheeled around. There is no plan to preserve them and eventually sell them for a profit on eBay.
Isn’t it strange a 35 year old woman would have an affinity for such things? Even more strange is my need to cover up the joy I get from playing with them. When I’m making a purchase, I find myself striking up a conversation with the clerk about how the cars are a gift or stocking stuffer for a niece or nephew. I doubt the clerk even cares what I intend to do with them. Where does my need to justify why I’m buying toy cars come from?
Considering my secret pleasure isn’t harmful, offensive or self destructive, there really is no cause to be embarrassed, right? Is it so bad to still maintain the heart of a child in some ways? I’m not a lunatic…unless, of course, I’m in serious denial. Life gets boring and complicated when one has to be an adult and do adult things all of the time. I’m not on the path to having a theme park in my front yard. Michael Jackson is not my role model.
I suspect it feels awkward to be an adult enjoying an activity normally meant for kids because we see so many kids enjoying activities normally meant for adults. Kids are drinking Starbuck’s coffees, wearing grown-up clothes and such. If kids are too mature to be young at heart and play, it makes it feel even more odd for me to be that way. That does make me wonder though. Since kids are determined to copy adults and grow up as fast as possible, perhaps they would benefit from knowing there are days when they can still find us on our knees pushing around miniature Fords and Audis.
So, who is up for confessing they are still a kid at heart? Anyone? Anyone?
Matchbox cars: “Cunning, baffling, powerful.” [the AA credo]. Seriously, I used to enjoy them as a kid, and I didn’t even know they were still around! In fact, my sis & I played with a lot of boy-type toys… maybe because she was such a tomboy.
Christopher has gotten his dad and me to each buy him caffienated Starbucks by telling us that the other parent did it. Kids do not need coffee!!
btw, have been laying off the Red dye40 and finding it does seem to make a difference.
My uncle collected them. When he died, his wife found them, in their boxes, in every nook and cranny and under every bed in the house. They were worth over a million dollars.
I love cabbage patch dolls. Now that I have a daughter it is easy to buy them!! HE HE. Secretly they are for me!!!!
Lisa – this may be a deja vu moment, but I feel like i knew this already?!?!? have you mentioned your love for matchbox cars before or do I have two grown friends who heart them?
I love collecting anything with winnie the pooh i love it. Always have and now i have kyle i have an excuse to buy it.
Lisa – i agree with mandi i’m sure i read somewhere that you collected matchbox cars.
Mellie and Mandi, I’m probably shared my embarrassing moment when I let a kid at my house play with my cars. I was hosting a party and one man showed up with his toddler son. He didn’t think to bring any toys so I secretly dug out my cars. When everyone was getting ready to leave, one of the women started packing MY cars into the little boy’s diaper bag. When I mentioned they were mine, she thought I was joking and kept packing them up. The dad thought perhaps the toddler’s mother had packed the cars in the diaper bag. It was a big ordeal getting them to believe the cars were mine. I’m sure everyone thought I was a goof, but there was no way my cars were walking out the door in that diaper bag!
Wow Amsterdamn! That’s quite a discovery. I hope my husband doesn’t read your comment. He’ll be bummed if I die and he’s left with a Matchbox collection that is worth $10 instead of one million.
Kris, keep me posted about the Red Dye 40. My friend Erin reads this blog. She’s the one who let me know about it being linked to hyperactivity in kids. I’m glad you are seeing a difference.
Hmm, I confess to collecting cute tiny stuffed sheepies or bunnies. I am a spinner (make my own wool) and therefore adore the fiber bearing animals.
Funny you should mention Match Box cars though, I have been keeping my eye out for a silver Jeep like my own big girl toy 😉
Hi Lisa! Oh I am SUCH a child still – I love cabbage patch dolls & strawberry shortcake lol I’ve also been collectiong Winnie the Pooh things since I was 10 and I’m now nearly 30!
Oh well. It’s fun!
I just stopped sleeping with a stuffed animal about a year ago. I bust one of them out when Brandon is out of town on business. He gave one of my stuffed bunnies to London the other day… I was jealous. I’m going to go sneak in her room now and take it back.
Weren’t cabbage patch and strawberry shortcakes on the list of “How you knew you grew up in the 80s?” I’m feeling really old now, good thing “Amsterdamn” will always be older than me. 😉 Hey–and why does he comment on your blog and not mine!! ( I know, his company pays for his cell phone, so my cell phone rants must bore him. 😉 They even bore me!)
I love your cell phone rants Kris! In Amsterdamn’s defense, I did see one post from him on your blog the other day. I’ve posted a few on his blog too. I’m currently competing against a cyber robot offering him $800 for something or other.
Jules…it’s pretty sad when you have to ‘sneak’ to take something away from an 8 month old.
I’m noticing a Cabbage Patch theme. Amy, I’ll let you know if I spy a Jeep!