Is your mailbox spilling over with toy catalogs? Mine has been for about a month now. Other than getting the same one over and over with a different cover each time, I do enjoy receiving them. I like the memories brought back by seeing toys I liked as a child, I like marking playthings my girls and nephews might like. I admit I even like looking at the toys I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole. Yes, I get a little boost from knowing that I am not the type of parent who would get a toddler a "My First Video Game" for Christmas.
My favorite toy catalog, from Nova Natural Toys & Crafts, only comes this time of year. If you haven't received a copy, you may want to order it now. This catalog is one to keep on your nightstand as a book of inspiration. The children, the toys, the art materials, the photos... it's all wholesome and lovely and, well, natural. Like childhood should be.
I flip through it whenever my children's rooms and things seem out of hand, when I feel the vision of a simple imaginative afternoon escaping me as I tidy up yet another mess, when my mind is buzzing with colorful plastic stuff (of course we have colorful plastic stuff!), when Sabrina has been talking nonstop for hours and the idea of introducing her to her first video game seems a tiny bit tempting. The toys and pictures bring me back to what I know I want her childhood and my parenthood to look like and inspire me to pursue that vision.
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